Annoying.
I really enjoyed Mark Sampson's Sad Peninsular (5 stars), so I leaped at the chance to preview another of his books, The Slip. Unfortunately they couldn't have been more different and this one really infuriated me.

The premise was fine, a well known philosophy professor is invited on to live TV to discuss the collapse of a huge Canadian financial institution, that he had written about in one of his studies. Alongside him on the panel is Cheryl Sneed, his rival of many years. He knows she is going to try to wind him up, but he's had a bad day and loses his rag, making a ridiculous comment about the company they are discussing and then compounding it by insulting Cheryl with a misogynistic remark that the world's feminists immediately pounce upon. Social media goes into full swing and his life is hell for the next several days.

What really annoyed me about this book was that it wasn't really about the nonsense that is social media these days - it was a good 3/4 of the way through the book that Philip actually realised that he'd made anything more than a blunder regarding the company. He had no idea (because he deleted all relevant messages) that the world was upset about the misogynistic comments that he hadn't even realised that he'd made.

I did enjoy the bits about his background, his childhood, how he'd met his wife, his student life and his relationship with an Indian student. These episodes were a breath of fresh air. I also smiled at his hopeless ineptitude with the many remembrance poppies that he lost along the way.
Counterbalancing that were the huge number of unnecessarily intellectual words used by Philip, I don't think my Kindle dictionary has ever worked so hard. Really, he was such an irritating boffin, I could have thrown his own book at him!

Sometimes when a book makes you angry and upset it is a good thing but unfortunately not in this case. I felt like slapping Philip most of the book. The judgemental and privileged thoughts going around in his head. The idea he could not be wrong. Sir.. when the whole world is falling over you you probably did do something wrong. On the other hand I did not get the people around him either. It took about 250 pages before someone opened his eyes to what really happened.
I was so annoyed with the story that I had a hard time appreciate the more interesting parts of the story. I do think this is a great book club read as there are so many interesting topics with the most interesting point that Philip obviously did not understand what he did wrong where I picked up where things went wrong immediately. There are a lot of discussion options.

Interesting premise but goodness how could anyone in this day and age have missed that political correctness and just plain saying something dumb will cause a cascade of problems. This is a good effort at looking at the inner thoughts of Phillip, who just didn't get it but the problem for me was that I found it to be whiny. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

WOW! Some days I am amazed by my own literary stubbornness...I wanted to put this book down a few too many times. It took me double the time it should have to read. That being said, I also must say that I am so glad that I stuck with it. In the end, I think this book will end up being one I think about often, revisiting the characters in my mind, making up new experiences, and furthering their stories in my mind.

Philip Sharpe, a well known philosophy teacher at the University of Toronto, has a bit of a bad day to start the book. His wife lays into him prior to an important televised debate. He needs to be at the top of his game to face his bitter rival, Cheryl Sneed. However, his thoughts are divided as he prepares for the verbal battle. Then he falters, he says things he doesn't mean and everything spirals out of control. Unfortunately, it's broadcast for the world to see. In this day and age of social media, his gaffe becomes everyone's hot topic. The aftermath of his controversial words is devastating to his life in every realm. Intended or not, I couldn't help thinking of the opening episode of one my husband’s favorite cancelled shows “The Newsroom”, if you follow me!

Now, Philip is an interesting fellow, he is confident, egotistical, pompous, and kind of an A-hole throughout the book, but he grew on me like a fungus. I wanted to not like his character, but he was so ridiculously funny and bumbling that I just ended up loving him and feeling ultimately sorry for him. His staunch stance of innocence in the face of such lunacy made me laugh. His propensity to blame his wife and separate himself from his family in crisis was so true to character. Why do some people choose to alienate those who love them when they are struggling? So common, so silly! For a large portion of this book I wanted to pop Philip in the back of his head, or offer to pull his head out of his rump. I think that was the point though…he had to experience all realms of the experience to ultimately grow. I personally am so glad that his daughter stepped in when she did. Just ask your kids, they often know more than you, and they will give you the truth pure and straight from the heart.

