Children of God Go Bowling Review

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(More customer reviews)In its best moments, and there are many of them, Shannon Olson's poignant "Children of God Go Bowling" delves deeply into the dilemma of young adult loneliness. Her self-named protagonist -- that alone makes "Bowling" courageous -- not only wonders whether she will ever find someone special with whom to share her life, she gives voice to some of the most serious questions we could ask ourselves. Do "any of us know what we really want." Even if blessed with such knowledge, how do we manufacture the strength to fully put "our hearts" into living. That Olson can address such personal questions with ironic humor, sarcastic self-observation and self-deprecatory candor are the signal strengths of this easily-read novel. "Children" is marred only by a contrived, melodramatic conclusion that uses a shopworn literary device to assist her protagonist achieve the epiphany necessary for living a full life.
It's unfortunate that Olson's somewhat mawkish conclusion diminishes the first two-hundred pages of her novel. "Children" bristles with anger, frustration and subterranean hope, as the protagonist Shannon, aided by two understated, quirky and compassionate therapists, battles her domineering mother and wrestles with a nagging and seemingly perpetual sense of loneliness. Her mother, Flo, casts an omnipresent shadow over Shannon's life. If the daughter speaks openly about her sadness, her mother dismisses it as insignificant compared to her troubles. When Shannon determines to break away and establish the boundaries necessary for a healthy relationship between an adult daughter and her mother, Flo bemoans being cast aside. Ever sharp-tongued, Flo criticizes Shannon's wardrobe, mocks her eating habits (McDonald's comes in for special ridicule), disparages her apartment and demeans her career. In so doing, Flo is never so happy as when she can, with a passive-aggressive quip, micromanage Shannon's life.
As both siblings and friends marry and create families, Shannon is left ever more aware of her freak-like status as a single woman. Her constant companion, Adam, confuses her; is he just a "friend," or does his constant presence signify something greater. Readers quickly recognize that Adam fulfills the identical psychological functions Flo satisfies. Fastidious, proper and anal, Adam happily offers to organize Shannon's closet, including alphabetizing and paper-clipping mounds of debris Shannon refers to as paperwork. What is apparent to readers is obscure to Shannon, who never seems to muster the temerity to openly question Adam about the nature of their relationship.
Shannon's despair is always tinctured with humor. When her therapist, Dr. Douglas, whom Shannon believes receives inspiration from such diverse television resources as ESPN and the History Channel, asks about what she does with her spare time, she responds that "the only pieces of equipment required for my favorite hobbies" are "the remote control and the credit card." Dr. Douglas suggests she "leave the nest and explore the richness of life;" to Shannon, "life had proven to be a big, fat artery-clogging vat of hollandaise sauce." She's a shy, slightly-overweight Minnesota Catholic in a land of svelte Lutherans, where "quality" people are those who aren't "kind of different."
Shannon's failures are endearing, and she is undaunted by setbacks in her persistent quest for companionship and happiness. She's quite the opposite of the glamorized New York City single woman; there's no "sex-in-the-city" for this protagonist...just drive-through meals and doing laundry with her carping mother. Shannon Olson's anguish is not spectacular, but persistent, not energizing, but energy-sapping. Yet she never stops looking for love. The author, Shannon Olson, should have been content to leave her namesake in that earnest, quietly humorous quest rather than give her some answers in a contrived conclusion. When the protagonist finally picks up a bowling ball in the novel's conclusion, we are pretty well tipped off if she's going to roll a gutter ball or a strike.

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We first met Shannon Olson—our semifictional heroine—in the enormously popular Welcome to My Planet. Now, in Children of God Go Bowling, we find Shannon in her mid-thirties and still besieged by reminders that her life is anything but normal. As everyone around her blossoms in marital bliss and home ownership, Shannon embarks upon a feng shui–inspired campaign to make room for a future, from joining group therapy to accepting blind dates (hey, you never know). With encore performances by Flo (called "one of the great moms of American fiction" by Garrison Keillor), and other indelible characters from Olson's previous novel, this is another heartbreaking and hilarious read by a young author who is truly going places--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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