Paper Castles

A Novel

By: B. Fox

Narrated by: Christopher P. Brown

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Foreclosures are hitting record highs, unemployment is skyrocketing, and the economy is in shambles.

Equally broke and futureless 28-year-old James Brooke, a graduate architect, coffee-addict, and self-described average nobody, has returned to his small hometown in West Ohio.

Torn between his fanciful dreams and the need to pay off bills, he struggles to find his own identity while facing a harder than ever reality. But living under his father’s rooftop while keeping his head in the clouds soon turns out to be a bad combination, and the mounting student debt forces him to settle for any job he can find.

That’s when he stumbles across a new coffee shop, a wayward girl with a talent for storytelling, and his own unresolved past. This unexpected set of things could help him figure out what his place in the world is - if that place even exists.

Paper Castles is a story about the search for meaning in times when everything seems meaningless.

©2021 B. Fox (P)2021 B. Fox

A Poignant Story for a Disaffected Generation

Equal parts romance and loser’s manifesto, Paper Castles centers on the life of James Brooke, a down-on-his-luck 28-year-old who fails to launch despite having completed university with an architectural degree. Thanks to the Great Recession of the two thousand aughts, James is left to his own devices and despair over his joblessness, lack of direction, and unfulfilled dreams.

Dreams become a leitmotif throughout the novel as James tries desperately to cling to his vision for a better, successful life. The author strikes a masterful chord in bringing to life James’ dreams early in the novel. A touch of realistic “magic” is suggested in the early chapters as James shares his design brilliance and hopes. I was delighted at this display of creativity and ingenuity; however, as dreams lose currency throughout the novel, so, too, does the novel lose some of its initial spark.

Though I didn’t love the novel’s evolution, it’s impossible not to connect with the author’s beautiful narrative from beginning to end. One feels James’ pain – perhaps too keenly at times – and that, I’m certain, is the appeal to those to whom this book speaks. I found this to be an interesting read, though I cannot say that I left the work feeling satisfied, as was, I believe, the author’s intent. The American Dream featuring rags-to-riches bootstrapping no longer feels accessible to many, placing this generation at odds with its progenitors – another key point of tension in the novel. Indeed, the fragile and rapidly deteriorating relationship between James and his father symbolizes the disconnectedness of a generation that not only feels disenfranchised but largely unseen as well.

The masterful narration from Christopher Brown brought this piece to life for me. His maudlin, at times helpless intonation brought James and his pathos to life, even when the substance of his issues began to become a bore.

Kudos to B. Fox for crafting such an emotional – if not a bit disturbing and hopeless – debut novel. I’m certain we’ll hear much more from this emergent, talented writer.

Bland story

Even when I don’t enjoy a book I try to leave a constructive review rather than a disparaging one. I applaud fox for trying to tell a story from the perspective of a modern late 20s adult who lives in an era where the average joe faces incredibly unfavorable economic circumstances. It is a unique perspective to consider, but the execution was terrible. The whole story is just the inner dialogue of the protagonist’s self loathing and it gets exhausting to listen to. There is absolutely no character development whatsoever. I’m not mad that the story refrained from cliche character development, I’m disappointed that there was none whatsoever be it progressive or regressive. Overall the book was incredibly bland.