Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore is nothing if not irreverent. Having long since read all of Moore's books I've started re-reading some of his earlier works that I discovered all those years ago.

In WWII a bomber, The Sky Priestess, lands on a remote Pacific atoll in Micronesia, Alualu. The people of the island have come to be known as The Shark People, as Alualu is the only place in the world where the sharks are more afraid of the people than the people are of the sharks. The pilot of the Sky Priestess, Vincent, is viewed as a God as he delivers cargo and glimpses of western civilization to the islanders. He also proves much more successful at establishing religion on the island than the Catholic missionary that was recently killed by the Japanese. After all, it's much more impressive having a God that you've actually met in person. Vincent promises to return with more cargo for the Shark People but The Sky Priestess gets shot down by the Japanese before Vincent is able to make good on his promise. And thus a cargo cult is born.

Fast forward a few years and an idealistic Christian missionary doctor, Sebastian tries to succeed where the Catholic priest failed. Unfortunately, for Sebastian, the Cargo Cult has taken hold. The Shark People show crucifixes as 2 propellers crossing each other, they portray any images of Jesus that they see wearing a WWII bomber jacket. They worship Vincent and many even name their children after him.

Sebastian meets Beth an "exotic dancer"/nurse on a trip to San Francisco for a medical seminar.  Beth bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman painted on the fuselage of The Sky Priestess in a photo they both discover at the San Francisco library and a brilliant idea is hatched. Having little luck converting the Shark People to Christianity, Sebastian decides if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and Beth becomes "The Sky Priestess" in a rather unscrupulous medical scheme funded by Japanese businessmen that are keeping Sebastian's mission work on Alualu afloat.

Tucker Case is a bit of a loser, a pilot for a cosmetics magnate that uses his charms to lure middle-aged cosmetics distributors to bed. After an ill-fated in-air dalliance Tucker finds himself seriously maimed and out of a job. Tucker receives a job offer from Sebastian to fly his Lear jet on medical supply runs between Alualu and Japan. Given Tucker's recently revoked pilot license and at that point limited prospects he's encouraged to take the job by his friend, Jake Skye, and a mysterious WWII bomber pilot that keeps mysteriously appearing to him.

On its surface, Island of the Sequined Love Nun is a fun and somewhat whimsical read. Under the surface it's an interesting take on origins of organized religion that the reader may or may not agree with but should at least take the time to ponder. Having read all of Moore's novels before and since reading this one, Island of the Sequined Love Nun has remained a favorite of mine. I'd argue this also makes an interesting companion piece to Moore's much more popular and successful Lamb: The Gospel According to Christ's Childhood Pal, Biff. And Tucker Case was a popular enough character that he made another appearance in Moore's zombie Christmas novel, The Stupidest Angel. All in all, if you're new to Christopher Moore all of his books are thoroughly enjoyable, Island of the Sequined Love Nun is as good a place as any to start your literary journey into Moore's rather quirky imagination.

Related Links
Christopher Moore (official website)
Christopher Moore (wikipedia)

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The plot of The Art of Racing in the Rain is not necessarily original. Nor are the issues of grief, weighing career versus family, or child custody issues… All have been fodder for numerous novels over the years. Where Stein excels is not in the story he tells, but in how he tells the story or perhaps more appropriately WHO is telling the story.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is told from the perspective of Enzo, a mutt that is at least part Labrador Retriever although the rest of his genetic make-up is never really firmly defined. At one point it’s hinted that he’s got a German Shepherd/Poodle mix, although Enzo firmly believes his father was an Airedale Terrier.

While the story is largely about Enzo and his relationship with his owner, Denny, Enzo provides much more of an observational role for Denny, a Nick Carraway to Denny’s Jay Gatsby if you will.

Denny is an aspiring race car driver, trying to make his big break into the world of professional race car driving. Stein does an excellent job creating a sense of empathy and understanding for Enzo, Denny, Denny’s wife Eve, and his daughter Zoë.

Stein’s telling of Denny’s story through Enzo’s eyes also allows him some semblance of detachment and some of Enzo’s observations are scent based and not visual. This gives Enzo a decidedly different perspective on the events that surround him and while not omniscient Enzo does come across as “more knowing” than Denny or his family. He senses the positive and negative intentions of many of the minor characters before Denny does, and gives the book at times a sense of foreshadowing, and at other times it can be somewhat foreboding (in particular the chapter in which Enzo describes the true nature of crows).

