Puppets

A lot of writing opportunities have been presenting themselves lately, though none offer immediate fiduciary rewards. Mari's been perusing Craig's List and found some interesting things: someone in Omaha seeking a ghost writer, a web clearinghouse for "columns". And I got my short story based on my job posted to Zoetrope, finally.

Then there's this. A few entries ago I mentioned I had purchased a book called Rootie Kazootie at Goodwill. I said I remembered a character with that name as a TV show or comic book, and that was confirmed right on the first page. Rootie was also a puppet, as it turns out. He is not, however, extremely important to the plot of the book that has his name. That's ironic, huh? Rootie is mentioned only once, as an epithet directed at one of the main characters. It is only one of many epithets directed at that character; butI imagine Rootie Kazootie was picked as the title because, let's face it, it's catchy. It hooked me, for one; and as I am The Average American, that means it must have hooked a lot of people. Too bad Lawrence Naumoff (the author - I guess I should mention the author's name, huh?) doesn't get royalties from Goodwill.

So, it's about a love triangle. Caroline and Richard are married, but Caroline's kind of kookie (she's the one toward whom the epithets are directed) and Richard is tired, so he goes off to live with Cynthia. So now Caroline becomes kookie and possessive, manipulative and a little violent.

Richard, in this book, seems not to have a will of his own, just going where it's easiest to go. For instance, when he leaves Caroline, he tells her its because Cynthia wants him to move in. Not that he loves Cynthia, or doesn't love Caroline any more - she just wants him to, so he does. In the end, he's back with Caroline because, obnoxious as she's been, Caroline wants him and Cynthia doesn't. Evidently, it's one or the other and no further alternatives. In other respects, Richard is a good old boy, on his own two feet, running a business, fixing things, knowing stuff. But as far as his romantic life, he's at the mercy of what women want.

I've noticed that this is a widespread notion, by the way. When a guy leaves one gal for another, some women blame the other, like it's all her doing and the guy had little or no say in the matter. Maybe some guys encourage this so that, like Richard, they keep their options open: as long as Cynthia wants me, okay, but since Caroline doesn't blame me, I can still go back to her if it doesn't work with Cynthia. In this universe, guys are like they are in beer commercials: absolute brainless jerks who cannot be expected to resist whatever current is sloughing its way through town.

Rootie Kazootie was written to be funny, and it is. There is even a chapter in which Naumoff makes it clear a tragedy is inevitable, that it's going to happen, that there's no way to avoid it -- and then it doesn't happen. Caroline has moments of great sweetness. Richard does the right thing once in a while. Cynthia is trying. But for all that, it was a let down. Maybe I kept thinking a writer as obviously talented as Naumoff was building to a moral or an ending equal to his talent. Didn't happen, at least to my expectations, and I feel let down.

Awwww.