I felt the author did a wonderful job of giving us a glimpse into the Sharpe family’s daily life with thoughtful dialogue and interactions between the main characters. The story was well developed, and I especially liked the introduction of Rani. She plays an important part in Philip’s past and potential future. In the true nature of not giving anything away about the direction of the book...I will end with this, I hope that Philip Sharpe figures his way out of this situation! His family, his career, his future, and his life depends on it...Now, I don't know about you but I’m going to buy me a red poppy to wear and have a Bloody Joseph, and soon! Yum!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dundurn Publishers, and the author Mark Sampson himself, for making this available for me to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was very excited about this book, when I got it on NetGalley. A lovely cover, a great premise. But... It could have been so much better! Although I do feel like maybe this time I was just not the intended reader. Or maybe I was the intended reader, but I just... didn't feel like reading something so tedious. I felt like being entertained. Not doing a chore.
Well, you win some, you lose some.

So let me fill you in about this book. Philip is a philosophy professor (I'm not entirely sure what kind of philosophy now – although I read this book just last week! One of those things you forget in a heartbeat.) He writes a lot of boring, but somewhat popular books on tough subjects and sometimes gets invited to talk about it on TV. He is just going on for one of those right at the moment we join him. Unfortunately, he happens to have a fight with his wife about "pointless home matters" before leaving (which is his daughter scalding her hand on the tap he has failed to fix...) And doubly unfortunately, he will be meeting his nemesis on TV for the talk, who happens to be a woman. And Philip isn't quite aware of the fact that he can be mysogynistic, although he doesn't mean to.

In the end, stressed out about the fight, he ends up saying something very bad on TV that is interpreted as a verbal sexual assault proposition, and has to deal with the fallout. The saddest thing about this, though, is that he is uttterly unaware that he said that, and for the entire course of the week keeps thinking it's because of something he said about corporate ethics. One misunderstanding leads to another, and Philip ends up being pretty much the most hated man of Canada of the week.

So the book is generally about Philip realizing what happened and growing up as a person. Well, maybe a little. I do agree that this is an immensely important topic, but... Gosh. Half the book is Philip remembering his childhood. His previous relationships. The fights he had with his wife. (Is this what therapists feel like..?) Essentially, most of it is about the slow unraveling of his marriage. I felt like it was not necessary to the story at all... Or maybe I felt that it was going to tell a different kind of story? Sure, it sheds some depth on why the stuff that is going on is going on, but... gosh, is it boring.

Another super tedious thing was that the author did a splendid job, writing in the voice of a detached, oblivious middle-age professor. So, that should be a good thing, right?

As well as it portrays the personality of the main character... It's just... I'm sorry, just so boring. All the long words, all the dry logic and reasoning just killed me. I am someone prone to philosophize, I do read literary, but I'm just not amused reading this. It was a chore.

I think it could have been done more elegantly. It might have not been the intention to write something like The Rosie Project, but I think the book could have been much better if it had a similar voice.

Very witty and certainly very much of its day this book is quite a delightful read. Don't take it too seriously or the main character will drive you mad.

One line review of Mark Sampson’s “The Slip”: Clever, hilarious, and timely.
When Philip Sharpe, a philosophy professor at the University of Toronto, gets into a verbal sparring match with a female rival during a television debate, he loses his cool and makes some angry, sexist comments that light up social media – and the rest of the world.
Before he even leaves the studio, friends and colleagues begin shunning him, people on the street stare at him in scorn as the gaffe goes viral, and friends and strangers alike flood his social media pages. In the hypersensitive university climate where he teaches, students, administrators, and colleagues turn hostile, organizing rallies against him and demanding apologies.
Philip seems baffled by the outcry, especially when his young wife Grace begins to question him. As the pressure outside mounts, the already strained marriage is stretched to the limit.
Author Sampson makes it all fun as the read sees the story through clueless, often pompous, Philip’s eyes. The story is a brilliant a send-up of over-the-top political correctness and the power of viral media. Adding to the fun is a great twist at the end. A fun read!

This book has a very interesting and pertinent topic, and I loved to see the "unreliable narrator" explored in this unusual and very modern way. However, I sometimes found myself wondering if the misogynistic attitudes of the central character were not challenged enough by the text.

This is the story of Professor Philip and his TV appearance that went viral after his slip up. This is the first book I've read based in Canada and although I didn't understand all of the expressions it made no difference to the storyline. I found this book really interesting and the characters really pulled me in. I would read more from this author.

