Someday this pain will be useful to you

I love the word "spate", particularly when it refers to the number of good books I've been reading recently.

For a time during the winter, I was reading a lot of non-fiction. Some biography and Buddhist philosophy, mostly. But in the last few weeks, I've really ramped up on the fiction.

Fiction massages my brain like Ambien.

It feels good to be transported to another world, especially when the main character is as precocious and compelling as James Sveck, author Peter Cameron's creation for his novel, Someday this pain will be useful to you.

I think it's intended to be a young adult novel -- call me immature -- but I found it merchandised with the GLBT Lit in (possibly) Toronto's best bookstore -- Nicholas Hoare. It looked interesting. They usually don't steer me wrong, so I picked it up.


Someday, someone -- maybe even me -- will write an essay for English class comparing James Sveck to Holden Caulfield.

There are certainly lots of parallels. But this is an older, post 9/11 Holden. More anxiety ridden. More sympathetic.

The LA Times got all gushy about it -- calling it "One of the all-time great New York books, not to mention an archly comic gem."

I couldn't put it down. Bet you won't be able to, either.