What I liked about this right from the start was the description of the moody and unhappy Jacob Finch Bonner. He is a teacher at a college and does not seem thrilled about it. However, he is also a writer, albeit a struggling writer. He did not produce a very good second novel and his follow-up manuscripts were rejected. As he thinks about the folders he has to look at for his class, he thinks about what a loser he is. Eventually, he starts chatting with fellow co-workers and students at a BBQ when he meets a rude blonde man. I am curious to see what is in the folders he is about to look at. How does the rude blonde guy fit into the narrative?