Test Situations or (Ice Cream Brooklyn Beijing Hate)
GENRE
DRAMA
Core Theme
THIS IS THE STORY OF A YOUNG MAN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND LIFE AND WHERE HE FITS (AND DOESN’T) IN THE WORLD AND COME TO TERMS WITH MISTAKES HE’S MADE IN THE WAY OF FIGURING HIMSELF OUT.
TIME PERIOD
Contemporary
COMPARABLE TITLES
FIGHT CLUB
CHARACTER LIST
• ALEX. 27. LEAD. INTROVERT, DUBIOUS, VIOLENT, KIND, SELF-AWARE, SELF-DESTRUCTIVE.
• MARC AND RICHARDS, 30’S, AMERICAN FRIENDS LIVING IN BEIJING;
• ANNIE, 20’S, FLEETING LOVE INTEREST, WRITES ABOUT HIM ONLINE;
• BRAD, 30’S, BOSS; SONGLIAN, CHINESE LOVE INTEREST; SU JIN, 20’S, NY LOVE INTEREST.
Logline
In Manning’s novel, a man finds himself homeless on the streets of Brooklyn as he attempts to escape his past life in Beijing.
Target Audiences
Age: 18-34
Target Gender: Male Leaning
Setting
Beijing, China & Brooklyn, New York
Based on a True Story
Yes
Publishing Details
Status: No
Starting Description
To say that Alex is down on his luck is an understatement. As the story opens, he spreads his last $768 across the bed of his rented room and anticipates “bottoming out.” With a stack of monthly bills unpaid, he realizes that something needs to change.
Ending Description
Multiple gut-wrenching, entirely unexpected plot twists highlight Manning’s masterful skill as a storyteller. This tour de force captures the intimidating hubbub and toil of two very different cities, along with the precarious nature of urban realities. Overall, it’s an unsteadying novel.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
No
ISBN
Information not completed
Mature Audience Themes
Sexual Abuse,Nudity
Plot - Other Elements
Coming of Age,Meaningful Message,Twist
Plot - Premise
Other,Voyage and Return
Main Character Details
Name: Alex
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Complex,Desperate,Secretive,Insecure,Naive,Lone Wolf
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Genre
COMEDY, SUSPENSE, ROMANCE, MATURE AUDIENCE, DRAMA
Brief
Recently back from a work experience in Beijing where his heart (and body) was broken, Alex finds himself homeless in Brooklyn, but will only find the light in the end of the tunnel after his own self-destructive behavior takes him to his lowest point.
Overall Rating
EXCELLENT
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: EXCELLENT
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: EXCELLENT
Premise: GOOD
Structure: EXCELLENT
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
There isn’t a book profile page
Draw of Story
The quality of the narrative is staggering because it is raw, witty, and sure to attract more experienced readers as well. It is an honest, brutal and surprising narrative.
Possible Drawbacks
Women are only seen as objects by the protagonist – and even though that may be seen as a consequence of the protagonist’s self-confessed narcissism, it may be triggering to women readers. More acknowledgement on the part of the narrator could make it more tolerable.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
I would watch this movie because of the many layers the protagonist brings – a good person that sometimes means well but is also violent and self-destructive –, as well as the defiant way he manages to live practically for free in expensive NY.
Fanbase Potential
It could have a large fanbase because the plot challenges the way we tend to think about homeless people and the character is a solid antihero.
Awards Potential
It could have awards potential if adapted because the narrative is interesting, protagonist is layered and contradictory, and structure of the narrative is bold and ties up really well in the end.
Envisioned Budget
MEDIUM BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
FIGHT CLUB
What’s New About the Story
There are many layers into this narrative, but somehow the author seems to keep it interesting and entertaining. The structure is also layered – there is a current timeline, but author makes it clear how his memories unfold to compose the character and provide context, making everything come together in the end, when finally reveals what led him to NY. One idea to enrich the narrative would be the construction of more layered female characters.
Lead Characters
Alex is a dubious and introvert character that somehow manages to stay interesting and captivating. He is violent but warm; vile but means well; self-loathing and self-forgiving at the same time.
