Searching for Steely Dan

by: Rick Goeld

Published by: LuLu.com

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhar

I wanted to read Rick Goeld's debut novel, Searching for Steely Dan, for pure nostalgic reasons. "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," came out the same week my first love, Ricky, broke my heart. It was a big hit at the time. It wasn't in the book. That was disappointing. And so was the rest of the novel.

Searching for Steely Dan is basically about obsession. The main protagonist, Eddie Zittner, is outraged, outraged I tell you, when the clerk at the local record store forgets to hold a copy of the Dan's new album for him. Then Eddie decides to track down the reclusive duet and get an autograph.

He lets his marriage dissolve, thinking more about Steely Dan's Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, than where his life is headed. At 29, Eddie is at a crossroads but can't get away from his youthful preoccupation of the guys. His wife has thrown him out, he's given up on a none-too promising writing career, and has taken to stalking his heroes. The scenes where Eddie marches up and down in front of an apartment building where Fagen "may" live, and the recording studio, are rather humorous.

What doesn't work in Searching for Steely Dan is mainly the format. It's a journal style, but it serves no purpose, especially since the story is told in third person. There are complete emails and half-finished stories (well, I guess the purpose is to illustrate that Eddie starts to write again) that make no sense nor do they push the story forward. And there are lots and lots of unanswered questions. Eddie has several nicknames but how he got them will always remain a mystery.

However, what was most frustrating in Searching for Steely Dan was the ending. It tries to be ambiguous, but there is no reason for it. The author should have just come out and said it.

Armchair Interviews says: An interesting story that could have been better presented in a clearer format.