There’s also a sense of longing and frustration throughout the book that stems from Enzo’s desire to be human or at least be able to communicate with Denny, Eve, and Zoë better than he does. And at his core, Enzo is more human than canine, a human soul trapped in a dog’s body.

From start to finish The Art of Racing in the Rain is both a compelling, original, and enjoyable read. It feels like a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It falls short of that fifth star largely because the ending feels slightly rushed but more because at times Enzo’s innate “human-ness” really challenges the reader’s suspension of disbelief. If Stein had just slightly toned down Enzo’s “human-ness” and made him a bit more canine he would have been a bit more believable. These are minor quibbles though and should not be reasons to avoid reading this original and otherwise excellent novel.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

Having been disappointed with the last two Nick Hornby novels that I've read (How to Be Good and A Long Way Down) I was a little wary when I started Juliet, Naked would this be a continued slump or would it be a return to form of his first two novels (High Fidelity and About a Boy)?

While still not as good as either High Fidelity or About a Boy, Juliet, Naked is a step back in the right direction.

Annie and Duncan have been together 15 years. Duncan is a huge fan of a fictitious Dylan meets Springsteen meets Leonard Cohen type musician, Tucker Crowe. He writes articles about him, goes on pilgrimages of places of notoriety from Tucker's life and career. He not only listens to but dissects every Tucker Crowe recording he has.

While on tour in Minneapolis in the eighties, Tucker Crowe went to the loo and then left the bar where he was watching a local band that had been recommended to him. He promptly cancelled his tour and retreated from the public eye. In his absence from the public eye, his legend grew within his small but rabid circle of devoted fans which included, Duncan.

With the money running low, Tucker agreed to the release of the demoes and rehearsal recordings from his final and most critically acclaimed album, Juliet. This new version aptly titled Juliet, Naked (perhaps a tip of the hat to The Beatles Let It Be... Naked). Upon receiving a pre-release copy of the album Duncan is giddy with delight and posts a glowing review on one of the many Tucker Crowe message boards that he frequents.

Upon hearing the album, Annie, who has been following Duncan's fervor for Crowe, decides to post a review of her own. One considerably less glowing... How could this album with stripped down early versions of Crowe's greatest album be superior to the much more polished finished product?

Her honesty prompts a thankful email from the reclusive Crowe himself... and that's where the story really takes off.

The one consistency in all of Hornby's novels, even his sub-par ones, is a sense of natural empathy. He includes just the right details to make the characters seem that much more real to the readers. Being such a devout lover of music himself, he understands what makes those of us who have over the top fascinations with our favorite bands tick.

The book is at times an examination of what it means to be a music fan. And without coming out and asking it, one of the questions the book poses-- when being a fan of music, are you a fan of the music that has been created or a fan of the person or people who created that music? Is it possible to be a fan of one and not the other. The book is also an examination of the songwriting process. The very things that made Tucker Crowe such a great songwriter also proved to be his undoing as a father and a husband.

At the same time this is a very human story about two people at a crossroads in their respective lives taking stock of where their lives have been and whether or not they can change the kinetic momentum of the past pushing them to perpetuate the mistakes of their past. And these two people make a very real and tangible connection. On that level this book can appeal to just about anyone.

If you are or ever have been a die-hard fan of a band or musician, if you've ever had a staggering devotion to that band, gone on pilgrimages to sites pivotal in the history of those bands, followed some of that band/musician on tour, collected bootlegs of that band, or analyzed consumed and digested the entire discography of that band this book WILL resonate with you. It speaks to the music fans in all of us.

Related Links
Juliet Naked on Amazon.com
Juliet, Naked (wikipedia)
Nick Hornby (Official Site)
Nick Hornby (wikipedia)
The Blue Scarf (a blog inspired by Nick Hornby's Songbook)

The Little Book by Selden Edwards

The Little Book by Selden Edwards

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Time-travel tales, as intricate as they are, require a special touch, a unique understanding of cause and effect. As such they are incredibly easy to write poorly and at the same time quite difficult to write well.

