My Alter Author

There are only two outcomes to reading this book. Either you will love it or you would not finish it.

Michael Perry’s “TRUCK: A love Story” is an autobiographical account of two parallel stories. One that involves the resurrection of an old International truck and the other revolves about finding the perfect woman after many imperfect ones. And by that definition of it being an autobiography, the book falls squarely into the category of Non-Fiction. However, I wouldn’t hold anything against you if you consider this book more as a fiction novel than anything else.

It’s a book that you will appreciate more if you have ever witnessed small town America first hand and if you like reading about cars and what they can do besides take you to place B from place A. But even if neither are your forte, I would still recommend this as good reading. Worst case, you just won’t finish it.

The author’s observational skills are superb. And perhaps why, he works successfully as a writer. His speech is hardly pedagogic. In fact, he almost seems apologetic when he has a bit of advice to share. All through the book, his recollections are always attached with some kind of message. And I am very grateful to him for never spelling it out.

The book essentially revolves around an old beaten up red pickup truck. Michael teams up with his brother-in-law to repair before the next hunting season. However, he isn’t much of a mechanic and he spends most of his time doing simple tasks about the truck. But in the meantime, the author busies himself observing. Narrating stories of neighbors, paraplegic motorcycle riders and intensely tough women…

One such woman he eventually falls in love with. The second half of the book the truck narration takes a back seat while the author describes the cultivation and the culmination of a wonderful relationship. One that begins with smelling her hair and eventually ends with sinking in her hair! And in good fashion, the book ends with a unique marriage and most importantly a running and functional pickup truck. Albeit, with a four point harness just because it would be funny.

There are delightful characters littered through the book. You cannot thank the author for their development since they are all real to begin with but you can thank him for describing them so well. From his brother in law who recommends to “walk it off” no matter how deep the crisis to his British best friend with whom he spends most of him not talking at all.

And of course the woman he meets seems wonderful too. He says this about her.
“I am falling deeply in love with a particular woman because on a regular basis she allows me to say the wrong things, back up and try again. She has this reasonableness. I love that about here”

It’s these simple sentences that get to you. And you would find them all over the book.

Maybe I am biased here. Because I too have loved, and I too find pickup trucks beautiful. But the real reason I loved this book is the utter reality of it all. We all might not be able to write about our individual lives but I am certain if we did, we would all have best sellers on our hands.

PS: If you follow N.P.R, see this and this.