Krusoe's whimsical, ironic debut novel (following his story collection, Blood Lake) conjures up Kafka on antidepressants, as Krusoe tracks the decidedly strange adventures of a typewriter repairman named Paul after one of his organs begins to disintegrate. Paul turns to an odd medical outfit known as "the Institute" for treatment and finds himself in a passionate interlude with the beautiful caretaker, Emily, in the swimming pool where the organs are kept. Emily disappears from Paul's life, only to be replaced by a carpet cleaner named Leo, who befriends Paul and then invites him on a trip to Iceland. Leo accidentally falls into a volcano, and Paul takes up with their tour guide, Greta; eventually, they marry and have two children, Inga and Ingo, but Paul's new family is killed in an avalanche. That tragedy sends him back to America, where he begins to hunt for Emily in piano bars, a search that leads to yet another affair, this time with a drug-addicted pianist named Calypso Sally. The financial crunch caused by her addiction transforms the duo into a cut-rate Bonnie and Clyde as they turn to robbery to make ends meet, though Paul still believes he will be reunited with Emily. Krusoe makes the wild plot twists work; his deadpan irony gives Paul a bizarre charm, and his ability to spin over-the-top yarns is superb, especially in the early going. The humor loses some bite down the stretch, but Krusoe's twisted, childlike observations on love, livelihood and the non sequiturs that dominate daily life are consistently entertaining and thought provoking. (June 15)
Forecast:A great blurb from Martin Amis augurs well for this small press novel. If it gets adequate review coverage—which it amply deserves—it should establish Krusoe as a writer to watch, though sales may be harder to stimulate.