There is a long tradition to the cyclical nature of these tales, beginning, arguably with Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Flying Trunk and continued a century later with Richard Matheson's Somewhere in Time in the 1970s and most recently with Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife.

Over 30 years in the making, Selden Edwards The Little Book is a wonderful addition to the fine tradition of the well-written time-travel tale.

The book reads like a puzzle, the reader starts with a collection of pieces and characters-- The Haze, Dilly, Wheeler, Weezie, and Flora-- all of which with deep back stories that adds an extra dimension to the novel. Slowly but surely, little by little these pieces fall together to create a cohesive picture, the loose ends get tied up and a beautiful portrait of turn-of-the-century Vienna, Austria is created.

Edwards does an exceptional job-- not with merely the compelling characters he has created but with the lush portrait of Vienna at its cultural apex. In making the fiction feel so real and comfortable, Edwards is also able to create believable portrayals of historical figures like Buddy Holly, Sigmund Freud, and Gustav Mahler. And if you're now left wondering how Buddy Holly ties in to a time-travel tome set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, you'll just have to read the book.


View all my reviews.

Everything Changes by Jonathan Tropper

Everything Changes by Jonathan Tropper

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This being my second foray into the writings of Jonathan Tropper (the first being How to Talk to a Widower) I continue to be impressed by his writing.

While there are definite similarities in plot between the two books-- conflicted male who thinks his life is in order is faced with adversity and the true uncertainties of life to test his limits-- there are enough differences and the characters in Everything Changes are flawed enough to be believable and likable and there are still enough differences between his works to not give the impression that each book is just a re-tread of each previous book.

Zack King is not always a likable character but he's believable enough that even when you may not particularly like him, even when you want to reach into the book and throttle some sense into the lad, you care enough about him to keep reading and learn whether or not he'll ever figure it out on his own and still come out on top.


View all my reviews.

Mine All Mine by Adam Davies

Mine All Mine by Adam Davies
rating: 4 of 5 stars

After having finished 3 of Adam Davies novels, one thing has remained consistent-- his prose is crisp and his characters while not always likable, are flawed enough to feel human and real-- like people who could exist.

Mine All Mine, while predictable at times, remains an enjoyable read. Otto Sparks despite his self-developed immunities to a wide array of pharmacological poisons, is still flawed enough to be believably human.

This is Davies first attempt at a suspense/crime caper style novel and while it's not the best novel of this type I've read it certainly shows promise and it does have considerably more believable characters than many mass market suspense novels.

If Davies plot development continues to grow to eventually match his strong character development his future novels will be further improvements above and beyond his existing novels which have grown better with each successive tome.

Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart

Once in awhile a cleverly written book with an unusual protagonist comes to my attention. On the recommendation of a friend, I gave this delightfully peculiar tome a chance. Gary Shteyngart did not disappoint.

Misha Vainberg is a spoiled overweight Russian heir to a fortune his father accumulated in post-Soviet Russia. Misha wants to believe that the world is generally good as are the people he encounters. Unfortunately, in his encounters he learns that the world and its people are far from scrupulous and there was and is more to his father than he'd realized.

After a brief stint in the United States attending college at the fictituous midwestern "Accidental College" (a not so subtle jab at many private midwestern liberal arts colleges such as Albion, Adrian, Alma, and Antioch) and living briefly in Manhattan Misha reluctantly returns to Russia.

Due to his father's shady dealings, an Oklahoman with the ironic name of Roger Daltrey, ends up dead. And thus poor Misha Vainberg is denied re-entry into the United States and a reunion with his girlfriend, Rouenna Sales, from the Bronx.

The book is written as an appeal to INS, or perhaps a love letter to America where Misha so desperately desires to return to. In Misha's struggle to secure a false Belgian passport in the fictitious former Soviet Republic Absurdistan he encounters a bevy of fun and unusual characters. The book is an exceptional satire of the American dream as soon through the foreign eyes of burgeoning democracies, the defense industry, and even takes a few not so subtle jabs at Haliburton.

The one flaw of this otherwise enjoyable tale is the intellectual condescension that seeps through in Shteyngart's writing. Misha's attraction to Rouenna is largely due to their multicultural pairing. He seems to have a hero complex, like he's rescuing a poor girl from the Bronx. Maybe he is doing just that, but there's still that hint of condescension that he's better or knows better what's best for her. The poor are portrayed as an object of pity, whether or not they're deserving of that pity is beside the point. Granted, this is a minor flaw, that only detracts slightly from Shteyngart's enjoyable writing style.

