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"We Run Bad"
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“It has nothing to do with you or the decisions you make; you’re just unlucky.”
Tim’s luck has run out. After his house flipping venture goes bust in Philly (post two thousand eight real estate market crash), Tim cuts his losses and decides to try his luck in Atlantic City. After going bust at the poker tables, things are looking bleak until Tim is made an offer that he feels has no business to refuse. The tables turn when Tim starts making some real cash in his new role (running underground poker games in New York). As luck would have it, he begins to question everything he previously understood about the American dream, in “We Run Bad”.
Tim’s luck has run out. After his house flipping venture goes bust in Philly (post two thousand eight real estate market crash), Tim cuts his losses and decides to try his luck in Atlantic City. After going bust at the poker tables, things are looking bleak until Tim is made an offer that he feels has no business to refuse. The tables turn when Tim starts making some real cash in his new role (running underground poker games in New York). As luck would have it, he begins to question everything he previously understood about the American dream, in “We Run Bad”.
Readability
“We Run Bad”, was an easy read to breeze through. The book is narrated from the first person perspective of the main character, and wastes no time getting the reader stuck right in the midst of his problematic lifestyle. The plot is loosely based on one man as he struggles to cope with his ongoing existential crisis, and the narrative itself is laced with nihilistic themes in regard to: the economy, intimate relationships, and equal opportunities. Despite the title, the writing is actually pretty damn good - with only an occasional example of pretentious overwriting here and there (trust your readers). The story never felt as though it was dragging and the book has short chapters that focus clearly on a specific event taking place in the storyline, albeit some of which seem obscure in how they connect to the overall narrative.
Creativity
Overall I was quite pleased with Curry’s compelling style. He isn’t afraid to let the reader know exactly how the main character is dealing with whatever topic is at hand. For me, this raw approach to storytelling worked, because the main character was very opinionated and didn’t hold back. He was also flawed, but seemed oblivious to his own flaws, which caused me to have a vested interest to see just how fucked up things would get for Tim. “We Run Bad” is a guilty pleasure story, for sure.
The only time I was genuinely pulled out of the story was when Curry decided to break the fourth wall, out of context, which came off as a Freudian slip in terms of storytelling:
“Tonight, everybody normal is asleep because they all have work tomorrow. So everyone here is just like you – unemployed, a little weird, a little broken – which means they’re also inclined to leave you the fuck alone.”
It was confusing to read, because instead of “you” it should have read “me”, in order to fit the narrative. Tim’s character goes from sharing his personal experience with the reader to having a direct conversation with the reader. It was off putting, like “you” who? Me or you? Lol, focus on speaking for yourself, Tim, and please don’t assume that I can relate. However, this particular line does serve as a means of shining a light on Tim’s underlying character flaw exhibited throughout this novel.
Delivery
The story is very much focused on a specific period in Tim’s life, rather than the underground poker scene itself. Discovering this about the story was not too disappointing for me, as the poker aspect within the story takes on a symbolic meaning to the overarching narrative, which is much more about the ways in which Tim plays the “hand he is dealt”. It’s funny to me, because at times it’s almost as if Tim’s character is actually self-aware (especially when he breaks the fourth wall to lecture us about the “scrums of elderlies” in the casinos), but then he acts against his own better judgement as if he was just taking a moment to foreshadow his own destiny. I got a real kick out of this aspect early in the book. Tim’s drunken binges, sleeping with fat chicks just because they make themselves available, and hanging out with drug addled losers combined with his complaining about how he needs to find peace, made him the type of character I loved to hate.
Before his character goes bust at the poker table as a player, you get a glimpse of who he was before his degeneration. He has a brief stay at a house he previously abandoned (but has yet to be foreclosed on) in Philly, where he talks about his dreams of revitalizing that part of the neighborhood. Tim blames the housing crash for walking away from his plan, saying that it was no longer worth it, which made me believe he never really put much thought behind his vision to understand why he wants to do the things he does throughout the story. Booze acts as the means for making anything more tolerable in the life of a man who has become “Overweight. Unconcerned. Uninterested. Uninspired.”. The thing is Tim fails to see how this is the crux of many failures on his part, but he just chalks his shortcomings up to bad luck.
Later in the story, when Tim is effectively down and out, he is offered a chance at redemption by Brian, “the world’s most inconspicuous loan shark”. While Tim is running some underground poker games for Brian, his character begins to scrutinize the world at large. This part of the narrative made me think Tim’s character was on the verge of reaching a life altering epiphany, but then the story ends much to my chagrin in this regard (with a bottle in hand, ready to risk it all over again).
