Two nihilistic novellas from Amdahl (Visigoths
) are at once crude, funny and insightful on the lengths to which a desperate (or bored) man will go for fulfillment. The unlikely protagonist of “I Am Death, or, Bartleby the Mobster (A Story of Chicago),” Jack is a freelance journalist in 1980s Chicago hired by a lawyer George Swanson to help write the autobiography of Frank Fini, soon to be a mob boss. It takes a silly and heartfelt horde of extras, including Jack's ex-wife, Dorothy, and a suicidal morgue delivery driver named Ricky Friend, to make Jack understand that messing with the mob may not be in his best interests. In “Peasants,” Walter Rasmussen, working at a publisher specializing in geographical information, gets friendly with his quirky Australian boss, Kyle Boatman, only to discover that Kyle may be skimming. Walter also embarks on getting closer to his beautiful young office mate Jessie, an urban planner, threatening his marriage. Amdahl leans heavy on pulp, but knows his male characters don't know what they want. He maintains a foul but sophisticated stream-of-consciousness perspective on the male condition throughout. (June)