Related Links
Absurdistan on Amazon.com
An Interview with Gary Shteyngart (Del Sol Literary Dialogues)
Absurdistan NY Times review

Goodbye Lemon by Adam Davies

I was "burned" on Davies debut, The Frog King, I found it a rather mediocre tale. It was given to me by a coworker all too familiar with my love of Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City. I gave The Frog King a try as it had a similar premise-- young writer guy in NY struggling to find himself gets his heart broken and has to re-define himself after messing up his relationship. Where McInerney succeded, Davies had failed. For all his faults, I was still able to make an emotional connection with McInerney's main character-- the same could not be said for Harry Driscoll, Davies' protagonist in The Frog King.

But I believe in giving second chances-- and after reading Davies Goodbye Lemon am I ever glad I did! Every once in awhile I'll read a book which packs a rather emotional sucker punch to the gut. I hadn't read one in awhile, so Goodbye Lemon was a very welcome and long overdue sucker punch.

The Frog King's Harry Driscoll was a rather unlikable louse who essentially got what he deserved-- he cheated on his girlfriend, she left him. Good for her-- and despite Davies best efforts to make Driscoll a likable character he really wasn't. On the flip-side, Goodbye Lemon's Jackson Tennant was an incredibly human and tragically flawed character. Sure he made mistakes, he carried with him a huge ball of hate-- a ball of hate that was everything he knew, a ball of hate based on his perception of the events surrounding the death of his older brother, Dex, when they were still children.

This is a book of love-- it's not the dime-store romance drivel. It's not romantic love at all which is what makes it so refreshing. The "guy meets girl, guy loses girl, guy gets girl back" is dime-a-dozen "dick-lit" (the male equivalent of chick-lit)-- much of it is just poor man's Hemmingway or Fitzgerald (it seems all the protagonists in those novels are modeled on Jake Barnes from The Sun Also Rises). Goodbye Lemon instead focuses much more heavily on fraternal and paternal love and how one tragic event was able to turn a family inside out and tear them apart and how it took another near-tragedy to pull that family back together.

Jack is not generally a likable guy. But his flaws are tangible and real which makes him sympathetic even in those parts of the book where one might want to reach into the pages and knock some sense into him. While the novel starts by focusing on Jack's relationship with his girlfriend, Hahva, it takes a rather dramatic shift in focus to the relationship between Jack and his brother Pressman and his estrangement from and his desire to become the antithesis of his father for whom he carries a profound hatred.

The book does have its comic moments, but essentially it's rather heartfelt and poignant in its own stark masculine way and has made it into my favorite books list-- I'd say number 4 with a bullet. So, if you're looking for something a little different than the dime-a-dozen dick-lit contemporary fiction, Goodbye Lemon is just what the doctor ordered.

Long Way Back by Brendan Halpin

Brendan Halpin writes from the heart, after having read his 2 memoirs (It Takes a Worried Man and Losing My Faculties) and his other novel (Donorboy), I knew what I was in for.

Halpin writes in an unapologetic, emotional, heart on the sleeve style. Without giving too much away, Long Way Back is about loss and the healing power of music.

The characters-- Clare and Francis are imminently likable and believably human in their qualities and traits. There's nothing about this novel which would make a "suspension of disbelief" a requirement, it's inherently believable. The cliches the book sometimes falls prey to are the very cliches many of us encounter and experience in life and are, thus, forgivable.

While my musical tastes are considerably different than the tastes of many of the characters in Long Way Back, I found myself still being able to relate due to my own feelings about the music I do like. The connection the characters had to the music they enjoyed was something I found myself easily relating to.

In a nutshell Clare and Francis are brother and sister. Clare is the typical protective older sister who gets her younger brother, Francis, into punk rock (in particular, The Ramones) and throughout much of her life she remains in awe with Francis connection with God. Tragedy strikes and her brother's faith is shaken to its core. Clare has to continue to find her way despite the loss of her brother's shining example of faith.

In light of his tragedy, Clare has to help her brother find his "long way back"-- she's a constant beacon of support as Francis initially just goes through the motions and eventually finds something to fill in the void left behind when he lost his faith.

