The name Steve Martin has become synonymous with funny. From his innovative stand-up act to his numerous appearances on "Saturday Night Live" to his blockbuster films, everything he does seems to tickle America's funny bone.
It would make some kind of sense that Martin's obvious comedic abilities would translate at least somewhat into the print fiction he has begun writing recently. Unfortunately, that is evidently not the case in his most recent novel, "The Pleasure of My Company."
The book is far from being horrible, but it simply does not live up to the promise displayed by his first attempt at fiction, the critically and commercially successful novella, "Shopgirl."
In the novel, which could probably be more accurately described as a novella due to its short length, the main character and narrator, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, is an unemployed 30-something neurotic living in Santa Monica. Among his various phobias are 8-inch-high sidewalk curbs and gas station attendants wearing blue hats. Still, despite these personal problems, Cambridge lives a satisfying life from the confines of his apartment as long as everything goes according to plan and the total wattage of all the lights in his apartment is exactly 1,125 watts.
The plot unfolds as Cambridge begins to step outside of his comfort zone in search of what he hopes to obtain: female companionship. Misadventures and odd coincidences that are normally the stuff of sitcoms and romantic comedies make up the story as Cambridge tries desperately to expand his horizons while still holding on to his tics.
The writing is intelligent and at times somewhat funny, but lacks a certain something that could make it memorable. The characters seem so distant and detached that it is hard to actually care about them or become interested in their well-being. They lay lifeless on the page in a dull two-dimensional form as action seems to revolve more around them than through them.
On top of that, "The Pleasure of My Company" is disappointingly predictable. While not exactly formulaic, it is not hard to guess which of multiple females in the story the male lead will eventually settle down with.
Basically, Martin took one odd character and stuck him in a fairly standard love story of missed opportunities and expectable disappointments and just let it play out as normal.
Maybe after all of Martin's success in various other art forms, the expectations for Martin's fiction writing are too high. Whether that is the case or not, it is clear that "The Pleasure of My Company" will not be the book that turns Martin into an upper-echelon writer.
About the Author
While most widely known for his acting work in television and film, Steve Martin is also an accomplished writer. Besides writing the screenplays for his movies "Roxanne," "L.A. Story" and "Bowfinger," Martin has also produced a best-selling collection of comic pieces, "Pure Drivel," and a best-selling novella, "Shopgirl," in addition to a play titled "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." He contributes frequently to The New Yorker and The New York Times. Martin lives in New York City and Los Angeles.
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