Begin to Exit Here — John Welter

This “laugh-out-loud” novel looks at “the absurdity of journalism through the eyes of a (chronologically) grown-up Holden Caulfield” (Kirkus Reviews).
 
In North Carolina, reporter Kurt Clausen delights both women and his editors with his sense of humor -- that is, until they get tired of him and dump him. Beneath his wisecracking exterior, he's really just a lonely alcoholic who can't seem to stay employed. He loves newspapers -- when he doesn't hate them. But now he has a new girlfriend, Janice, and a new job, and he's trying to give it his all.
 
As he puts his unique stamp on stories ranging from a KKK march to a gay police chief to a possibly violent kindergarten teacher, Kurt may be about to turn things around -- or he may be about to mess it all up again -- in this novel filled with “hilariously on-target gibes at journalistic practice” that “admirably balances humor with serious feeling” (Kirkus Reviews).
 
“A cast of sympathetic characters and nearly nonstop wisecracks and one-liners highlight this spirited and appealing first novel.” -- Library Journal
 
“Funny and touching.” -- The New York Times Book Review