SERVICE by John Tottenham
Semiotext(e) May 6th 2025
A book review by Alexander Laurence
Service is the first novel by John Tottenham. He is known for his four books of poetry. Service is a plain title that doesn’t give much away. Service? I was guessing that it was supposed to be a neutral title like Post Office or Closer. But it turns out that it is named after an obscure song by The Fall.
The novel begins with what I call “a bookstore set piece” where the main character, Sean, a writer and journalist, interacts with customers at a bookstore/cafe. It’s a section that shows him in the wild. Bookstores are a place where lonely people and misanthropes meet. There are fake smiles, unwanted phone calls, stupid questions. In this toxic situation I suppose that Sean provides a “service.” He spends most of his time worrying about yelp reviews and being competitive with other budding writers. In this first section, he encounters a dandy writer named Cyrus Fapper who is currently writing a memoir. Many writers and books are mentioned. Sean thinks it’s all crap. He likes Barbara Pym though. As it says in this book: “Life is plotless.”
The Part B that follows here talks about how writing is useless. If the “Set Pieces” take place in the bookstore, there is another contrasting part, that takes place in the narrator’s apartment. He often meditates about living as a writer and money and bills. In this first Part B section, Sean notices a drunk Mexican who is passed out on the lawn. He talks to a neighbor who is on the cell phone. He thinks about the neighborhood and gentrification, and young people moving in, and joggers everywhere. He can’t relate to it.
He walking and ends up at the bookstore again for Set Piece 2. This time he meets his boss Gilbert. They talk about the yelp reviews. A customer talks about a “man with gray hair.” Sean doesn’t care about the reviews. Gilbert is off to an AA meeting. Sean then has an encounter with Greg Roach, who is an old musician who now works at the cafe. Sean seems disappointed that this guy has some minor success in music, and gets to go to Japan.
The second time we go to Part B, now Sean is thinking about his lack of success as a writer, and the dying art of journalism and magazines. He looks as his life as a slope. Writing was a “service” that people used to be paid for. Then comes all the credit card debt. Sean got a part time job at this bookstore. He thought it was a temporary thing, but he is still here after five years. His friend Mitchell calls and tells him he’s going out with an actress Lyn Lamrock. Sean is a flaneur and lives a bohemian life.
Set Piece 3 starts with a litany of book names and questions: “D’you have the new Patti Smith book?” etc.
Sean decides that he is going to give up writing.
A friend Jackson Valvitcore wrote a book The Death of The Novel.
Set Piece 4 starts with making coffee. Sean pushes the book cart out the door. He makes a 200 song mix of Bob Dylan. He thinks about Dylan. People comment on the songs. Some homeless guy tries to sell some mediocre books. The set pieces take place in the bookstore. Part B takes place outside the store. It gets more complicated as he has reveries about writing and music.
The next Part B takes place during a hangover at home. He starts to walk around in Downtown LA and Grand Central Market. He thinks about food. He worries about creditors and credit cards. Most of this part is about Downtown.
Set Piece 5: we are back in the store. He thinks about the singer Jackson C. Frank. He decides that he only likes dead artists. He thinks that only young people romanticize the dead. Sean buys some drugs and tries to write. He reads more yelp reviews about himself. He notices some woman from Brentwood. A friend talks about having a sexual encounter with another girl.
In this part the narrator is worried about gray hairs and being old. As he gets older all his friends are getting into long term relationships and having kids. He runs into Bill and his wife. She is pregnant. He later goes to a Whole Foods and sees a friend of his ex-girlfriend. He avoids her. He celebrates writing 20K words. It’s a third of a potential novel. Maybe the one we are reading now?
Set Piece 6 starts out with twenty boxes of used books. Some friend died and this is his collection that Gilbert buys. There is talk about an old friend Joe who went to Portland and now has a kid. He encounters Teddy Morbid who wrote a memoir about addiction.
He has a drink with Jackson Valvitcore. He starts worrying about writing and getting writer’s block.
Back at the bookstore for Set Piece 7, he notices a friend named Cindy. He is visited by Paul the millionaire. This is a wild part of the book where almost all the previous characters come in the bookstore or are mentioned. That ends part one.
Section two begins at home. Weeks have passed. More time spent writing. He starts to calculate page counts. He pads the story.
Set Piece 8 he is back at the bookstore. He meets Greg Roach and his Japanese girlfriend. He thinks about Robert Walser and some minimalist writers that he likes. This is a very long section with conversation that would happen in a bookstore.
He begins to review what he has written. He think of ways to waste time at home.
In Set Piece 9, he meets a successful writer, Melinda Waterform. She is a name dropper and just back from Italy. He begins to start thinking about writers and their travel. Did they have to work? Were they all rich? How could they all afford to live? Later, a young person wants to read his novel in progress.
