This is one of my favorite reads in the past five years. I’m not sure why, but I laughed hard, long and loud throughout the novel. Many of my friends who read it did not find it very funny, but it really struck a chord with me. Probably not a flattering thing to admit – does that mean I identify with the main character? – but the very French combination of ridiculous physical comedy with a spiritually-cleansing send-up of academic pretension tickled my funny bone. Kudos to the Dalkey Archive for publishing this author!