Book Review: Thumb Flagging

This spring I came across a copy of Jerome Peterson's Thumb Flagging, described as "The lure of the open road and the undeniable wanderlust of the heart have overtaken the life of young, kindhearted Jay Patterson." A book about hitchhiking and free spirits, I thought "why not? I liked On the Road."

Thumb Flagging certainly portrays the freedom of the open road when traveling with nothing but a sleeping bag and a few food provisions. Jay and his friend Willy practice the art of thumb flagging, while skipping out on work and generally attempting to be zen. Jay becomes Willy's student, studying such crafts of chatting with strangers and picking a good ride. This 'buddy' premise is cute and has potential, but unfortunately I found the writing shallow and far from compelling. As I read, I could never find the rhythm of the novel that would completely absorb me in Jay and Willy's world. Instead, I constantly wondered when the adventure would end.

Honestly, I thought this book was self published due to what I view as poor editing. The narrative structure shifts without warning and frequently the author changes tense within a paragraph. These mistakes demonstrate a clear need for a re-read by a careful eye or a more developed writing style. If those shifts were intentional, I failed to see how they furthered the storytelling arc. Additionally, the simplistic characters, with no real depth, left me feeling bored.

I felt frustrated by my boredom because Jay is a young man trying to find his way in the world. On one hand, Jay's search for self should ring true. I am young person figuring out my place in the world, but I could not relate to Jay. Perhaps others can. Maybe the disconnect for me was the time of the novel. I'm guessing this novel is based on life in the 1970s, but here Peterson remains vague, which led me to believe there should be a universal quality to Jay's story. There are major differences in the ways we grow into ourselves. Jay's style of wandering aimlessly missed for me. Why can't he reflect on his selfhood and keep going to work time? What about healthcare? What about paying rent? Jay seemed frivolous, not artistic or even interesting. I am a realist. I read to meet new characters and engage in new worlds. I am willing to accept a story as representative of time and place, but Thumb Flagging failed to pull me into its world. I have a hard time letting go the realities and responsibilities of my daily life. I don't want to read exclusively about people like myself, but I expect to be intrigued, interested and curious about the characters I read about and I never felt that curiosity for Jay.

Be your own judge.
http://thumbflagging.blogspot.com/

- KER