Word: tad
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...Tad is a bundle of perpetual uncertainty and self-doubt, constantly feeling inferior due to his baby-face and five-foot-one stature yet blessed with keen insight and a genuine zest for life, a man who "loved life's details, relished even its absurdities, delighted in the oddity of human and animal culture, but simultaneously dreaded living." O'Donnell skillfully captures the post-modern existential plight: how to find yourself amidst confusion and chaos, how to live life in a way that is worth living. He writes with an original, sharp wit, turning no end of cleverly constructed phrases...
...gentle. He does not allow his narrative to slide into cliches, a balancing act hard to achieve when commenting on commericalized topics. This is perhaps most evident in his treatment of Christmas, a holiday so over-wrought with symbolism that any statement can seem trite. O'Donnell couples Tad's cynicism and mocking attitude with an underlying sense of hope and faith in the holiday. Tad is aware of the fake forms Christmas can take on; upon walking into his brother and sister-in-law's showcase of a home, he observes that "the impersonally tasteful X'mas tree Bonny...
...While Tad has a healthy irreverence, guarding against the dead-end path of taking life too seriously, he maintains respect and love for the parts of Christmas that are genuine. He thinks fondly of "the tarnished diversity of ornaments Dad and Mom hauled down annually from the Waterville attic," musing that "Christmas ornaments are as close as most regular families ever get to an art collection." Underneath his jaded perspective lies a search for what is real, for what he can cling...
...Donnell is honest, refusing to shy away from dialogue that deals frankly with life's more complex matters, subjects many writers choose to couch in politically correct catch-phrases. Tad's sexuality is at the heart of his existential quest and confusion. He is gay, yet he confesses to his brother: "For some reason, lately, I'm not even sure I actually am gay--most men are disgusting, and self-absorbed! I admire women, but somehow I'm not ready." His brother responds by telling him that "you are more confused than an anal-retentive anarchist. You're thirty-four...
However, O'Donnell is not trying to be stereotypical or discriminating but to address the lingering prejudice and intolerance that are firmly entrenched in society. These are captured by Tad's mother's attempted reassurance when he comes out to her, "I love you in spite of that." While ostensibly accepting and tolerant, this sentiment denigrates Tad in suggesting that his homosexuality is a burden, a blemish that must be overcome. In his dissection of such phrases considered, by and large, to be socially acceptable, O'Donnell forces the reader to examine the reality behind the facade...