Robert M. (shotokanchef) reviewed on 4/24/2013 + 813 more book reviews

What if you take two parts Tom Robbins, one part Ken Kesey, one part Joseph Heller, and one part J. K. Bangs, then purée; what would you get? You might just end up with J. K. Toole. This book has all the fantasy, cynicism, sarcasm, and wit that anyone could want or handle. His protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly, is a real gem. Reading his description and seeing the artist's conception on the book jacket makes him the personification and forebear of "Super Mario." Did the game panderer plagiarize the dust jacket, or what? Ignatius is the muse of pedantic mockery. And you have to love Jones, the down-and-almost-out vagrant, the bumbling patrolman, and the misfit denizens of the shady B-joint, and the judicious use of the vernacular throughout. Although the pieces of the plot seem loosely strewn throughout the book, they all fit nicely at the end. Read this at your own risk, but read it!

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