Let me just say, first off, that this is a very weird book. I have been a fan of Daniel Quinn's work for a few years, and have read pretty much all of his books, and anything else that I could get my hands on. I have loved almost everything that he wrote. But this ranks up there with "Newcomer's Guide to the Afterlife" (co-written with Tom Whalen) as a very strange piece.
It is a series of stories, although I am not even entirely certain that stories is the right word for it, exactly. Some of them are stories, and others are kind of strange pieces.
Some may have you scratching your head. Others might leave you laughing out loud. Still others may give you a little bit of both reactions, and will have you turning the page, wanting to see what happens next. I'll admit to having had all of these reactions.
All in all, despite the weirdness, Daniel Quinn's writing style comes out strong. He makes these strange stories very readable and even entertaining, although again, they are pretty weird. Some people that I lent Ishmael to thought it very strange that the book started off with a talking ape. I'll admit that such is indeed a little perplexing and can throw people off, although after having read the whole book, most people would understand, and perhaps even sympathize, with his doing that. It was used as a great tool to really pound the point that he was making in the book home, although that is not immediately obvious.
In this work, however, there are a lot of strange tales, and nothing can really be said or made of them save that they are weird. I personally did not mind it, and am always glad to read a book by Daniel Quinn. Just thought I should give fair warning, because any casual reader is likely to be turned off by this book. It is not the type of book that most people would simply pick up and enjoy. There is nothing conventional about it, actually.
Below is a brief description of the pieces in this book. Some of them will sound very strange, and so I do not go into detail about them (you should read them yourself, if so inclined). Others, particularly the longer ones, I go a bit more into detail about. Here are the brief summaries:
At Woomeroo
The narrator struggles to tell of a place, Woomeroo, where life, he feels, is more ideal. Yet, he knows he is not managing to make it sound like he wishes it to. However, that does not stop him from trying, over and over again.
Film Noire
A man goes into a theatre and tests people's patience, with some explorations on violence (particularly gun violence), and an absence of limitations. This is a strange piece with many dimensions to it. Once you read this, I think you'll understand. It can be very humorous, and can also be scary and disturbing, on another level. But it makes you think, one way or the other. Also, he does a brilliant job of illustrating psychology with body language, with brilliant writing!
A Strong Child
This is about a baby girl who never falls asleep, and adults trying to adjust to that.
The Gardener's Son
A strange story about a boy who gets flown away by a kite, to a new destination in a kingdom, where he wants to open up a candy shop. He gets beheaded, but lives on. That probably sounds like a too brief summary, but given all that happens, this story is surprisingly short.
Uncle Ned's Farm
A kid is sent to his uncle's farm, and finds that the rooster not only can talk, but is a killer. This becomes a source of torment for him, but it is a private one, as no one else sees or believes this.
The Boy In The Window
This is a story about a wife who wants to adopt a specific child that she sees, as the title suggests, in a store window, and impulsively decides to adopt him on the spot. The store manager warns her to take some time and think it over, as Her husband strongly disagrees with her decision and forces her to take the boy back the next morning. She is very unhappy, and even when the husband adopts other children, even when one seems to be an older version of the very child she has once picked out, she remains unhappy and continues to reserve her affections.
The Frog King, Or Iron Henry
This is a kind of strange take on the beautiful princess kissing the frog, who then becomes a handsome prince. Here, the princess has apparently violently thrown the frog against a wall, when he then became the handsome prince, but has a hard time remembering or understanding anything thereafter.
Fishskin
A man is too poor to purchase much needed new clothes, so he makes his own out of fishskin. But when he goes outside to try his newly crafted threads on, he attracts cats - so many, that they drive everyone else off, and the man feels in danger. He runs towards the water, and he seems about to jump in, when the cats become distracted by a similar pack of rats that have themselves been driven by mice following a woman who has made her own clothes made of "rancid old wheels of cheddar". Being thus freed from the animals that relentlessly followed them, they fall in love together. It was just meant to be.
Regarding The Snakes
Not really a story, so much as it is an announcement for the appearance of metal snakes, with an official disclaimer.
City Dogs
A man takes a taxi ride, only to find a dog sitting along with him in the backseat. The taxi driver suspects that the man himself has brought the dog himself, and starts interrogating him, before simply abandoning the taxi, leaving the man alone to try and make sense of it all.
Digger
Another strange one. A man has a hobby that may seem strange to us. He really enjoys digging, and for no particular reason, other than the laborious act of digging itself. But when his dig unearths an attractive young woman, it causes his marriage to fall apart. Plus, his best friend seems dangerously infatuated with the young woman. But the man hears another calling, does another dig, and unearths a young man.
Be Ready To Say Goodbye
Another strange story about separatist stomachs (yes, you heard that right). It delves into the themes of segregation and fairness, and perhaps, particularly, of unnatural separation from the whole cell of a body that may seem unnatural. Given Quinn's previous writings about our global culture and how it has separated itself from the rest of the world to which it clearly belongs, this piece will have particular relevance.
Hearing From Friends
A man receives a postcard from a friend, and sets it free, only to be caught in the act by his wife. Strange description, I know. But it's a hard piece to describe, and perhaps would be best that you go ahead and read it for yourself.
How I Answer the Telephone
The author gets into a subject that many of us hardly ever really give more than a passing thought to - wrong numbers. This is a pretty funny piece that kind of gets you to think about things that you may not have really given much thought to before, in terms of how reliant we are on phones (particularly cell phones), and modern technology overall, and how much time we tend to waste receiving wrong numbers, or even on a larger level, wasting our time with mundane, mindless things. Written tastefully and with a good touch of humor.
Nimble Jack
This is a hilarious piece that brought tears to my eyes. The author is cleaning out his house, and preparing for an upcoming garage sale of sorts, when he gets distracted by virtually worthless candleholders, and particularly, with pieces of wax that are stuck in these holders. We also get glimpses of the life that the narrator lives, and again, it is very humorous. Even if you are not familiar with this author, or do not like the other stories, this story in particular is a very enjoyable read!
Checklist
A rather strange piece that asks a bunch of questions about the value of things.
The Vicar Unmasked
A very hard piece to describe. My recommendation is just to read it. It is short, one page, with four paragraphs.
Selections From the New Thesaurus
A weird piece that seems to be going in a few directions at once.
The Raft
A puzzling story about a young man who's parents have built a raft so that they will never have to have any run ins with land or cities or civilization, or even people, ever again. When they die, this young man makes it his mission to get back into contact with civilization, but the results are surprising.
Tribute
A man is taken prisoner by the Japanese just weeks before the two bombs go off at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Japanese surrender that follows. But before all of that, General Ichiro Ishikawa (who we learn is the unacknowledged son of the Emperor Hirohito) comes to greet him, and wants to train the young man in table tennis/ping pong. The general is already very skilled, one of the top players, while the young man becomes one, slowly but surely. After the Japanese surrender, the young general wants to take his own life as a matter of honor, but has to remain alive in order to make sure that much of the Japanese crew on the warship that they are on will not assassinate the young American prisoner. Afterwards, the man looks to pay tribute to his friend, the general.
Colophon
A strange story to accompany the typeset not that often comes at the end of a book.
Conclusion
Overall, an easy flowing book that does not take long to read. There is some brilliant writing here, as well as some interesting ideas, often delivered with some incredible insight, or enjoyable humor. A must for any fan of Daniel Quinn! If you are not familiar with him, but appreciate solid writing and are not easily pushed away whenever a story or piece may seem strange or unconventional, than you may enjoy this one as well!
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