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Every family has its share of drama—its misfit members, its generations-old folklore. And in The Comedown, the debut novel by Rebekah Frumkin, one misfit drug addict from Cleveland causes decades of drama for his family and that of his ill-fated drug dealer.
The story begins in 1999, as aimless drug addict Leland Bloom-Mittwoch, Sr., decides to end his life by jumping from the roof of a nice hotel in Tampa. In doing so, he brings several families together in the quest to find the suitcase that he’s been carrying around for years—a suitcase that may contain a whole lot of money that came from a drug deal gone wrong. Throughout the years, three families come to believe that they’re entitled to the money: Leland’s abandoned first wife and their bitter son, Leland, Jr., Leland’s troubled younger son, Lee, and the family of drug dealer Reggie Marshall. And their stories all become intertwined in the quest for the money.
The Comedown is an epic journey, following more than a dozen characters over nearly half a century. Each chapter focuses on another character in the story. Sometimes they’re key players: wives, ex-wives, or children. Sometimes, they’re extended members of the circle, who don’t seem to play much of a part in the story: in-laws, high school sweethearts, college buddies. There are a lot of characters to get to know here—so many that it’s difficult to remember them all. And, with each new chapter and each new character, the story barely seems to make any progress.
This random collection of loosely connected characters could come together in a compelling package if the characters themselves were fascinating—but, unfortunately, there aren’t really any likable or even interesting characters here. Instead, there are rambling studies of characters who are spineless, bitter, or just generally bland. And the fact that their stories seem to have little or no impact on the novel as a whole makes it even more difficult to slog through each one.
Perhaps, though, you’ll feel determined to stick with it—as I was—convinced that all of the characters and their seemingly inconsequential stories would come together in the end to a remarkable conclusion that will make the extra hours spent fighting through the random character studies all worthwhile. But, sadly, that’s not the case, either.
Billed as epic and darkly funny, The Comedown is actually long and frustrating. It will most likely take you much longer to read than you’d expect—especially if you’re trying to find some rhyme or reason to it. And with its random character studies and disappointing conclusion, it’s really more of a letdown.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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