Today brings the first 
of the counterfactual matchups in my commentary since Hannah Pearl Utt inexplicably chose Liars to advance from the play-in round.
So let me talk about The Book of George. This book hits a lot of the same sort of notes that Liars does from a hapless man failing at relationships. But unlike Liars, the focus here is on the man, who does not end up marrying the woman in the story, but instead coasts through life with mediocrity and failure. I found myself periodically hoping that George would get things together, which I believe was Greathead’s intent, while simultaneously being disappointed at his failure to do so.
My own disdain towards Liars is on the record, so I don’t need to say much more on that front, I think of all the books in this year’s Tournament of Books, it’s the one I like the least, so given the actual match-up, I would pick The Book of George.
Meanwhile in an alternate universe…
If The Book of George were matched up against The Wedding People, I would pick The Wedding People. It might be a bit of a confectionary of a book, but The Book of George is more like a rice cake. Possibly more nutritious, but much less enjoyable.
My judgment on the judgment
Once again, a judge, given Liars chose it to advance. I’m not too surprised at Max Read’s choice, and he justifies it well, although I found both books rather unsatisfying and I can only hope that in its next match-up, Liars is finally put out of its misery.
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