Aaron, Approximately by Zachary Lazar

Published by

Sarah Ann

on

January 5, 2012

Aaron, Approximately is the 1st novel by Zachary Lazar. It’s an entertaining, dark, and funny coming-of-age story about Aaron Bright—a young man who struggles with adolescence and young adulthood after he watches his father die in a freak skydiving accident.

Aaron Bright often feels as if he lives in his father’s shadow. His dad is a local celebrity in Denver, Colorado, where he poses as a clown on a children’s TV show. After his dad dies, Aaron assumes the role of man of the house in an all-female household. We get treated to Aaron’s personal account of his awkward experiences through junior high, high school, and beyond.

I stumbled upon Aaron, Approximately at the bookstore and decided I had to have it after flipping through and seeing the words “Nike” and “Foot Locker.” I’m a Nike sneaker head and I’m addicted to Nike, it’s all I wear, so I wanted to see what this was all about. It ended up being one of the most entertaining books I read in months.

The book’s synopsis makes it seem much darker and more tragic than it really is. Yes, of course losing a father at any age can be tragic, but Aaron’s voice and the author’s writing style are so light and comical so the book isn’t depressing.

The first few chapters leading up to the death of Aaron’s dad are a bit slow and dull, but it starts getting good in chapter 5, which is pretty brilliant. Aaron talks about his mom and sister’s musical involvement, and about the way they turned the solarium in their home into a mini concert hall. That was all cool and fun to read about it.

Chapter 5 is also the Nike and Foot Locker chapter. Aaron’s mom takes him shoe shopping and he explains how he feels like “hugging and apologizing” to a terrible cheap pair of Nike knock-offs his she convinces him to buy.

Another reason I enjoyed Aaron, Approximately is because I lived in Colorado Springs for a long time, which is about 70 miles south of Denver. I enjoyed all the comments about Denver, which are spot-on. Aaron talks about how nothing ever goes on there and how everyone watches too much TV and pretends to live lives they don’t have.

Other books by Zachary Lazar include:

What did you think about Aaron, Approximately?

Last Updated on December 26, 2025 by Sarah Ann

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