It Feels So Good When I Stop Author:Joe Pernice The hilarious and irreverent debut novelabout a modern Everyman struggling tolearn how to love, choose, and commit onhis own terms, from the highly acclaimedsinger and songwriter. — From the first moment he met Jocelyn, he knewhe would marry her or destroy his life trying. Hedidn-t count on being the lucky bastard that gotto do both. — It-s... more » October 1996 in Cape Cod. Our hero-a narrator so ordinary that he remains nameless-is a talented but floundering musician-turnedwaiterwho has hightailed it out of a volatileday-old marriage in New York and further intohis own ever-deepening mess. With no job, noapartment, no wife, and a six pack of beer,he-s looking for a clean slate. For years he-sbeen dodging life-s extremes, stuck somewherebetween responsibility and freedom, love andobsession, obligation and desire, apathy andsuccess. Now he-s seeking sanctuary at thehome that his sister abandoned, along with hermarriage, so that he can sort out something inhis life-what, he-s not quite sure.
Looking for distraction from his memoriesof the hot-blooded Jocelyn, who is still refusingto return his calls, he agrees to look after histwo-year-old nephew. Together, the unlikely paircatches the attention of Marie, a young womanin the neighborhood with a troubled past of herown. As they get to know each other, our heroventures into unknown territory, where his affectionfor a damaged kindred spirit just mightshock him awake and shake him to the core.By turns hilariously irreverent and unpredictablyaffecting, It Feels So Good When I Stop isa disarmingly fresh love story and coming-ofagenovel that refracts with pristine clarity whatit-s like to grow up, and to fall and stay in love inthe real world.« less