Dear Committee Members
By Julie Schumacher
Schumacher’s novel, Dear Committee Members, is smart, snarky, and often laugh-out-loud funny. Cantankerous and eye-rolling inducing Jay Fitger has written over 1,300 letters of recommendation during his career as Professor of Creative Writing and English at Payne University. Dear Committee Members is an epistolary novel, meaning it is written in letter of recommendation format, making for an interesting read because of the way you must piece the story together from Jay’s perspective.
By Julie Schumacher
Schumacher’s novel, Dear Committee Members, is smart, snarky, and often laugh-out-loud funny. Cantankerous and eye-rolling inducing Jay Fitger has written over 1,300 letters of recommendation during his career as Professor of Creative Writing and English at Payne University. Dear Committee Members is an epistolary novel, meaning it is written in letter of recommendation format, making for an interesting read because of the way you must piece the story together from Jay’s perspective.
This humorous tale leads to a fantastic discussion
about Jay’s foibles. Jay is angry and
constantly mentions cuts to the liberal arts, especially the English department,
in favor of economics and the technological sciences. The English building has been sealed because
of construction for a new tech building next door. Jay has a tough exterior but seems
lonely. He is living in the past and is
too brutally honest for his own good.
The story is often one-sided and readers are left wondering how events
really play out. Jay usually reveals details a few letters later. The stories of Jay’s ex-wife, Janet, and his
ex-girlfriend, Carole, show how hapless Jay is about women, love, and his lack
of tact.
The majority of our members enjoy this novel. All members are impressed by Schumacher’s
ability to move the story along through the letters. This novel could easily lose steam because of
the format. However, Schumacher finds the right balance between humor, insight,
and weaving an engaging, intelligent story about modern university life. Some of the best parts of this novel came
from Jay’s sign offs and titles he gave himself. One of the best is Jay Fitger, Professor/Hazardous
Material Specialist.
