# Wonder Boys

By Michael Chabon

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/wonder-boys-883bc948/

Grady Tripp teaches writing in Pittsburgh while his own manuscript grows past two thousand pages. When his editor visits for a literary conference, Grady and his gifted, unreliable student James Leer find plenty of ways to make a bad weekend worse.

## What makes it funny?

Grady has spent years revising a novel he can't finish, while his private life supplies more trouble than he can manage. A visiting editor whose own career is faltering helps turn the weekend into a succession of farcical mishaps.

### The comedy at work

Chabon pairs Grady's self-destructive behavior with sharp dialogue and satire of writers' ambitions. The absurd situations accumulate as the characters' professional confidence gives way to personal chaos.

### Try this if…

Readers drawn to campus novels and stories about writing may enjoy the attention to artistic vanity, unfinished work and disappointed promise.

### Good to know

Marijuana use, infidelity and sexual behavior figure in the story. The comedy has a rueful streak, with failed marriages and damaged careers alongside the slapstick.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- On the shelf: Campus novel
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy · Farce · Satire
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/25715/wonder-boys-by-michael-chabon)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780679415886)