Bottomless Cups by Joel Bresler – Reviewed by Guy Portman
Elderly Teddy Greenwald and Ray Starck have been friends since childhood. In their youth, they were members of a group who used to hang out and get up to all sorts of mischief, such as annoying waitresses by loitering in restaurants and drinking free coffee refills. The pair have lived through it all – wars, recessions, the assassination of a president; and they have even shared a love interest, Nora, who has resurfaced after all these years. And now there is a film to be made of their lives, thanks to a member of their former group being involved in Hollywood.
Bottomless Cups is comprised for the most part of musings, quips, teasing and general banter. The text consists of interweaving timelines which vacillate between the present and the past. In the absence of chapters, it is somewhat confusing. While the characters are fairly likeable, this non-plot orientated, purportedly humorous offering is tepid and somewhat relentless.