Uniqueness of Story
This is a rare gem.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
RECOMMEND
Justification
I recommend it because the story is original, plot is surprising, protagonist is layered and an amazing antihero. The structure of the narrative is bold, but surprisingly, author delivers it very well.
Brief
Recently back from a work experience in Beijing and trying to get over some of his wrongdoings, Alex finds himself homeless in Brooklyn, but will only find the light in the end of the tunnel after his own self-destructive behavior takes him to another low point.
What We Liked
The script of this story is original and I certainly haven’t read anything like it. Despite this, the protagonist is relatable. It is a nuanced narrative in which the antihero is both warm and violent; self-destructive and self-forgiving. Writing is also outstanding.
Film: It would be a great adaptation for films mainly because of the main character and the link he establishes between Beijing and Brooklyn, which evidences not only the differences but the similarities between the two urban environments and how different versions of himself are looking for the same thing in the end – to be loved.
TV: It would be a great adaptation for TV because the main character is a cool and nuanced antihero, and there are many situations to be explored in the types of life he tried to live. The patterns of the narrative may be adapted to different loglines.
Key points: Urban thematic; layered characters; surprising plot; original story; antihero protagonist.
Synopsis
Alex is looking for a room to live in expensive New York while trying to shake off memories of the year he spent in China; trying to fit into a creative Brooklyn he did not seem to belong.
He decides to share an apartment with artist Maggie while his financial situation is bad and looks for a job, but options don’t seem interesting. Even though he paid for at least one month at Maggie’s, he decides to hide himself in a church basement and have showers in a gym, becoming officially homeless.
As Alex begins to calculate how many days he is still able to live in his current financial situation, he doesn’t seem affected and talks proudly about his lifestyle in a barbershop.
Besides his self-destructive behavior, Alex also seems to have a crush on every girl he meets. Still sleeping in the church, Alex begins to fear being discovered, and is only able to sleep well in parks.
Alex begins to recall his life in Beijing and his first time with a whore. He also brings to the narrative memories about books he read.
Alex finds a job in an ice cream company – or we could also say the job found him. As he gets caught in the church he was living, he begins living in the delivery truck he works.
More sexual memories from Beijing are added up to the context.
There is a robbery in the company Alex works and suspects are on him, but he isn’t the one to blame. Alex goes into a date with Annie, a girl he met in a café, and she tells him she is a writer and has been writing about him, getting the attention of a considerable audience online. Alex shows Annie that he lives in the parking lot of his truck – and she is scared by his lifestyle.
Going out with coworkers, Alex is socially awkward. Annie goes after him again and talks about her writing on him, and he asks her not to publish. She doesn’t listen.
That day he meets a Korean girl, Su Jin, a homeless prostitute. The same day he meets her, he manages to find a place to live, driven by the idea of helping the girl. He loses sight of Su Jin but manages to find her after two weeks to offer her a place to stay. They begin living together and Alex provides for her.
At this moment, Alex reminds the story of a relationship he had in Beijing with a woman named Songlian, her pregnancy and the miscarriage that ended up their relationship, how he envisioned a future with her to later find out she was actually married.
Alex continues taking care of Su Jin and they get together; he also finds out that Annie got a deal to turn her blog into a series in LA.
One day, Su Jin leaves, which he understands as a repetition from his story with Songlian. He brings along the memory of a violence he suffered in China, which made him come back to his mom’s house in Missouri.
In NY, Alex manages to find Su Jin in a shelter but she is not thrilled to see him. He knocks down a door to talk to her and after that police is after him. In the same day, at the moment he was being unfairly accused of stealing money from his company, Alex is arrested for invading Su Jin’s shelter.
His mom manages to transfer him from NY prison to home in Missouri until he can be freed, and Alex reveals that in the last time she housed him, it ended up with him treating her poorly and being violent against her; and we finally understand why he went to NY.
After many therapy sessions, Alex finds strength to begin over in the fact that he is diagnosed as a narcissist.