ME AND NOT ME

A semi-autobiographical, character driven novel chronicling one American man’s life from author Riske.

In a series of short chapters, readers learn all about a protagonist named Al (who happens to share the same first name as the author). From Al’s younger years in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s to his retirement in 2024 in California, the narrative presents snippets of his life. One of the main players is a woman he met in college named Annie. The two marry in a “rain-soaked park in Oregon” in 1976. Much to the surprise of many around them, their marriage stands the test of time; Even after 28 years, Al is still wild about Annie’s “beautiful face.” Al’s longtime friend Cory is not so lucky—he has his first potential marriage called off shortly before the wedding. Further down the road, Cory marries a woman after knowing her for only six months. This union is fraught from the get-go and ultimately dissolves in divorce, and Cory spends time sleeping on the floor in a sparse studio apartment. Al is tempted by a co-worker with whom he shares “a certain chemistry” that he admits scares him. His greater struggle, however, is with his lifelong ambition to become a published author. The novel moves quickly as the chapters progress; embellishment is kept to a minimum. Al tells readers things like, “I find it easy to picture Cory alone in his studio apartment” without going overboard with unnecessary details. As a lasting image of Al and those in his life takes shape, readers grow eager to learn their fates. Not that Al’s life is always a roller-coaster—some chapters, such as those devoted to vacations that Al and Annie take, are not always page-turners (a trip to Montana inspires statements like “Montana is full of lakes”). Yet, by the end, the individual stories accumulate into a bigger picture. This bird’s eye view of a life makes for a genuinely pleasing reading experience.

Though some sections prove mundane, the work paints an intricate, memorable portrait.