Fishbowl
A Novel
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4.1 • 21 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A goldfish named Ian is falling from the 27th-floor balcony on which his fishbowl sits. He's longed for adventure, so when the opportunity arises, he escapes from his bowl, clears the balcony railing and finds himself airborne. Plummeting toward the street below, Ian witnesses the lives of the Seville on Roxy residents.
There's the handsome grad student, his girlfriend, and the other woman; the construction worker who feels trapped by a secret; the building's super who feels invisible and alone; the pregnant woman on bed rest who craves a forbidden ice cream sandwich; the shut-in for whom dirty talk, and quiche, are a way of life; and home-schooled Herman, a boy who thinks he can travel through time. Though they share time and space, they have something even more important in common: each faces a decision that will affect the course of their lives. Within the walls of the Seville are stories of love, new life, and death, of facing the ugly truth of who one has been and the beautiful truth of who one can become.
Sometimes taking a risk is the only way to move forward with our lives. As Ian the goldfish knows, "An entire life devoted to a fishbowl will make one die an old fish with not one adventure had."
Bradley Somer's Fishbowl is at turns funny and heartbreaking and you will, no doubt, fall in love with his unforgettable characters.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Ian the goldfish has a positive attitude and a limited attention span. Bradley Somer’s playful novel takes its cue from this scaled character, who lives on the 27th floor of an apartment building called The Seville on Roxy. Each chapter of Fishbowl gives us a quick peek into the small and large dramas unfolding within The Seville, with separate episodes clicking together to build up to Ian’s unfortunate skydiving incident. We zipped through this hugely entertaining story, guided by an all-knowing, philosophical narrator who provides chapter titles like “8: In Which Claire the Shut-In Receives a Mysterious Buzz from the Front Door”.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Somer's (Imperfections) confident second novel combines a rare glimpse into the mind of an adventurous goldfish with ambitious musings on the nature of time and space. Set within the confines of a street and an apartment building the Seville on Roxy the action begins with Ian the goldfish free-falling toward the sidewalk, not knowing where he's headed (his mantra is "having a plan is the first step toward failure"). During his descent, he sees flashes of the lives being lived inside the Seville. The narrative deftly switches from Ian's point of view to that of the residents; each vignette is described several times, from the eyes of the different characters involved. Under scrutiny are the romantic entanglements of Connor Radley, Ian's owner; the ire of Connor's girlfriend, Katie; the dilemma of Claire the shut-in receiving a knock at her door from a pregnant Petunia Delilah; and the secret life of Garth, a construction worker with a mysterious package. Enjoyable touches of farce and wry asides abound, underscoring moments of reckoning in eccentric, yet deeply human, dilemmas.
Customer Reviews
Such an enjoyable read!
I loved this book. I wanted to know what each character would do next. I had a difficult time putting it down. The ending was classic. Definitely a book I will read again.
Just okay for me, would not have been happy if I paid for it
This book was just okay for me. I got a few chuckles out of it, I guess. There were many phrases, sentences and paragraphs that were repeated several times just because the author was getting the perspective of several characters involved in the same situation. The characters were pretty quirky and the author did a good job developing them. It was an interesting enough read but not one I would pay for.
Thanks St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.