(5)Truth in Advertising by John Kenney

Truth in Advertising 

by John Kenney

Publication Date: January 22, 2013

Pages: 320

Buy it Here! 

We all know that our past has something to do with who we are today and where we go in the future.  As much as Finbar Dolan would like to believe that he was able to put his troubled blue-collar life behind him, the reality is that his childhood scars can be seen in every aspect of his life.

From the engagement he called off to a wonderful woman, to his using his witty sense of humor as a defense mechanism, Fin is far from over his childhood.   He was getting ready to head off on his solo honeymoon over Christmas break when he gets called back to the office to put together an ad for the Super Bowl.  He is in the process of making this career making spot (about diapers, no less) when he gets word that his father is dying.  The father that he hasn't seen in nearly twenty years.  It doesn't take long for Fin to realize that none of his siblings want anything to do with their dying father or his death, as he sits by his bedside he realizes that he might be more like his father than he realized.  Will this lesson be enough for him to admit that there is more to life than just work?  Like the beautiful Phoebe who matches him wit for wit?

I know I am only five books into the New Year, but I can easily say that Truth in Advertising is the best book that I have read this year. The writing was so witty and so enjoyable, I literally found myself laughing at Fin's one-liners.  Especially the banter between Fin and Phoebe.  Especially the banter between Fin and Phoebe.  Their banter reminded me A LOT of the banter between my husband.  I also enjoyed watching Fin grow - he learned a lot about his childhood, his parent's relationship, and mostly about himself as his father lay there dying.   It really made me love Fin even more, the way he handled everything that he learned.

Bottom line, Truth In Advertising is a really well written novel. The humor, the pain, the flow together so seamlessly. It made it really easy to like Fin and root for him to find the happiness that has been lacking in his life.  If you are looking for a good novel, look no further, John Kenney will not disappoint you with Truth in Advertising.