The Abyss of Human Illusion

This fine, final work by Brooklyn native Sorrentino (1929-2006), author of A Strange Commonplace, finds a rueful charm in the ""wretched clichés"" of ordinary failure. Edited by his son, Christopher Sorrentino, after the author's death, the novel is comprised of 50 brief, narrative set pieces: a grab bag of memories from childhood, serving in the army, first love, failing marriage, and (presumably) the writer's own life, alternating with a perplexed and paralyzing present. In one instance, a young working-class husband looks miserably for a sign that will reveal the truth behind his wife's demeaning treatment of him. In another, two idealistic school friends-one becoming an English teacher, the other an L.A. talent scout-grow estranged over the years due to the perception of the other's critical scorn. Another piece finds a solitary old man ""childless and thrice-divorced,"" beginning a catalog of all the grievances of his life until it becomes his sole pursuit, bringing him satisfaction and even ""a shabby euphoria."" Sorrentino's characters take a grim pleasure in stripping life of its illusions.