yay!books

Yes Man
  • Yes Man
  • Author: Danny Wallace
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • ISBN: 1416900667
  • Pages: 400
  • Published: 2005-07-26

This book is extremely funny. It's LOL funny. *Do not read in public libraries or quiet coffee shops as you might disturb the peace*. Danny Wallace is such an interesting guy, and his writing makes you feel like you know him as a good friend. The book is sooooooo much better than the film. This was a fun book. I had seen it years ago and was familiar with it and what it was about; but actually read it after seeing the movie. I knew that the book was much different than the movie (it was non-fiction - not a novel) before I started. Never-the-less there is quite a bit in the book that made it, in a different form, into the film. Of course a Hollywood movie is going to ham things up quite a bit.


The book, and the movie as well, both have a nice, positive message - say yes more often and new, gratifying experiences will follow - and it is true! This book has the rare and beautiful combination of being hilariously funny, having a meaningful sentiment, and it is full of British turns of expression.

I easily laughed out loud 30 to 40 times including inadvertent guffaws at 1 o'clock in the morning while I was trying not to wake my partner.

It also had a refreshingly positive perspective accompanying the wit, and to find at the end actual photographs (in my edition) of the seemingly farfetched twists in the plot that took place was really moving in a very oddly touching way.

I sent a copy of this edition to my sister because she has been bummed out lately so I'm not sure if this particular style contains the photos at the end. Hopefully, it does. I found the novel novel. Much of it a stretch, but, all in all, almost believeable. Interesting adaptation of the movie. Danny Wallace is down in the dumps, recovering from a breakup, going through the motions of life. He has a chance encounter on a London bus that leads him to a monumental decision - he is is going to say "Yes!" to everything for a period of several months. Much zaniness follows.

If you like British humor and wit, you may find yourself chuckling frequently and sometimes laughing out loud as you read this book. Even though it's a quick read, I slowed down to savor every sentence, because I never knew when I'd run into something spectacularly silly.

For example, after saying "yes!" to some killer weed, Danny calls his friend Ian to describe his new invention -

"'Not bad - listen. What would you say if I told you you could have a spoon' - I paused to allow him time to picture a spoon - 'that could hover!'"

He pauses to give Ian time to picture a spoon. As if you'd need some time to picture a spoon. Pretty funny. He continues -

"...Ian always thought he knew where he was with spoons, but I'd just messed with his preconceptions. The boundaries of cutlery had been given a severe kick into the future, and I think Ian knew that ... What would you do if a visionary like me phoned you up and told you he'd invented the hover spoon?

'And then I realised Ian had hung up."

Wallace has an excellent and offbeat comedic voice. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and what is really unique, he is able to play the buffoon and wry observer at the same time. He overplays mundane activities, such as responding positively to junk e-mail, in a way that makes them exquisitely funny. He downplays his borderline insane moves - like accompanying his former girlfriend on her first date with a new love interest - making those episodes perfectly amusing. It's not quite like anything I've ever read. It's definitely quirky, but I would think appealing to a wide range of comedic tastes.