Web Hype
Give and Take By Stona Fitch
I received Give and Take by Stona Fitch for free from Concord Free Press, which is doing this wacky experiment on “publishing and community” as they explain on their website. Now, part of the deal is I then HAVE to give the book to someone else, which is fine, as my htmlgiant secret santa will be getting it. Also you HAVE to give money away, which again is fine; this time of year I give money away anyway. But in a more general sense, my problem with all this is- I hate people telling me what to do. Nearly always, when someone tells me what to do, my eyes blur a bit and some weird rage lets lose in my brain. Once, I went to a Bikram Yoga class and it was in this heated room and the teacher started the class by saying, “even if you get really hot and feel faint and like you may barf or die and so you want to leave the room, YOU MAY NOT. You cannot leave the room! You can lay down for awhile, but you can’t leave.” Now, people, what happened was, eventually, I felt hot and shitty and I left the room! If someone says do this or you can’t do that- six and half times out of ten, I’m going to do the opposite. Every time my husband says “let’s just split desert” after we’ve had some insanely enormous dinner and we can barely move, I then order three. (One good thing is, he no longer says this for the most part. So now I mostly order two.)
But I digress. Give and Take is a book that chews on issues, a novel of ideas, and something I normally wouldn’t read. I like to read books I normally wouldn’t read, as long as I don’t have to do that twice a week, like when I worked in publishing. And Finch has a good mind, a clean prose style and moves the book along very nicely.
When I think of novels written basically around ideas, meaning, the characters and plot all exist to contemplate actual concepts the author clearly finds himself obsessed with- I think of Lord Of The Flies and 1984 at first. But then there is Philip K. Dick’s work and even some of Doris Lessing’s fiction can be read this way. In other words, there is a great variety of novels that succeed at this, many of them are scifi, but not always.
But back to Give and Take. Told in the first person, the narrator is a jazz piano player by the name of Ross Wolfshead (that name is actually quite symbolic), who travels the country playing high end hotels, stealing diamonds and BMWs expertly, and giving away the money he makes to random people who look as if they might need it. Now, one of the more fun twists is that he manages to steal the diamonds by being an amazing- get this- finger fucker. There is a lot of material on his fingers, the magic they produce on the piano, the women, the diamond extractions, and so forth. His brother is also a crook- a counterfeiter, to be exact- and at one point sends his own son, Ross’s nephew Cray, to join Ross on his life on the road. Cray figures out what Ross is up to and some chaos ensues, but not anything too predictable. And of course, Ross falls for another crook, a lovely lady named Marianne, and this too provides another twist to the modern Robin Hood tale that is Give and Take.
Finch handles his material loosely- you don’t feel he is being didactic, rather, he is thinking on the page, and wanting the reader to think about money, worth, happiness and so on. I think about these things anyway, and although I normally don’t think about them while reading a novel, the novel was entertaining and strange enough in parts that I enjoyed it. I hope my secret santa does, too.
Tags: Concord Free Press, give and take, Stona Fitch
PR,
We are similar. I have issues with authority.
Just last week I walked through a crowded bar with a lit cigar because the door man had made a comment to me on the way in. I blew smoke in his face on the way out.
there is something inside me which grows large and mean. i am not fit for society.
the book sounds kind of interesting. sci-fi seems to always have significant character names.
PR,
We are similar. I have issues with authority.
Just last week I walked through a crowded bar with a lit cigar because the door man had made a comment to me on the way in. I blew smoke in his face on the way out.
there is something inside me which grows large and mean. i am not fit for society.
the book sounds kind of interesting. sci-fi seems to always have significant character names.
It’s not scifi, but it is a book where ideas are more central than say, childhood or drugs, as i see it- as very often scifi is. so instead of just giving someone a name, the name has to signify something.
i liked it. i never would have read it if i hadn’t done that free thing. so, that is cool. and the whole weird “magic fingers” thing was fun and wierd. It’s also a good book if you like jazz, or know a lot about jazz.
thanks for reading my post, jereme.
I’m glad you posted about this, PR. I received my copy awhile back.
Interesting concept, the publishing method. Haven’t read the book yet.
I’m glad you posted about this, PR. I received my copy awhile back.
