Book Review: The Cobra and the Key by Sam Shelstad

The more I read, the more I realize how much I enjoy a book with humour woven through it. I love something that makes me laugh, so when a story is suggested to me that’s going to do just that, I typically jump at it. The Cobra and the Key by Sam Shelstad was presented to me as a funny take on a non-fiction book about writing, but in actuality a work of fiction about a young man who is a cashier at Value Village. It was such a unique premise for a book I just had to read it, if only to see how it was done. It was definitely odd, it did make me chuckle, but will likely only appeal to a select few.

Plot Summary

The narrator Sam has written this book as a guide to help writers at the beginning of their career. It contains advice on character building, plotting, dialogue, point of view, editing, even some tips on navigating the publishing business itself. Split into sections detailing each phase of the writing process, Sam gives lots of examples from his own experience, and this is how the reader learns more about Sam. For instance, we learn that he has never actually had anything published, in fact, one small publisher was interested in his manuscript titled “The Emerald,” but Sam harassed him so much that he was threatened with legal action. We also learn that Sam has just recently broken up with his girlfriend Molly, who is actually friends with his mother, and forty years his senior. Sam lives with his Uncle Herman who he claims is mentally ill, but the more of Sam that is revealed to us, the more we question his judgements as Sam is clearly an unreliable narrator. Some of the writing advice is reasonable, but much of it is silly or downright ridiculous, so the real humour comes from Sam’s lack of self-awareness. A work of satire, readers are ‘in on the joke’ for most of it, and writers and those who work in publishing will enjoy this book the most as many publishing myths are picked up on and mocked.

My Thoughts

As I mentioned above, this is a book that will delight a few, but likely confuse others. I was entertained by it because I know lots of writers, and lots of people in the publishing industry. We will all understand the jokes, recognize ourselves in some of the stereotypes, and generally laugh at how silly the writing business can actually be. But as I made my way through the very short chapters (generally each piece of advice is one page long, sometimes only a paragraph long), I also began to wonder, what is the point of this book? Humour, definitely. But for those who aren’t familiar with the book world, they may find this novel tedious, as it doesn’t include any sort of story arc or conflict. It’s basically just a book of an individual’s ramblings, and if you don’t feel as though you are part of the joke, one could easily become frustrated by the pointlessness of it all.

The humour is very well done, and I marked quite a few pages that contained some of my favourite quotes. Here’s one that authors of all stripes (including their friends and family) will enjoy, as it desribes the experience of being with a writer:

“Here I am, these significant others must think, wondering what to eat for dinner like a simpleton, while the mind of the person I’m holding hands with is a million miles away, contemplating complex societies of people they invented, with all these characters gracefully interacting and creating moments of pure gravitas. While there are some minor drawbacks, it’s actually quite an honour to be dating a writer. It might be helpful to remind your romantic partners of this fact.”

-p.12 of The Cobra and the Key by Sam Shelstad

I read this book straight through, which I don’t recommend doing. This is like a short story collection, best dipped in and out of. If I had read it in spurts, I likely would have enjoyed it more because I would have limited my expectations -this isn’t a story you can become absorbed in, as it has no plot. It would make a great gift for any writer however; those just beginning, or those who have experienced some success already.