Glenn Beck's 'The Overton Window': incoherent and not at all thrilling

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck has written a novel. It's the story of a bachelor, his villainous father, a 100-year old liberal conspiracy and a stolen nuclear weapon. It is called "The Overton Window: A Thriller." It is not good.

Our reviewer Tim Rutten writes:

There is nothing even remotely thrilling about this didactic, discursive -- sporadically incoherent -- novel. The image of a train wreck comes quickly to mind, though this book actually has more the character -- and all of the excitement -- of a lurching, low-speed derailment halfway out of the station.

Rutten includes a sample of Beck's prose -- or rather, the prose from Beck's writing team. Glenn Beck himself is busy -- probably too busy to sit down and write a novel even if he really wanted to. But according to what he told USA Today -- "I don't write. I speak. I get bogged down in writing." -- he doesn't really want to.

Beck is an enthusiastic reader, though, so maybe he's just trying to distance himself from "The Overton Window's" prose. Rutten quotes from the scene when the protagonist first sees his love interest:

Something about this woman defied a traditional chick-at-a-glance inventory. Without a doubt all the goodies were in all the right places, but no mere scale of one to 10 was going to do the job this time. It was an entirely new experience for him. Though he'd been in her presence for less than a minute, her soul had locked itself onto his senses, far more than her substance had.

Goodies, soul connections and all, Glenn Beck's "The Overton Window" has climbed to No. 3 on Amazon's bestseller list. The only thing standing between it and the top spot is deceased Swedish writer Stieg Larsson, and his books "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

-- Carolyn Kellogg
twitter.com/paperhaus

Photo: Glenn Beck in March 2009. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

---

Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.

---

Comments

[Jo Ann]

As with all controversial books, there are those willing to trash them if they disagree with content. I find this book fascinating and difficult to put down. Enough said as so many politically leaning books at this time are similar and lack in an intellectual challenge. This well written piece is the antithesis of the aforementioned and most will find stimulating to say the least.

[rbk]

"I find this book fascinating and difficult to put down." - great, a Beck stooge. You guys still preparing for another civil war?

[person]

It's obvious that the person who "reviewed" this book had already decided before reading it that they would not like it and write a bad review. Liberals have their panties in bunch over Beck and his power, like it or not. At every turn they try to dismiss Beck but it just comes back to bite them in the end. Beck has caused several resignations in the White House, the defunding of ACORN and the embarassment of many political figures. Not to mention he is helping to educate the once-apathetic public. I read this book within a few days and thought that it was amazing. I have recommended to my friends.

[Joedy Gardner]

Obviously you have an agenda. This is a great book and will be a #1 seller soon.

[Naota]

Who knew?

A critic from LA, a town filled with pedophiles, gang members, drug addicts, and gay orgies - wouldn't like a book written by one of the most popular family men in America.

What a shock.

[Godfrey]

@rbk: "A Beck stooge. You guys still preparing for another civil war?"
No stooge.
Always prepared.
Don't like surprises.
But not civil war. Another American revolution. Result will be same. Out with tyranny. Difference is we already have the Constitution ready to go.

[rbk]

" Result will be same. Out with tyranny." -- I seem to recall that the results were the same under your demi-god W. but no peep from the echo chamber. Go figure.

[So Cal]

Ahhhhhhhh look at all the far-right-wing Beck drones flocking to his defense!!!! What a bunch of pathetic ill informed tools!!

[MasterPo]

I received this book for Father's Day from the Mrs.

About half way through.

I like it a lot. Very chilling in its near-realism of current events.

3 people in my office are also reading it. People I would never have expected to be interested in this or the author. They too like it.

Tare me apart. Don't care. That's my opinion.

[Mike]

I am reading this book now. It is not a masterpiece but it does invoke thought. Despite your political leanings or agenda, invoking thought and discussion is the ingredients for good art and media value. Once you divorce yourself from evaluating artistic expression on its value to invoke thought, emotion and even discourse in society and instead review content based on your own social and political leanings...you nullify your voice as objective and therefor discount your own opinion and the value of your own publication.

[Alex]

Alright, I feel I have to defend this review as a liberatarian/independent with some fiscally conservative views. Coming at this as a writer and with no bias of Glenn Beck...

the book is awful. Badly written, too preachy, filled with pathetic attempts at drama and very "dime store" in premise and execution. Quite a bit of the book is telling and not showing, there's an overabundance of adverbs and the characters all speak like they were scripted and not real people. It reminds me of how I had such a hard time enjoying the 'His Dark Materials', except Pullman has more skill as a writer, because the author insisted on soapboxing every other page. That's poor technique.

There are better, and more politically aware thrillers out there. Hell, if you want a poignant story while being entertained, play the PC game Deus Ex.

[Justin]

It's not that people who are awakining are stooges just waking up to the disaster this country is getting turned into. Dubya was a moderate in republican clothing and did a lot of things that screwed up the country again. People need to open their damn eyes and see how the liberal left is destroying this country: entitlements, handouts, and selling our futures to the Chinese for pennies on the dollar. It has gotten so disgusting with the deficit spending it is ridiculous. The overton window was written as fiction but like Glenn Beck has said he has has to change the book several times because his worst case scenarios keep coming true, and that is the scariest part of it all. After reading his book Arguing With Idiots I gained a lot of respect for Glenn Beck not because of what he says but because it is backed up with solid fact something many other "authors" and most politicians know nothing about.

[SNH]

Bash it all you want, it still made #1 on the New York Times Best Seller Hardcover Fiction list. Beck "stooges"or not, Americans are realizing that the government is getting way out of control.

[JPH]

The fact that:
1) Glenn Beck's novel is a bestseller;
2) People defend its LITERARY merits;
and 3) They think it is real

are the reasons why the rest of the world hates us.

[Mike G.]

Naota,

Take a leap. I live in LA and we are not all gang members and drug dealers (or gay). Get out of your neighborhood once in a while, turn off the TV and experience the world. But you won't. I doubt your short attention span will even allow you to read this post.

And people, pay attention. Beck did not even write the book. He is just taking your money, and you are willingly giving it to him.

THAT is just plain dumb.

[woof-woof]

I'm sure that Glenn Beck and his publisher would like to thank you for giving him more free publicity.

[Danni]

The leftist media are the incoherent one!

Leave Beck alone...he tells the truth and you socialists can see or do not want to see the truth.

The Lefties need to get the hell out of America before you destroy it anymore.

[Mediator]

I think both sides are a litle heated up on this book. Opponents of Beck hate the book because it has Beck's name on it. Supporters of Beck love the book just because it has Beck's name on it. First of all, I agree that the book was badly written, HOWEVER that does not mean that the book does not have some good points. The Overton Window is a very real theory that is exercised by BOTH sides of the political spectrum. I don't like everything Beck says but for once I have to give him grudging respect for actually having a good point.

[Tinker Bell]

Loved it!! Could not put it down!! Read it straight through in one 7-Hour sitting. Absolutely un-put-downable. A page turner of the highest order!!

[Elle]

Gut-wrenchingly awful. There is not a doubt in my mind that there are many, many excellent writers with conservative leanings who would love nothing better than to have their novels published but are denied because they do not use a chalkboard on national television.

Instead we're left with hacks with no interest in writing who want to make money at the expense of the truly talented. Beck isn't alone in this - Lord knows Hollywood has contributed more than its fair share of horrid memoirs and "novels" over the years - but I have trouble understanding why a review calling a bad book bad is part of some liberal conspiracy.