Glossy As Film, This Handbook Was Made For The Multiplex
If the novel often tests the limits of what we're willing to believe, at least it never takes itself too seriously. For this we owe a debt of thanks to how Kuhn handles John, our trusty narrator. Among a crowd of caricatures and stereotypes, John's voice stands out, filtering events through an entertaining mix of callousness, profanity and surprising humor. John peppers his confessional with groan-worthy puns, and he's rarely so impressed with a plot point as to miss a chance to play a joke at the reader's expense.
Not surprisingly, Kuhn is at his best when he sticks to the central premise of the book, scraping his hired killer up against the alien world of interning. The picture of internship presented here — much like the rest of the book — doesn't look like anything I've known, but realism, of course, is beside the point. Relish instead John's take on the benefits of building a wardrobe around the color brown, "this pillar of blandness," or the coffee-making kit he carries with him at all times, to serve his bosses coffee so strong it "smells like the victors of the Spanish American war looked." And with good reason, John says: "Forty-four percent of my kills came from my superior coffee-making ability."
It's frustrating, then, that even this clever friction eventually gets shouldered aside by fight scenes and the rigors of inevitable plot twists. The intern gets lost in the intrigue and bloodshed, and the best of the book gets lost along with it. As the bullets fly and the fists find their mark, I couldn't help but think this all would go better with a big screen than a printed page.
Since I'd be shocked if the novel doesn't get optioned for film, I trust I'll soon have the chance to test my guess firsthand — this time, with a bowl of popcorn and an extra-large soda. I'll leave the coffee at home.
Read an excerpt of The Intern's Handbook