Book Review: Mailman by J. Robert Lennon

Albert Lippincott is a mailman, in fact he is one of those people who seems to define himself by his job, at least the author refers to him as Mailman, not Albert, only other characters call him that. He is 57, divorced, once had been in a mental institution when he attacked his college professor, he's been a mailman for nearly 30 years, he has cats, he doesn't like the cats, he doesn't seem to like much, and he reads some of the mail he delivers. He seems to live in the past  and also the future, never keeping his mind on what he is doing right then, which is probably why he has so many routines, that must be done the same way, like his mail route, or he freaks. He talks too much, he thinks too much, he thinks about things that may or may not happen, too much. He may be obsessive compulsive. His relationship with his sister is odd, his family is odd, his relationships with other people are odd, he is odd.

The story is told through flashbacks that break into Mailman's present as it falls apart around him. He thinks he's going to get caught by the postal inspectors, someone on his route dies while he was dithering over a letter he "borrowed". Is he responsible for that death? Who else knows? Does she know, the girl at the same apartment building who stares at him, saw his fighting with the mailboxes?

I liked the story.  I was surprised when I found myself at the end though not disappointed. I mean, the guy is so ordinary what would be the point of continuing? I learned enough about Albert, I don't need to know any more. He seems real enough, the author has a way with words, very descriptive in a Thomas Pynchon kind of way but not to the point of going on and on and on ad nauseum till you just want to skip over whole sections while yelling "get on with it, damn you!".

It's a hard book to describe, it's just a slice out of this one man's life and he isn't someone I would really care to know, but the slow train wreck of his existence is fascinating to watch. Can he can get off the train? But if he doesn't, oh well, no big loss. I'm not sure I care either way, but I'm still glad I read the book. Weird, huh?


I liked the story.  I was surprised when I found myself at the end though not disappointed. I mean, the guy is so ordinary what would be the point of continuing? I learned enough about Albert, I don't need to know any more. He seems real enough, the author has a way with words, very descriptive in a Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow"  kind of way but not to the point of going on and on and on ad nauseum till you just want to skip over whole sections while yelling "get on with it, damn you!".

Read it.