From start to finish this is a thoroughly enjoyable, if light, read. At just over 200 pages, as far as books go, this is a "light snack" and despite the occassionally heavy subject matter, Halpin manages to keep the overall tone relaxed.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

I remember when Ralph Hinckley, The Greatest American Hero, discovered a mysterious space-suit with a cape that granted him superhuman powers-- it even came with an instruction manual, which he somehow managed to lose.

Charlie Asher was having a bad day. His wife had just died after giving birth to their daughter, Sophie, and a shocking new development he had just unwittingly gotten himself a new job, Death. And much like Ralph Hinckley, Charlie is missing the instruction manual which is supposed to give some, albeit vague, insight into what his new job entails.

So begins Christopher Moore's latest novel, A Dirty Job. As with Moore's other literary offerings. This book is filled with Moore's quirky humor. From the Russian and Chinese ladies who live in Charlie's building and often babysit Sophie, to the employee's of his second-hand store-- an ex-cop, Ray, who has a bad habit of using the store's computer searching for female companionship from the Philipines and the Ukraine; and Lily, a teenage Goth girl who is frustrated when that boring square, Charlie, gets the all too cool job of being Death-- a job she feels she is much more deserving of. And then, there's a seven foot tall, Minty Fresh, an African-American dressed from head to toe in green, who introduces Charlie to his new job.

Charlie, like many fathers, believes it's important for his child to have a pet for both companionship and to learn some sense of responsibility. The trouble is that from the various fish, hamsters, and even ALMOST getting a kitten. These pets mysteriously wind up dead shortly after Charlie brings them home.

Strange things are afoot in San Francisco-- mysterious dark creatures attacking Charlie, voices coming from the sewer grates that only Charlie can hear, and small "squirrel people" wandering the city in period costumes are among the anomalies.

In addition to Moore's quirky sense of humor, his novels often explore elements of the supernatural, in ways these themes are not traditionally explored. This owes to Moore's exceptional imagination which is second only to his sense of humor when it comes to his positive attributes.

While none of Moore's novels are bad (quite the opposite, they're actually in varying degrees of "good" to "excellent"), some are certainly better than others. While A Dirty Job may not be his best, it is certainly one of his better and has a bit more heart than his other novels have brought to the table.

For those already familiar with Christopher Moore, no encouragement from me is necessary. You already know about the book and are marking off the days on the Calendar until it's April Fool's Day release-- or you were lucky, like me, and were able to get yourselves an advance copy which has already been read. For those not familiar with Moore-- as much as I loved this novel, I wouldn't recommend starting with A Dirty Job. Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story, or Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal are much better introductions to Moore's quirky and thoroughly enjoyable style of writing.

So folks, brace yourselves for some more Moore! The only way in which Moore is predictable is that he never disappoints-- so come April 1-- RUN don't walk to your nearest bookstore and pick up your copy of this delightful tome!

The Australia Stories by Todd James Pierce

All families have their stories, their secrets. Todd James Pierce is no exception. The Australia Stories weaves the mystery of main character, Sam Browne's family with Pierce's very own family mystery. Throughout the book the line between Browne's fiction and Pierce's fact remains perpetually blurred which keeps the reader guessing.

The book is a multi-generational struggle with identity. His grandmother, who had once dreamed of returning to the England of her ancestors, gradually develops a love and sense of home for her own native Australia. After divorcing Browne's grandfather and becoming a guide on nature trails into the outback, Browne's grandmother walks into the desert never to be seen or heard from again.

Browne's mother, in a perpetual struggle to make some semblance of a connection with her mother; a mother who had always been a stranger to her; ends up following in her mother's footsteps, disappearing into the outback-- her decaying body found a few days later.

The book shifts from flashbacks to Browne's mother, his grandmother, to his own adolescence, and the failure of his first marriage as Browne tries to solve the mysteries of both his mother and grandmother and develop some sense of his own identity.

Part of the charm of this book is how deeply personal it feels. Throughout the book I felt as if Pierce were giving a glimpse of his own deep thoughts in the guise of Browne. I felt all of the characters easily relatable and felt myself connecting with them and understanding them on a level much deeper than I'm accustomed to.