Interesting concept, the publishing method. Haven’t read the book yet.
pr,
i got my secret satan stuff and they were books i would not have read.
so far i am liking the first one awesomely.
i am happy.
pr,
i got my secret satan stuff and they were books i would not have read.
so far i am liking the first one awesomely.
i am happy.
i think the philip k. dick reference had me thinking ‘sci fi’.
i am easily distracted.
i think the philip k. dick reference had me thinking ‘sci fi’.
i am easily distracted.
Ken- it’s not a huge commitment, it’s a slight book. I just was looking at my review and regrettting about not getting into detail re: money, worth, happiness- many writers are writing about this stuff, but it is secondary to the characters or plot (I’m thinking Jean Rhys, Tolstoy, Amis, Munro, I could go on and on–but it’s the direction in which this concept-ruminating goes in, how it is presented in regard to the rest of the fiction…). I feel that with Fitch, the ideas come first. So it feels different. But I enjoyed it. And he doesn’t clobber you over the head with anything really…I’d love to hear what you think of it when/if you finish it!
jereme- I’m such a comfort zone reader so i do like it when i read something different. cool you got your secret santa stuff! I’m sending mine off today, now that i finished give and take, i’m throwing a bunch of other stuff in there- secret santa as house cleaning? anyway, all indie stuff, all books…and i felt the need to mention scifi in my review because whenever there’s a concept central “what is the true value of money in a wealthy country of excess?” I think scifi. Personally, I like money. We were broke for years and it sucked and made us stressed out. now we are not, and we are happier. But the book doesn’t say “money is bad”. but it questions it’s real value- and i do think there is such thing as the “money grubbking whore” way of life that is no good either. blablaba- gets you thinking.
i got my copy a bit ago, too, but there were other books i’ve been wanting to read more but i think it’s next. part of me hopes i don’t get attached to it because i like to HAVE books that i like/love/obsess over. for giving it away i was trying to think of what to do and i was thinking about this basket we have at the children’s bookstore i run that has flyers and newsletters about bestsellers et cetera, i was thinking about putting GIVE + TAKE in that when i finish it.
i got my copy a bit ago, too, but there were other books i’ve been wanting to read more but i think it’s next. part of me hopes i don’t get attached to it because i like to HAVE books that i like/love/obsess over. for giving it away i was trying to think of what to do and i was thinking about this basket we have at the children’s bookstore i run that has flyers and newsletters about bestsellers et cetera, i was thinking about putting GIVE + TAKE in that when i finish it.
jesus, jereme you are not a badass. you are not ‘of the gutter’. it’s old. badasses don’t have blogs. people ‘of the gutter’ only know of the internet in theory.
jesus, jereme you are not a badass. you are not ‘of the gutter’. it’s old. badasses don’t have blogs. people ‘of the gutter’ only know of the internet in theory.
where does jereme anywhere in this thread say anything about being a badass or of the gutter? Am I blind? I could be. I’ve had waaay too much caffeine today.
Ryan, I wouldn’t think- from what I know of you, which isn’t a whole hell of a lot–that you’ll get super crazy attached to this one. But yeah, I have first editions of Habit of Being and other stuff and even things that aren’t first edtions but that I have notes scribbled in the margins- hate to give that away. It is something wrong with the concept. Mostly though, I hate anyone telling me what to do. I get this big vein in my left temple that starts pulsing wildly and my breathe quickens. Sigh. I did good though. I sent it to my secret santa.
pr:
“But in a more general sense, my problem with all this is- I hate people telling me what to do.”
in their defense, they arent actually coming to your house and forcing you to order or participate in the project. you can take it or leave it. if you chose to take it you can’t bitch about it later. well you can, but it sounds a lot like whining.
i love you.
hadju:
jereme is the badest ass badass everrrrrrrr (say it like the kid from sandlot)
pr:
“But in a more general sense, my problem with all this is- I hate people telling me what to do.”
in their defense, they arent actually coming to your house and forcing you to order or participate in the project. you can take it or leave it. if you chose to take it you can’t bitch about it later. well you can, but it sounds a lot like whining.
i love you.
