Knifeboy: A Novel

Tod Harrison Williams

Aug 2007 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Friends. Family. Housekeepers.
All's Fair in Love, War, and Knife Selling.

Check your dignity at the door as you stride across the welcome mat with Jay Hauser in this insightful and strangely touching story about young love, fear, manipulation, and the lengths we go to to succeed in a world that values charisma, competition, and acceptance above all else. Set on the elite campus of Dartmouth College and in the well-heeled reaches of the Detroit suburbs, this twisted and affecting coming-of-age novel provides a startlingly authentic and often hilarious glimpse of life through the eyes of an indulged and misguided young hustler.

Jay Hauser is wrapping up his first year at Dartmouth when he takes a summer job selling knives door-to-door to prove to Isabelle, the great love of his life, that he is charming enough to pull it off. His quest quickly becomes a dark obsession as he works his way up the knife-selling ladder trying to win the summer sales competition and lands neck-deep in an absurd subculture that is harder to break away from than he could ever have imagined. As sophomore year looms on the horizon, Jay's summer "break" has evolved into a hazy bender spent lying and scamming his way through all the places -- and people -- he once called home.
Knifeboy marks the arresting debut of a fine young writer who reveals the unnerving reality of a ravenous generation in a lavish and unforgiving world.

Ratings and reviews

There's a certain sadness to it... Perhaps an 'au revoir' to the last scrap of teenage rebellion/innocence... an interesting post-modern ethnography of our little hometown. An insider's perspective on the overlooked shattered family. Tod Williams goes there. He gets behind the facade and pulls the curtain back for all to see. I like that about the book. It's also extremely true to Tod's voice, so it kinda feels like you're hanging out with him. Well structured, well executed; a nice little story. I bet it would adapt well into a screenplay. I wonder if they're developing it yet?? There's a lot of big F-yous in there... while at the same time there are moves made to engage. There's a big reach-out to connect viscerally with ordinary people, even if it is under the guise of salesmanship. I liked the theme of 'coming of age'... it isn't always pretty--I'd argue it never is. Yet Tod was able to take a pivotal period in his life and find some universality in his story. He delves deep into the human feeling of 'what's real, what's for sale?' (STP reference) It catches the main character in a point in his life that he has an inkling of his talents, but certainly no forum to flesh out his true capacity. (In Tod's own story, his writing will answer those questions, I believe) He's very forward about how his relationships are lacking. The only thing that comes automatically is his command over his sales victims... that charm that he says he borrows from his brother. I'd argue that was Tod the whole time. His brother has his own brand of charm. Some online reviews are asking "why should we care about the protag's character arc?" I think that's an honest question because it's hard not to like him... I would believe the critique even more if it read: "I found myself strangely invested in an unlikely character." The back of the book suggest we are looking at the sub-culture of knife sales, but I really think it's about a wealthy kid's struggle to feel something real. In reading the book I sensed a numbness, a wanting, a need for something beyond the scope of a small suburban town. It's the kind of story-telling that can only arise out of a decade of recovery at a safe distance. That stuff is usually too hot to touch while the experience is happening. Upon reflection when you're 30, you can finally dig into your past and in a vetting national book deal, deliver that catharsis to the masses. Tod comes out way ahead in this one... He wont be scott-free of criticism, but that's what I like about his literary voice... it's honest, yet so highly filtered and pined over that the words on paper are idealized to the point of a frenzy. Each utterance must have such banging results--it's a tough standard to maintain, but Tod can do it in droves because he lives for this stuff. He loves to sharpen wits against his audience... he's a true comedian. I just wonder if people can read this as a comedy. I thought it was hilarious. Your thoughts?

About the author

Tod Harrison Williams is a writer and filmmaker. He is currently in post-production on Trainwreck: My Life as An Idiot, a film he wrote and directed starring Seann William Scott, Gretchen Mol, and Jeff Garlin. He lives in New York City.