Review: #geekG@D / Author: Patrick Luby / Publisher: lulu.com / Release Date: Out Now
#geekG@D is a novel by the up and coming writer Patrick Luby. It is also available under its originally published title of Conversations with a lonely God. This is the meandering tale of the somewhat hapless Tim O’Donnell, described by Luby as “your average friendly neighbourhood geek.”
Tim is the unhappy recipient of a number of peculiar encounters with an unfamiliar white-haired man, who eventually introduces himself as God. Tim is then taken on a journey of discovery by God (aka Charles). They visit far off realms inhabited by warring oceans, tetchy dragons, lost souls and a glimpse of heaven. These expeditions are briefly interspersed with the odd takeaway, coffee and stilted conversations on the meaning of life. God has become “bored of this universe” and is seemingly relying on the unsuspecting Tim to save the day. How is Tim meant to relieve our maker’s boredom? Why, capture the heart of a damsel in distress of course!
Unfortunately Luby’s attempted foray into answering the eternal questions is somewhat lacklustre. Tim is a one-dimensional character, written as a drab, profanity loving loner. God wishes to unite him with the seemingly unsuitable Julia, a man-hungry adulteress. You just know it will all end in tears; mine, yours and no doubt Tim’s if you make it to the final page, which I nearly didn’t.
That said, Luby clearly has the ability to write sections of prose of powerful poignancy and imagery such as when Tim goes to meet Charles at his local park. “The old man sat quite motionless… Small birds landed in different spots around the bench, they hopped as close as they dared, left a small offering of twigs or a worm before flying off again to circle above.” However, this ability is interspersed with reams of linguistically challenged dialogue and an apparent addiction to the double use of exclamation and question marks. Why??!!
In conclusion, if you encountered a copy of this novel on a slow moving train to Carlisle and wished to avoid speaking to your fellow passengers it would while away a few hours.
