Fictionography of a Mental Coward

Growing up rich in a mid-range Ohio city in the ‘50s and ‘60s should have been easy for H. Doulton “Buzz” Chivers, III. But throw in a father who disappears in Canada, a mother who is not overwhelmed with brain power and a sister who answers virtually any question with a cliché – and life becomes more challenging.

Fictionography of a Mental Coward follows the coming-of-age tale of Buzz Chivers as he leaves his protected mansion world and learns nearly everything the hard way. With a tongue-in-cheek view of his times, the story follows Buzz from his first public school, his first girlfriend, and his first company presidency through moving away, finding his own business and personal love, trying to throw them all away, and re-grouping, in the best traditions of the ‘70s and ‘80s in America. Full of quirky characters and ample opportunities to learn from stupid decisions, Fictionography means to take a sometimes humorous, sometimes absurdist look at a lifetime that is both humorous and absurd.

Readers who are familiar with Joseph Heller's Catch-22 and John Irving's The World According to Garp - two of the author's favorite American novels - will sense a little of their flavor in this book.