hadju:
jereme is the badest ass badass everrrrrrrr (say it like the kid from sandlot)
I totally agree with you Barry. my point is, I got the book in the mail, and then there is this slip of paper in it, telling you to give it away and to give money away. I actually think it was an interesting concept–and of course they are not coming here and telling me what to do at my house. It’s just that reading that piece of paper set off my weakness- my “don’t tell me what to do” brain fart I get everytime I go to a restaurant and my husband says “lets just split desert”. Of course we should split desert- we’re so full we shouldn’t even order it at all. But I then HAVE to order way too many. It’s my problem, not Concord Free Press’s. Just LOVE me BG, for fucks sake.
it wasn’t supposed to be whining, it was supposed to be self-mocking. oh well.
pr—
i’m the same way. especially when it comes to reading. if someone tells me to read i can’t do it. i somehow made it through a lot of schooling with not reading “assigned” reading until after the assignment was over. it was a strange process. also, i’m intrigued by what clues i’ve given that would make you think i’ll get “super attached” (i’m trying not to be determined against your assessment now). :)
pr—
i’m the same way. especially when it comes to reading. if someone tells me to read i can’t do it. i somehow made it through a lot of schooling with not reading “assigned” reading until after the assignment was over. it was a strange process. also, i’m intrigued by what clues i’ve given that would make you think i’ll get “super attached” (i’m trying not to be determined against your assessment now). :)
wow, that smiley face is in a box. weird.
wow, that smiley face is in a box. weird.
i know what the point is and its a good post. i just wanted to defend themfor five seconds, but im done now. i agree with you. that was a bunch of bullshit for them to make demands after they gave you the book. pffffff.
BG+PR=ETERNAL LOVE
i know what the point is and its a good post. i just wanted to defend themfor five seconds, but im done now. i agree with you. that was a bunch of bullshit for them to make demands after they gave you the book. pffffff.
BG+PR=ETERNAL LOVE
ryan- i meant to say “not super attached”- in that “I wouldn’t think” part of that sentence. I suck today at communicating properly. Off to piano lessons to give you all a break from my caffeine-fueled mental fucktardedness. but yeah, many people have trouble with “do this now, person!’ – in fact, i just yelled at my son five times to come down and put on his shoes….
pr–
now i want to know what made you think i wouldn’t be. or are you using reverse psychology to get me make myself love it? are you really stona finch? man, work can be boring sometimes…
pr–
now i want to know what made you think i wouldn’t be. or are you using reverse psychology to get me make myself love it? are you really stona finch? man, work can be boring sometimes…
i enjoy your stereo type of ‘bad asses’.regardless i never said i am gutter or a bad ass. i am pretty tame now. i work for a huge corporation. i do not want to get in trouble. i am old.
the discussion i was having with pr is my similar issue with authority.
it was the most recent example. it is not any longer.
i just went to smoke a cigar (a puro from the dr!) and got into an arguing match with the landlord of my company. he told me i couldn’t smoke inside the parking garage. i kept smoking. it was stupid.
i’m probably going to get written up. yay for me.
i guess i am a bad ass. woo hoo!
i enjoy your stereo type of ‘bad asses’.regardless i never said i am gutter or a bad ass. i am pretty tame now. i work for a huge corporation. i do not want to get in trouble. i am old.
the discussion i was having with pr is my similar issue with authority.
it was the most recent example. it is not any longer.
i just went to smoke a cigar (a puro from the dr!) and got into an arguing match with the landlord of my company. he told me i couldn’t smoke inside the parking garage. i kept smoking. it was stupid.
i’m probably going to get written up. yay for me.
i guess i am a bad ass. woo hoo!
hey! you guys are losing track.
we are talking about how bad ass i am.
hey! you guys are losing track.
we are talking about how bad ass i am.
your ass is so bad it was smoking cigarettes under the bleachers during home-ec.
but speaking of cigars… i’m a big fan. anything CAO especially. my dad keeps sending me boxes each time he travels somewhere. i am running out of room in my humidor.
your ass is so bad it was smoking cigarettes under the bleachers during home-ec.
but speaking of cigars… i’m a big fan. anything CAO especially. my dad keeps sending me boxes each time he travels somewhere. i am running out of room in my humidor.
ryan,
i am friends with the west coast rep for CAO. HIs name is Budz. He is arab.