He is back at home. He looks at old notebooks and writings and becomes depressed.
Set Piece 10 takes place at a bar. He talks to a kid about his novel which the kid has suggestions about. He meets with Mitchell. Mitchell is complaining about his relationship with the famous actress. Jackson Valvitcore talks about how easy it is for him to write. Sean becomes jealous and competitive. JV will help Sean get published. He thinks “Damaged Goods” is a good title for the novel. He reads about an old friend, Bob McGilt, who is rich and bought an expensive house nearby and is moving to LA.
Set Piece 11: back at the bookstore. Gilbert tells Sean that he is wasting his time working at a bookstore. Sean needs the money. Gilbert thinks he should focus on being a writer. Sean notices online that Teejays is closing and he’ll have to go elsewhere to buy food.
At home, Sean worries about debt collectors, after defaulting on several credit cards three years previous. Mitchell is freaking out. He is trying to write a script and continue going out with an actress. He gives the drugs to Sean.
Set Piece 12 at the bookstore. He gets a threatening letter. The bookstore is filled with loud annoying people. Aaron complains about dogs. A successful journalist from the LA Weekly recognizes Sean and they have a chat. Sean and the kid go to the bar and talk about the novel again. The kid wants to know where all the sex scenes are?
Sean thinks that this is his last chance to write a book.
Set Piece 13 at the bookstore: Sean is getting annoyed with people’s questions. He think that it’s a dumb idea to get a liquor license. No one wants to drink in a bookstore. The kid mentions that there is too much complaining in the book. End of part two.
He has his 49th birthday. He starts counting words again. He gets locked out of the house. He finds a letter from a debt attorney. He thinks about hiring an attorney himself.
Set Piece 14: Bob McGilt has visited the bookstore. He doesn’t care.
He talks to a lawyer about how much money he owes and whether he should declare bankruptcy. He talks to the kid about the novel again. He starts to have first novel syndrome. He thinks about selling stuff on ebay.
In Set Piece 15, Sean talks to an author who is reading at the bookstore that night. He helps set it up. He is distracted by a Fall fan who claims to have all their early shows on tape. The chapter is more about The Fall. There is a bit about Narcotics Anonymous and recently dead musicians. There are more yelp reviews.
There is a literary conversation with Jackson Valvitcore.
Sean starts to feel lost as a writer. He has fears of debt. He talks about the novel with the kid.
In Set Piece 16, he receives a late night email from Gilbert. There is some bookstore banter. He thinks about writers who start later in life. Three people call about Yerbe Mate. It turns out to be a prank.
Sean tries to write.
In Set Piece 17 Bob McGilt shows up and Sean avoids him. Mitchell calls and says he’s unable to deliver the drugs.
In Set Piece 18, Gilbert is looking for a fridge. He has bought a house.
Sean tries to write the novel. He gets two negative emails from Gilbert about work.
In Set Piece 19, Sean and Gilbert argue about the emails. Gilbert suggests that he take off Sunday. He comes in anyway.
Sean calls a few people. He calls up Mona. They try to have sex. He thinks of deleting some descriptions of people in his novel.
In Set Piece 20, they discover that Mike Supper has written a book. Sean gets switched to the Sunday night shift. Aaron is planning his own suicide.
Sean starts to worry about his debt and his upcoming court appearance. He calls Mitchell about the drugs. He needs them to finish the novel. Mitchell has become friends with Bob McGilt who is his neighbor. He talks to the kid about the novel. He calls Mitchell’s friend to get some drugs.
In Set Piece 21, he gets a slice of pizza. He notices the new book by Jackson Valvitcore. Sean confronts a customer.
Sean gets the drugs and tries to start writing again.
In Set Piece 22, Sean apologizes to Gilbert. There has been 25% reduction on wages by a debt collector. People start asking questions. Sean starts throwing books at people and telling them to leave. Gilbert comes in, sees what happened, and tells Sean to go home.
Sean calls up a few lawyers. Gilbert sends him an email to confirm that he has been fired. He has finished his novel, and he thinks about the ending. He sells some books. He sells some to the bookstore and Gilbert gives him some money. Another employee offers to help him publish his book. It ends.
This book is about bookstores and what it’s like to be a writer. It’s a satire. Bookstores are horrible places. The workers are unhappy. They are failed writers. Even the writers who are successful seem like they are lucky and out of touch elites. To be a writer these days is to be disrespected. Bookstores are full of mediocre books and people who don’t read. It’s a losing battle. But this book takes all that on, and it is probably the most realistic portrait of what it’s like to be in the literary game these days.
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