Pretzel Logic

Lisa Rogak

Lisa Rogak has written a pretty darn fine novel, but unfortunately couldn't get it published by a major. So instead she went to a small, regional press with this book, which has probably kept it from getting a wide enough distribution to reach the audience it deserves.

Pretzel Logic is the story of a married couple who move back to the wife's hometown and take over the weekly paper. All is going swimmingly until the husband starts fighting past demons he thought he had conquered in his adolescence, finally capitulating to them and (while masking it in various ways) coming out of the closet.

The storyline isn't anything terribly new. We've all seen it before over the past twenty years more than once. What makes Pretzel Logic worthwhile is Rogak's easygoing style, somewhat rare in journalists, especially rare in journalists writing autobiographical novels and there are quite a few clues lying around to give this away as an autobiographical novel). Rogak is still close to her material, to be sure, but that doesn't stop her from recognizing, and telling, a good story around it.

It is entirely possible that the way Rogak approaches the subject matter is what stopped the book from getting published. Various episodes in the book, from an offhand comment made early on to Rogak's attempt at sleeping with another woman are not handled with one iota of political correctness, which would no doubt cause most publishers to shy well away from this book. At the same time, the political incorrectness of the book doesn't come off as offensive as much as it comes off honest (and if you can't tell the difference between the two, you can both stop reading this review right now and avoid this book like the plague. Those with chips on their shoulders are guaranteed to be offended by this book). In other words, as often happens, the book didn't get a big contract precisely because of the things that make it a good read in the first place. And we wonder why Danielle Steel sells millions of copies.