This book would be an excellent addition to any middle or high school curriculum. We all go through that awkward phase where we're trying to figure out who we are. The Australia Stories is an excellent chronicle of that awkward search of personal discovery.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Gregory David Roberts has led a rather adventurous life. His autobiographical debut novel, Shantaram, is a testament to that life. And, at over 900 pages it's a rather auspicious debut indeed.

This novel is a love story... Not of a man and woman (although there's a bit of that as well). It's a love story of a man, a city, and the people of that city.

Meet "Mr. Lindsay" (a caricature of the author)... An Aussie convict on a forged New Zealand passport landing at the airport in Bombay, India about to embark on a series of adventures designed to help him perpetuate his lack of detection by the authorities. In this long and carefully woven novel, "Lin" will be your guide to sides of Bombay seldom seen by the tourists.

From the moment Lindsay meets the Indian guide, Prabaker, he trusts him and a friendship is forged... a friendship that will grow into a "brotherhood" of sorts between the two men. Prabaker gives Lindsay the nickname which will stick with him for the remainder of the novel, "Linbaba."

The book is divided into several "parts" and the span of the novel covers several years and Linbaba's growth as a man and his friendships and relationships with the people he comes in contact with as he continues his flight from justice.

The ensemble of supporting characters are often just as strongly written as Linbaba and they really help move the story.

I'll refrain from going into too much detail. I started this novel knowing little about it and I tend to believe the less you know going into the novel the more you'll enjoy it and the surprises it has to offer.

The book is not without flaws, the prose is at times embarrassing, baring evidence of Roberts' relative inexperience as a writer. But his strengths-- his storytelling and character development are more than strong enough to outweigh his sometimes clumsy prose.

The Time Traveler's Wife & The Confessions of Max Tivoli

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer

A dual book review with comparisons/contrasts

In less than a year I’ve read two remarkable books which pit man against time in very different ways. In Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife Henry de Tamble is a man with a remarkably quirky affliction. He’s a time traveler. In The Confessions of Max Tivoli, the title character suffers from the unusual affliction of aging in reverse. Time travel stories are far from new. Many an author has tackled time travel, as far back as Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and H.G. Wells The Time Machine we’ve seen man in a constant struggle to conquer time, to visit time’s past, or those yet to come.

The Time Traveler’s Wife was the first book I've ever read that portrayed time travel as an affliction, an unwanted disease. See, unlike the protagonists in most time travel novels, Henry de Tamble has no control of when he time travels from and when he travels to. It’s only through the budding friendship of a young girl, Clare, who later becomes Henry’s wife, that he is able to gain some semblance of control over his “chrono-displacement” affliction. While difficult to follow at first, once I got into the book I couldn’t put it down. It was so refreshing to read a book which portrayed time-travel in such a different light than it had been portrayed in countless other novels and films. Part of the charm of this book is that the relationship between Henry and Clare feels so real. It’s not overly flowery or sentimental. It’s a relationship that any of us who have ever experienced love would feel familiar with. This realistic portrayal actually makes the time travel aspect seem that much more real to the reader. After all, all relationships have their problems… but not too many people can say the first time they met their mate they were eight or ten and their mate was in his forties, but when they married they were roughly the same age as each other.

The Confessions of Max Tivoli is not a time-travel story in the traditional sense, but once again, time is the enemy. Max Tivoli ages in reverse. Born withered like a raisin, resembling more an old man than an infant, as he grows older he appears younger. Greer’s writing style is a bit more flowery and poetic than Niffenegger’s but not to the point of distraction from the plot. Set in turn of the century San Francisco, Greer includes several specific details that make the San Francisco of his novel, feel like home to the reader.

At age 17, appearing to be a man in his 50s, Max falls in love with a 14 year old, Alice, and through some interesting misunderstandings gets into a romantic dalliance with Alice’s mother. Guided throughout his life by his love for Alice and the lengths he’s willing to go to be with her and his near unwavering resolve to keep his secret from her, Max goes to some rather extraordinary lengths and sacrifices under the guise of love. At one point he goes so far as to “disappear” and ignore all of the people who know his secret, so as not to let Alice discover the truth. But The Confessions of Max Tivoli isn’t just a love story—it’s two love stories and with that, I leave you, the reader to discover these well-told tales for yourself.