Ham on Rye is written by Charles Bukowski. The book is semi-biographical, Bukowski uses his alter ego "Henry Chinaski". This book takes us from Chinaski's childhood, right through to his coming of age and moving out. If you are familiar with Bukowski, you know what you are in for, it's classic Bukowski writing and the usual antics, just a little less alcohol. If you are new to Bukowski, this book is a great place to start. I had read
Post Office and
Factotum previously, but I feel I learned why Bukowski felt the need to push himself to the fringe of society, why he became the man he was.

Bukowski or Chinaski did not have a happy childhood. He grew up in the 1920s and 30s in a poor part of Los Angeles. His parents are obsessed with appearing successful, so much so they would not allow him play with the local children, this instantly causes him to be an outsider looking in. He also had an abusive Father who took his frustrations out on Henry and his Mother.He starts this way and spends his life on the outside. He begins to fit in school as he hits puberty early and is then bigger than everyone else is and can fight. But just as this begins to happen, Chinaski heads for highschool and his parents notions of appearing wealthy kick in again. Rather than go to the local school like his friends, he was enrolled in a private school some miles away. Here Chinaski was a total outcast, he had no social skills, he was poor and he had an outbreak of acne that was so bad he had to leave school for a semester, to be treated. His parents once ag ain having notions about themselves, managed to get the money to send Henry to College. Henry did not last long. By the end of the book Chinaski is out on his own in the real world.

All that said it is not all doom and gloom. There are a number of passages that will have laughing, like when Henry would sneak out of his house go down the block, and masturbate in a bush watching a neighbour change. Also there are times when the enrichment of the truth is quite obvious, like when he got drunk at his friends house. When his friend passed out, Henry decides to wait for his friends mother to return home and seduce her. When the mother arrives home Chinaski succeeds in seducing her but, balks and runs out of the house.
My favorite quote is;
“You are thirty minutes late."
"Yes."
"Would you be thirty minutes late to a wedding or a funeral?"
"No."
"Why not, pray tell?"
"Well, if the funeral was mine I'd have to be on time. If the wedding was mine it would be my funeral.”
This book is truly awesome, its not your typical coming of age story at all definitely worth a read. I would say this book is Mel Gibson(before he we knew he is a dick) it can be fun, touching but always soaked in alcohol.
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