I really enjoy Bukowski's writing and was excited to read this book - it's been on my to-read list for a while and I've finally got around to reading it. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed.
It's semi-autobiographical, and tells the story of Henry Chinaski as he grows up and the struggles he faces. His family are not well off, he lives in hand-me-down, shabby clothes and can't seem to make decent friends at school. As if that wasn't bad enough, his dad is a total dick and beats him near constantly for no reason and he has an acne like skin condition which causes his face and back to be covered in boils. He recieves treatmet for this but it doesn't clear up nicely and he is left with little self confidence.
This is a coming-of-age novel which seems to be something I always enjoy. It's also one of those books where nothing really happens...not that it's boring but there's no real idea of a beginning-middle-end like we were all taught to do when writing stories in school. You sort of expect a big turn around or dramatic occurance but there's no real sense of this here. We follow Henry until he eventually moves out of his parents home and begins searching for a job.
I don't know what else to say about this book aside from the fact I really enjoyed it but I'm not quite sure why...
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