Title: Nevermind: The Last Temptation of Frank
Author: John Climenhaga
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9780595265220
Pages: 326
Genre: Literary Fiction, Family life
Reviewed by: Jennifer Weiss
Pacific Book Review
Frank Teeman is an ordinary man living an anonymous life in Manhattan. He seems happy and content painting the images in his mind and working at McGarrety’s Market, but in contrast finds himself feeling empty and depressed. Then one day a wealthy woman comes into the store and changes his life forever when she buys all of his paintings hanging in a gallery. Her purchase causes his art career to take off, breaks his painting slumps and takes him to where he never expected.
The novel does a lot in flashbacks to tell the story, as if Frank is reflecting on his career and when it all got started or what inspired his work. It is also broken up by what seems to be dates, as if Frank is reading journal entries to help him reflect on things, but they are not in sequential order, so it can get a little confusing as far as the time frame of the tale goes. Oddly enough though, this works for the novel. It helps give the reader an idea of Frank’s background, where he came from and how he thinks and interacts with his surroundings. It gives the reader a look into who Frank really is.
It is an entertaining read and readers will find themselves wanting to read more, know more. Once you start reading you will get lost in the storytelling and possibly lose track of time. It’ll be hard to put the novel down as readers will keep thinking “one more section.” John Climenhaga writes a story that hypnotizes his readers with a character that is both charming and flawed. It is honestly hard not to like the character of Frank as an artist struggling with his own success. This is a novel that is completely unpredictable and turns into something else altogether the further it gets into the tale.
If you enjoy literary fiction, stories about the human nature and human life, or even if you just want to break away and read something that is genuinely different from anything else, then you will want to pick up Nevermind: The Last Temptation of Frank. It is an enjoyable novel which will make you laugh, cry and possibly mad at some characters. Take a chance on something different and pick up John Climenhaga’s wonderful novel
