Poor Tom

Poor Julius Dickman! He has a boatload of issues, many worries and concerns. His live-with girlfriend, Naomi, regularly tongue-lashes him. He has a bad stutter and claustrophobia that often leads to uncomfortable panic attacks. He has chronic insomnia, in which he pops awake and immediately starts worrying and ruminating. He has no real profession. And now his widowed father, Herbert, the renowned classical actor, has retired from his long theater career after playing King Lear, the big role he waited all his life to do, and is behaving very strangely. Julius wants to help, to be as good a son to Herbert as Edgar, in disguise as Poor Tom, was to his father in Lear. And he’d like, too, to be a good father-figure to poor Benji, Naomi’s put-upon twelve-year old son, if he can. Julius aspires to be a mensch. But how?

Available in print and ePub at HenschelHaus Publishing.

Poor Tom Reviews

“All four of Martin Drapkin’s books to date—Now and at the Hour, Ten Nobodies (and their somebodies), The Cat Tender, and now Poor Tom—feature an irresistible, comic voice, a rollicking cast of characters, an affectionate and empathetic exploration of universal human foibles and fantasies, and a wise and affirmative take on what Drapkin sees as our endlessly challenging, but ultimately joyful, lives. Poor Tom may be Drapkin’s most ambitious book yet, based as it is on the characters and themes of King Lear (with a gesture to Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet) but seen through the lens of such classic American comic novels as Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, and Lolita, alongside the antics of Harpo and Groucho Marx, with a nod to Judge Judy, Naked and Afraid, and The Real Housewives of New York. Replete with funny one-liners (“that woman has the empathy of a gerbil”), it explores, like all serious comic literature, the deepest of human emotions—love, loss, longing, grief, joy, doubt.

Drapkin’s portrayal of father-son relationships, erotic and platonic love, fulfilled and unfilled dreams and ambitions, is moving and thought-provoking. Will Julius, the winsome protagonist and self-proclaimed schlemiel, find peace with his shrewish partner Naomi? Will he succeed in making his father laugh and help him achieve his life-long goal of mastering the character of Lear? Will he become the father-figure that he aspires to be to Naomi’s young son, Benji? Will he give up his jobs as house-painter and photographer and fulfill his fantasies of embracing the Cordelia-like Celeste, and opening the hot-dog stand of his dreams? Tom may be poor, but this book, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, with its narrative intricacy, telling detail, emotional resonance, and laugh-out-loud humor, is immeasurably satisfying and rich.”

“Many readers will find the book a challenge. But for some, coming across the Shakespearean comparisons (and brushing up on their Shakespeare) will make Drapkin’s book a worthwhile literary exercise.”

“The book’s throughline (that Julius is the Poor Tom to his father’s King Lear) is both exaggerated and effective. Julius’s father’s complexities are centered: he spent his life on stage but could never talk about his wife’s suicide or his son’s struggles off-stage. Instead of being nurtured as his son, Julius took the position of a stagehand, running lines and capturing his grand moments on film. In acknowledging their different father-son roles, Julius comes to recognize the power of individuals regardless of their status in life. It’s a potentially invigorating realization.”

“Drapkin's story weaves a fine portrait of Jewish life and culture, an uncertain character's wavering resolve to become more than he was raised to be, and family history and drama that intersects with the stage in unusual ways. Replete with wry social inspection and psychological complexity, Poor Tom is a top recommendation for readers of Jewish literature and libraries looking for excellent contemporary voices that capture Jewish thinking—the latter via a romp through the hopes and dreams of a chronic worrywart who longs to play a different role in life.”

“The story is narrated from Julius’ perspective, vividly capturing his emotions and thoughts about the drama that characterized his life. I enjoyed reading how he doubted the success of his advances on women. I could not help laughing at episodes where he underestimated his ability to confront Naomi, especially when he felt unfairly treated or reprimanded. The author excellently characterized Julius as a stammerer, a condition that often prevented him from defending himself when victimized. This realistic edge enabled me to empathize with his vulnerability, which exposed him to exploitation by other characters. The author's character development was my favorite aspect of this novel, as it enabled me to bond with them” 