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From the acclaimed author of FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE and MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN comes this collection of clever, odd, and intelligent stories. Jonathan Lethem’s MEN AND CARTOONS may be a quick read (only nine stories and less than 200 pages total), but it is full of original and thought-provoking tales.
The book opens with "The Vision" and the reader is immediately plunged into Lethem's world of weird, sad, lonely and still funny characters. The Vision is a kid the narrator, Joel, knew from elementary school and who believed himself to be an android comic book character. Now, years later, the two are next-door neighbors. The Vision, real name Adam, invites Joel to a dinner party and a game called "Mafia." The game proves surprisingly interesting for Joel, and when it ends, he suggests another game called "I Never." Joel is frustrated by the mysterious adult Adam and wants to learn more about his life as the Vision, and by the end of the evening feels compelled to expose him. The game turns tense, almost cruel, and the party ends with Joel still frustrated and the Vision still a smug and fascinating mystery.
In this story, as in several others, there is an underlying sense of tension, obvious frustration and even a bit of danger, although it is written in a light-handed style. These strange stories are often funny as well, but the humor is quite dark.
Loss is another central motif in this collection. In "The Spray," the shortest in the book, a couple spritzes themselves with magical spray used by police to inventory stolen objects and finds it works to show emotional as well as physical loss.
The themes of loss and frustration are taken up in "Vivian Relf." Here, Doran meets Vivian for the first time, but they seem uncannily familiar to each other. This moment of familiarity is amusing to both but forgettable to Vivian. For Doran, however, it becomes a defining moment and Vivian a symbol of possibility. They meet several more times over the years, with Doran always feeling something special and important, but this is never reciprocated by Vivian.
Despite their quirkiness, these stories are serious. In "Access Fantasy," a dystopian tale of social inequality and urban traffic taken to the absurd extreme, a murder is caught on tape and a hapless would-be detective may lead another victim straight to the killer.
MEN AND CARTOONS is odd, original and tensely funny. Lethem's point is not always clear in each of the stories, yet they are all enjoyable to read. Though not as remarkable or memorable as his novels, these short stories are still well-written and recommendable.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
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