‘What is the book about?’ a friend asked when I told him I was on the verge of finishing my first Bukowski book.
‘Aimless horny guy wasting away his life at the U.S postal service,’ I said.
That drew some laughs.
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about ‘Post Office’.
But I would rate it a four on five because Bukowski clearly knows his way with words. His writing is engaging and makes even the mundane seem interesting.
The main protagonist, Chinaski, narrates how almost 12 years of his life go down the drain because of his boring, almost treacherous job. It’s booze, boobs and betting that keep him going.
So what we get in the book is elaborate details of the job he hates, little acts of rebellion against the system and a whole lot of dysfunctional relationships with women.
At some points I was uncomfortable reading the book because it uses the word “rape” too loosely. But given that it was published in a different century altogether, you have to perhaps view it under the lens of the times it came out.
Bukowski’s wit and ease with words pervades most pages. Making Post Office an interesting read.
This book makes you realize how life can just be an elaborate hangover.