Wonder Boys

Erin Hickok

David Chabon

Plot
The entire book revolves around one weekend with a peculiar chain of events. 1. The protagonist, Grady Tripp, learns that his wife left him and his lover is pregnant 2. His student steals a collectible jacket and shoots the owners dog.

3. Tripp goes to his estranged wifes family reunion for Seder.

Plot Continued
4. Tripps student, who accompanied him to the reunion, is kidnapped, and Tripp soon rescues him. 5. After the rescue, Tripps student is arrested and Tripp must find the jacket to return to the police and free his student. 6. After a nervous breakdown, Tripp returns home empty-handed, utterly broken, but ready for a new start.

Whats in Gradys Trunk?

Throughout the book, Grady Tripp obtains a few odd items that he stashes in the trunk of his car. Here are a few: A tuba (A guests
A dead python (Emilys family pet he ran it over). A dead husky (Shot by his student James when it attacked). luggage.)

And some pills.

Characters to Know
Grady Tripp The protagonist of the story, which is in 1st person, who is working on a 7-year-old manuscript and has reached a turning point in his life. Terry Crabtree Tripps partner in crime and his publisher, homosexual and quirky. James Tripps student, who shoots Sara Gaskells dog.

Sara GaskellGradys lover

EmilyTripps wife, who leaves him over the weekend.

Central Conflict
There is one conflict throughout the book that keeps the plot moving James has stolen Sara Gaskells husbands collectible jacket. Tripp has to protect James from the police and return the jacket. But beneath this, Wonder Boys is truly a novel about Grady Tripps degeneration over the weekend, he loses everything his wife, his affair, his job, and most importantly, the manuscript to a book hes been writing for 10 years. Tripp is also battling a drug problem, and is wondering what to do with his life now that he has impregnated the chancellor of the college for which he works.

Resolution
Tripp retrieves the jacket from a petty thief, but by doing so, manages to lose his entire manuscript for his novel Wonder Boys. This would be a crushing defeat, but Tripp realizes that hes finally free from this weight that has trapped him for over seven years. With no obligations and a new resolution to fight his drug problem and maintain his relationships, Tripp decides to pursue a new life with his lover Sara Gaskell and their child.

Review
Wonder Boys is a very melancholy book theres no other way to describe it. It takes place within the mind of a man who has, up to this weekend, given up on life. But the language that Michael Chabon uses is truly captivating, and if the reader sticks with it to the end, the novel is concluded in a very optimistic tone. This is worth a read just to get inside the head of a novelist Chabon has poured his own heart and soul into this character, who suffers from the writers plight of the midnight disease. I would recommend this to anyone, but its not a very uplifting story unless you stick with it to the end.