A warm, amusing look at a disastrous week in the life of self-absorbed philosopher and author Philip Sharpe, who absent-mindedly makes two offensive remarks during a widely-seen interview and can't understand why people are so upset. He thinks they're reacting to the first slip (a philosophical no-no) and doesn't even remember the second, the real gaff: a sexist comment of monumental proportions that is what all the fuss is about. He refuses to read all the ensuing hub-bub so doesn't catch on, and his answers to reporters and others are therefore completely tone-deaf and only fuel the public furor. Narrated in confusion and irritation by the main character, who gives his readers colorful renderings of his background, marriage and career, this tale of the-week-from-hell is really funny. Not guffaw funny, but internal "oh, brother, when will this guy get his act together?" funny. I actually had a hard time putting it down, because I kept waiting for him to figure it out. Recommended.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a copy of the e-book in exchange for a fair review

I've watched my fair share of 24 hour news so I'm very familiar with television political pundit. I thought this book would be an interesting read since I'm interested in politics, debate and discussion.

I was confused with this book at the beginning. It seemed strange that a philosophy professor would moonlight debating conservatives on Canadian Public Television. I can accept that Canadians do things differently. I found the main character's wife, to be an unlikable, off putting, horrible creature.

As I continued reading, I realized that this book is a brilliant, hilarious parody of modern society and the self induced, artificial pressures to achieve status that destroy our personal relationships. Dr. Sharpe is contained so firmly in his academic bubble that he doesn't even realize that his on air faux pas wasn't a philosophically inconsistent statement, but a tacky sexual verbal attack with the woman he was having an on-air discussion with.

By the ending, I came to realize that Mrs. Sharpe was not horrible, but was trying to legitimize herself through a creative career, the same as her husband. The ending comes together in an almost too satisfying way, but I loved it. In fact, I love everything about this book. It is an embrace of family which is what life is all about.

A smart, biting, topical novel about our modern life in the public eye and relationships.

Philip Sharpe is a balding, chubby philosophy professor, who is so oblivious to the intricacies of actual human contact that you will likely spend much of this novel screaming for him to open his eyes and get what he did wrong, what his actual "slip" was. And you will be tortured by his thick-headed ways and his incredible dickishness. And you will love it and enjoy it in the end, because Sampson writes a novel so timely, so plugged into the current (and eternal, actually) events, that's it hard not to relate to it.

Sharpe is this pathetic, unlikable half-person half-dictionary of a narrator, using big words to mask the fact that he is lost in the most basic aspects of his life. His expensive home is a mess, his beautiful loving wife is rightfully mad at him, his alcoholism is not even out in the open, it's basically half of his personality. And as you start out loathing him and his incredible obliviousness to events around him (I am still fuming at how long it takes him to get what's going on, honestly), you may think "Am I supposed to find compassion for this sad sack?". But with each flashback, each wound inflicted on his status and pride, and each stupid, misguided thought, you start to see that, perhaps, Philip is, against all odds, not that unlikeable. It's a character study that eventually turns into a study of society as a whole. The way Sampson just throws caution to the wind and starts to furiously tackle the insecurities and problems that we all face is gloriously refreshing, while also profoundly uncomfortable. It's hard not to squirm when the attention turns to something that you recognize yourself doing.

The book, after starting out as a seemingly cynical portrait of a scumbag, ends up being a cautiously optimistic look at sexism, love, media crises, and what it means to be a "good" person. And if you feel that it doesn't provide solid responses to some of the questions, well, it pushes you to think about these issues and come up with your own viewpoint. And that is a valuable quality in a book that tackles such sensitive topics. This is not just a one-man soapbox show from Sampson, it's a plea for the reader to think and turn the critical gaze inwards.

My main problems would lie with the writing style, which is regularly obnoxious, as it simulates Sharpe's haughty intellectual persona. But it's hard to take off points for something that is wholly intentional and, ultimately, serves to make the book more expressive.

Overall, an excruciatingly frank look at the modern society and the modern man. Funny, sad, and enraging at the same time, an original book that needs to be read. Or, alternatively, that you need to read, it could only serve to make you more aware of the current affairs.

Brilliant book. Excellent main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

4 Stars

Too funny.

Dr. Philip Sharpe is a harried father and husband to a stay-at-home mother of two. The opening scene with the poppy is hilarious. And the book goes on in a similar vein.

This is a delightful book, with a somewhat serious topic. On national television, Dr. Sharpe lets go (out of frustration, I presume), with a slip of the tongue that has everyone in an uproar. While he tries to take it back, unfortunately the program is out of time.

He is astounded at the reaction his slip engenders. And he compounds the …ummm.. mistake.

This is a great book by a great author. It is well written and very funny. I will look for more by Mark Sampson.

Thanking Netgalley and Dundurn for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.