Being a big fan of Nersesian, I found Mesopotamia somewhat disappointing I cannot say it's a badly written book, but it lacks the gritty street smarts of his New York based novels like Chinese Take Out and Unlubricated. Maybe I just couldn't relate to the whole Elvis/Appalacian theme and the rather complex plot. The book's protagonist, Sandy Bloomgarten, is a 30-something Korean-American tabloid journalist with a drinking probloem who had been adopted as a child and grew up in sticksville, (AKA Mesopotamia, Tennessee). It seemed like a bit of a stretch. She is harder to relate to than the wiley and creative artistic losers of Nersesian's New York novels and I found myself not caring too much what happens to her. I was really pulling for the book to be a strong effort, but it seems undistinguishable from the mediocre output of many writers and basically lacking in force and flare.
For a review of the book from The L Magazine, click here: http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/life-between-two-rivers-mesopotamia/Content?oid=1701243
For a review of the book from The L Magazine, click here: http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/life-between-two-rivers-mesopotamia/Content?oid=1701243
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