Intimate Destruction

About the Book

Intimate Destruction starts out as a story about a character named “Jim.” He has just graduated from law school. As he starts to face the reality of the “working world,” he continues to feel that he doesn’t quite “fit in.” His career is going nowhere and his early romances are all failures. He suspects that he must, somehow, learn to conform for any chance of success. He then begins a  psychological journey in which his personality is “destroyed.”

Jim’s self-exploration is universal in nature, and, consequently, the book begins to separate itself from the identity of the main character. As the story moves forward, a unique experience begins. Conventional literary standards are often ignored for a more “personal” interaction with the reader. Stream of consciousness is intertwined and distinctions of identity become severely blurred. God, existence and philosophy are all explored, but humor is often at the forefront as paradoxical truths are revealed.

Throughout the book are numerous poems, which typically stem from Jim’s despair in facing the inevitable.  As Jim’s character begins to “fragment,” deeper levels of reality are explored, and a more “intimate” relationship with the reader is established. Self-help, existentialism and Zen, all influence the book’s direction, in an effort to leave the reader “different”, or, at the very least, deeply disturbed or confused.

Despite some of the philosophical implications, the book is relatively light, easy reading. Big words, like “esoteric,” are avoided, and often never learned. Despite such simplicity, it might be the type of book you would want to read twice, making it worth twice as a much, and a relative bargain. Although in the recent spirit of “artists against Napster,” I might suggest that you be required to pay for it again, each time you read it.

Anyway, it’s only 16 bucks, which isn’t that bad if you consider I took 14 years to finally finish the stupid book. I think if I sell a hundred, I might get close to breaking even. So, store up. After all, what is it that they say, “it is better have bought and to regret, than to never have bought at all.” At this point I am just starting to babble, but it might help you get a better feel for the book (especially if you are the type who was scared away by my earlier use of the word, “philosophy.”)  For those of you who are deeply disappointed by this digression, I swear it will never happen.

What else can I say? Read it and weep.

About the Author

James Washburn was born in Washington, D.C., in 1961. He grew up in New York and Alabama. In 1983, he graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis TN, majoring in Political Science. Subsequently, he attended law school at Loyola University in New Orleans. There, he immediately began questioning his decision to become a lawyer. His paper, “The Social and Moral Development of the Law Student,” began to examine the legal education’s effect on a student’s personality. After obtaining his law degree in 1986, he began writing his first novel, Intimate Destruction. The majority of the book was written over the next 3 years, while he continued to struggle with his career decision. Today, he continues to reside in New Orleans and practice law. He is the third generation of writers in his family. His grandfather, Claude C. Washburn, was a novelist, and his father wrote for motion pictures and advertising.