“We Run Bad”, was an easy read to breeze through. The book is narrated from the first person perspective of the main character, and wastes no time getting the reader stuck right in the midst of his problematic lifestyle. The plot is loosely based on one man as he struggles to cope with his ongoing existential crisis, and the narrative itself is laced with nihilistic themes in regard to: the economy, intimate relationships, and equal opportunities. Despite the title, the writing is actually pretty damn good - with only an occasional example of pretentious overwriting here and there (trust your readers). The story never felt as though it was dragging and the book has short chapters that focus clearly on a specific event taking place in the storyline, albeit some of which seem obscure in how they connect to the overall narrative.
Creativity
Overall I was quite pleased with Curry’s compelling style. He isn’t afraid to let the reader know exactly how the main character is dealing with whatever topic is at hand. For me, this raw approach to storytelling worked, because the main character was very opinionated and didn’t hold back. He was also flawed, but seemed oblivious to his own flaws, which caused me to have a vested interest to see just how fucked up things would get for Tim. “We Run Bad” is a guilty pleasure story, for sure.
The only time I was genuinely pulled out of the story was when Curry decided to break the fourth wall, out of context, which came off as a Freudian slip in terms of storytelling:
“Tonight, everybody normal is asleep because they all have work tomorrow. So everyone here is just like you – unemployed, a little weird, a little broken – which means they’re also inclined to leave you the fuck alone.”
It was confusing to read, because instead of “you” it should have read “me”, in order to fit the narrative. Tim’s character goes from sharing his personal experience with the reader to having a direct conversation with the reader. It was off putting, like “you” who? Me or you? Lol, focus on speaking for yourself, Tim, and please don’t assume that I can relate. However, this particular line does serve as a means of shining a light on Tim’s underlying character flaw exhibited throughout this novel.
Delivery
The story is very much focused on a specific period in Tim’s life, rather than the underground poker scene itself. Discovering this about the story was not too disappointing for me, as the poker aspect within the story takes on a symbolic meaning to the overarching narrative, which is much more about the ways in which Tim plays the “hand he is dealt”. It’s funny to me, because at times it’s almost as if Tim’s character is actually self-aware (especially when he breaks the fourth wall to lecture us about the “scrums of elderlies” in the casinos), but then he acts against his own better judgement as if he was just taking a moment to foreshadow his own destiny. I got a real kick out of this aspect early in the book. Tim’s drunken binges, sleeping with fat chicks just because they make themselves available, and hanging out with drug addled losers combined with his complaining about how he needs to find peace, made him the type of character I loved to hate.
Before his character goes bust at the poker table as a player, you get a glimpse of who he was before his degeneration. He has a brief stay at a house he previously abandoned (but has yet to be foreclosed on) in Philly, where he talks about his dreams of revitalizing that part of the neighborhood. Tim blames the housing crash for walking away from his plan, saying that it was no longer worth it, which made me believe he never really put much thought behind his vision to understand why he wants to do the things he does throughout the story. Booze acts as the means for making anything more tolerable in the life of a man who has become “Overweight. Unconcerned. Uninterested. Uninspired.”. The thing is Tim fails to see how this is the crux of many failures on his part, but he just chalks his shortcomings up to bad luck.
Later in the story, when Tim is effectively down and out, he is offered a chance at redemption by Brian, “the world’s most inconspicuous loan shark”. While Tim is running some underground poker games for Brian, his character begins to scrutinize the world at large. This part of the narrative made me think Tim’s character was on the verge of reaching a life altering epiphany, but then the story ends much to my chagrin in this regard (with a bottle in hand, ready to risk it all over again).
#LFLR Indie Rating: 7/10
I don’t like comparing writers or novels, but “We Run Bad” seemed very reminiscent of a certain story about an anxious college-dropout who makes a poor example of himself throughout the book. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what work I may be referring to, but if you’ve read it then you’ll pick up similar vibes from Tim’s character - however Tim's story is more compelling. John Curry is an enigmatic figure within the independent sphere, but has managed to generate quite a buzz for this debut novel of his.
I don’t like comparing writers or novels, but “We Run Bad” seemed very reminiscent of a certain story about an anxious college-dropout who makes a poor example of himself throughout the book. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what work I may be referring to, but if you’ve read it then you’ll pick up similar vibes from Tim’s character - however Tim's story is more compelling. John Curry is an enigmatic figure within the independent sphere, but has managed to generate quite a buzz for this debut novel of his.
THIS BREAKDOWN IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE #LFLR NETWORK.
