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MATCHSTICK MEN
by Eric Garcia
Villard, December 2002
228 pages
$22.95
ISBN: 0375505229


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

After the strange yet zany dinosaur books, Eric Garcia applies his strange sense of humor to the topic of "matchstick men." This is Garcia's third book and first stand-alone. The title MATCHSTICK MEN is a slang phrase that refers to con artists and the scams they run. Frankie and Roy are partners and have been together for a long time. Frankie is a flamboyant live-for-today type of person, while Roy is obsessive compulsive and very conservative. Roy tries to overcome his obsessive-compulsive disorder as he visits a new doctor (recommended by Roy), who prescribes a new, special medicine. Both of these characters are forced to evaluate their career paths once Roy discovers he might have a daughter from a marriage almost fifteen years before. Roy must come to terms with who he is and what type of father he would be as well as create a perfect scam.

Although not a huge fan of the dinosaur books (they are cute and enjoyable beach books), this book left me disappointed with Garcia. The characters are not as engaging as his dinosaurs and the pacing is a jumbled mess. The ending of the book was surprising but the book up until the last scam was lukewarm at best.

Another problem with this book is it is difficult to be sure when Garcia is trying to be funny and when he is not. This ambiguity is not always problem, in fact, this uncertainty can demonstrate a writer's true gift for writing. This is not the case with Garcia. Just like rap stars, Garcia writes about serious issues which when left unclear can create a lot of tension for the reader. Roy's obsessive-compulsive disorder plays a large role in this book and seems to be treated just as humorously as everything else. Garcia does describe this disease accurately, as well as hint at interesting treatment possibilities through Dr. Klein; yet, constantly seems to poke fun at Roy's insecurities. It is possible that Garcia did not intend this book to be seen as humorous; unfortunately, due to the silly elements of the dinosaur books, the reading public views this book as a comedy. Garcia does not have to be politically correct; however the unexpected ending negates the serious nature of this ailment.

MATCHSTICK MEN does provide a look at con men and their "art" even though the book is less enjoyable than Garcia's pervious works. It is important that fans of the Rex books by Garcia realize that this book does not hold up to his previous works and use this information when deciding whether to read this book or not.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, February 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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