Their new LX2 is fucking strong.
ryan,
i am friends with the west coast rep for CAO. HIs name is Budz. He is arab.
Their new LX2 is fucking strong.
good person to be friends with! my favorite is the cameroon box press. i also like the criollo a lot. i bought a box of the MX2 a while ago and have four or five left. i don’t get as many chances to smoke them as i’d like.
good person to be friends with! my favorite is the cameroon box press. i also like the criollo a lot. i bought a box of the MX2 a while ago and have four or five left. i don’t get as many chances to smoke them as i’d like.
try the italia box press or the brazilia box press. it is freaking tasty.
cao also owns dunhill and torano. they aren’t as good as the cao sticks.
try the italia box press or the brazilia box press. it is freaking tasty.
cao also owns dunhill and torano. they aren’t as good as the cao sticks.
i’ve had the italias and brazilias but not in box press, which is my favorite it seems box press is going out of fashion though.
i’ve had the italias and brazilias but not in box press, which is my favorite it seems box press is going out of fashion though.
Barry- I LOVE YOU FOREVER
I don’t think it was wrong of them, what I wanted to point out was the difficulty in such an endeavor, that human nature- mine at least- rebels against that stuff. Ryan’s point of really wanting to own something he love was also in that vein to me. And perhaps that is the point, the reason they call it “an experiment”. It is against our nature to give away (although not for me, unless I’m told I should do it, which is different than “have to” now I am forgetting their wording, but it is more a command than a – “why dontcha”). It was supposed to be self mocking. What this all made me realize is- self mocking can be whiny. PRBGPRBGPRBG
yes, jereme, where did that come from? Sorry hadju, but it seemed to come out of the blue. I think Jerme here-was just relating to what I was trying to say, and really, so is Concord Free Press, that it is against human nature to do what we are told, and even moreso, to give away something we light love. It’s all good and interesting, but Jereme and I were not trying to badass or of the gutter.
Ryan- I have read some of your fiction and really enjoyed it. I guess- only from the little I read of your work- that this might not be something you would want to hold onto forever sort of thing. I don’t know. I am not Stona Fitch. I wish I were. He is very talented.
That said, now that I’ve had 3 margaritas, Stona Fitch played in a band in the late 80s in BOSTON. Dude, I shoulda put you in the “writers I did fuck” – Oh wait! Thats not a category. But man, I lived in Boston in the late 80s- I screwed so many of you guys. Mostly drummers though (I had hot girlfriends who screwed the guitarists and lead singers, but hey, drummers? more rythmn less ego…wait, you weren’t a drummer!) But we may have met. I like your book. I was trying to be thoughtful about the whole procedure of the distribution as well as the book, I hope I did good. Also, the Neighborhoods? Til Tuesday? The Buddy System? Let’s talk late 80s Boston rock. I LIVED at the Rat. Remember Mitch?
the bags? ultra blue? joe?come-before they were come?oona and nate? mitch and his little thing he had to hold up to his neck from smoke and playing the —uhhh-sax(not sure)? mitch and I loved each other.
pr– thanks for enjoying my writing. sometimes i forget people may have actually read something i wrote.
did you live in boston long enough to see Morphine play? if so i am very jealous
pr– thanks for enjoying my writing. sometimes i forget people may have actually read something i wrote.
did you live in boston long enough to see Morphine play? if so i am very jealous
yes, morphine. they were so wonderful. but, i never knew them at all, or-uh, knew their drummer persnoally. but -god they channelled tom waits in thier own way, in such a good way. late 80s boston was so fun.
i’ve only spent a few days in boston but i loved it. morphine rocks my socks. i still listen to them at least once a week.
i’ve only spent a few days in boston but i loved it. morphine rocks my socks. i still listen to them at least once a week.
My particular issue with this post has to do with the fact that pr was not being forced to share dessert and her husband was only making a suggestion. There is no need to order three desserts. You are not flaunting anyone’s authority, except maybe the yoga instructor’s, because he told you eating more than 1 dessert (and then only occasionally) will make you sick in the yoga space.
I thought about this post later while I was in the shower. I’m sorry pr but that makes no sense unless you have underlying issues regarding your husband’s “authority” that you aren’t mentioning and still have to work out.
