Within just the first few pages of reading TEPPER ISN’T GOING OUT, I knew I was in for a pleasant ride (or perhaps I should say stay). Calvin Trillin’s slim story is a humorous tale of one Maury Tepper and his quest to find a perfectly good “legal spot” and park his Chevy Malibu to enjoy a read of the New York Post. His simple act to steal some quiet time puts the city in an absolute tailspin. Consipiracy theories abound as to why a middle-aged man would take to reading in his car versus an easy chair.
The behavior befuddles his wife Ruth and their daughter Linda. His business partner and friends are certain something must be wrong. And rather funny things start to happen when strangers begin to notice the man in the parked car. Of course he gets his share of “Ya bastard, ya! That’s a perfectly good spot!”–it’s New York. But Tepper also gains a following of strong supporters, which he’ll need when his story hits the desk of the city’s tyrannical mayor and even makes the very newspaper he parks to read.
What the plot lacks in depth, it more than makes up in great humor and solid writing. It’s just a perfect read for a perfect day when you have found yourself the perfect spot to park yourself–wherever that may be.
Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 213
Genre: Fiction
TENDER AT THE BONE has been in my library for a number of years now. So many that I have lost count. I have obviously wanted to read it, or I wouldn’t have purchased it way back when. Unfortunately, when I finished the book, I wanted to have liked it more.