My particular issue with this post has to do with the fact that pr was not being forced to share dessert and her husband was only making a suggestion. There is no need to order three desserts. You are not flaunting anyone’s authority, except maybe the yoga instructor’s, because he told you eating more than 1 dessert (and then only occasionally) will make you sick in the yoga space.
I thought about this post later while I was in the shower. I’m sorry pr but that makes no sense unless you have underlying issues regarding your husband’s “authority” that you aren’t mentioning and still have to work out.
My issues with my husband are so not under anything! They are right up on the table with the deserts, andre love! You should see us play tennis against each other! I throw the raquest at his face, but only after he gives me a black eye by smacking the ball as hard as he can at my face! (This is a slight exaggeration, and I can’t make the little thingy on your “e”- sorry.) We play tennis every weekend. We love it. We’ve been married for 13 years last monday. Here is a song that makes me think of my husband :”aa bondy’s “Lover’s Waltz”. “…will you run with me, until the ground folds us within…”. Man I worship aa bondy.
Now, this post was called “Whiney” which broke my heart. I was trying to be self mocking. Perhaps self mocking is a kind of whiney, when not done correctly. I am not in any way condoning or defending my behavior. I’m a full on idiot! I posted my ass on the internet! Think about that.
That said, I am glad you were thinking about me in the shower. But thank God every day you are not married to me.
I was joking!! Reading it over I realise how bad it sounds when you are not reading it with the “tone” that I had in my head when I was writing it.
I don’t think the post was whiney, I was just commenting on how that dessert thing made no sense. A different or modified example would have been fine! I’m sure your relationship with your husband is excellent, because he is okay with you posting your ass on the internet? I don’t understand what any of this has to do with being married to me!
Here is an example of how the dessert example could have been modified:
“Honey we are going to share a dessert together, that is final.”
“No!!! I am going going to order one dessert, and it will only be for me. If you order another I will eat it.”
I’m sorry. It’s not a very good example.
I was joking!! Reading it over I realise how bad it sounds when you are not reading it with the “tone” that I had in my head when I was writing it.
I don’t think the post was whiney, I was just commenting on how that dessert thing made no sense. A different or modified example would have been fine! I’m sure your relationship with your husband is excellent, because he is okay with you posting your ass on the internet? I don’t understand what any of this has to do with being married to me!
Here is an example of how the dessert example could have been modified:
“Honey we are going to share a dessert together, that is final.”
“No!!! I am going going to order one dessert, and it will only be for me. If you order another I will eat it.”
I’m sorry. It’s not a very good example.
pr,
be confident in your insecurities. fuck popular opinion
pr,
be confident in your insecurities. fuck popular opinion
andre- i did detect some joking! I just had to go further and talk about what a complete pain I am in more detail. We do call our tennis games “marrige counseling” and it is a serious battle. It works for us. Other people do other things. Re: ass posting: can you imagine if he had said” honey, don’t post your ass on the internet?” Good Lord! I’d probably open up my own amateur porn site with our home address on it! I am the worst. He just nods his head and occasionally points his finger at me and laughs. Sometimes, he gets pissed. It’s OK. So far, so good, you know. I checked out your blog, too. Nice. I love Toronto.
JEREMEEEE!
speaking of pr’s ass, i clicked on the link to your blog and it gave me an “adult content” warning. and there was no such thing. i’m still getting over it.
speaking of pr’s ass, i clicked on the link to your blog and it gave me an “adult content” warning. and there was no such thing. i’m still getting over it.
i killed the thread
sorry stona fitch
i killed the thread
sorry stona fitch
“Now, this post was called “Whiney” which broke my heart. I was trying to be self mocking.”
my tone was intended to be sarcastic. i was playing around. thats one of the reasons i hate online correspondence. you cant really get the tones of the conversation right. but trust me, i was fucking around.
“Now, this post was called “Whiney” which broke my heart. I was trying to be self mocking.”
my tone was intended to be sarcastic. i was playing around. thats one of the reasons i hate online correspondence. you cant really get the tones of the conversation right. but trust me, i was fucking around.
how come no-one else has mentioned the finger-fucking?
how come no-one else has mentioned the finger-fucking?
’cause it’s only exciting when pr talks about it.
’cause it’s only exciting when pr talks about it.