Seduction Of Peter S [Paperback]

Finding Lawrence Sander's "The Seduction of Peter S" was like picking up the perfect girl in the most average place--a bar, a supermarket, or a library for that matter. Perfect not because of any great or lasting beauty, or any real depth of character, but because I didn't have to pretend to be anyone but who I really am--an average reader who craves an above-average read.

And an above-average read is exactly what this book is. Not Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, or even Hemingway. But a quick-moving, captivating story of one sorry actor's thankless performance to his most devoted audience--himself.

Peter Scuro may not be Broadway's finest, nor its most in-demand actor. But he's "always on," as they say, and with at least enough skill to fool himself, along with a good number of fellow out-of-work actors, into thinking he can turn woman's oldest profession into a new form of theater, reaping not only money and booty, but aesthetic satisfaction as well. The result is mostly comic--but as in all good comedies a certain seriousness grounds the narrative, otherwise as light as an episode of "Frasier."

The prose not only clips along. With sentences chopped up. Into their respective grammatical elements. Providing a certain theatrical effect. (Much better than this.) But also the sentences flow along naturally, wonderfully, from descriptions as sparse yet effective as stage directions to thoughts on life rendered as precise theatrical images and analogies. There are even moments of Joycean epiphany--a certain poetry, I mean--though, granted, "epiphany (very) light."

"Think of God as a clown," Peter says on the first page of the book. "A bridge collapses? Slapstick. A thousand people drown when a boat sinks? A great schtick." Not an exact quote, but you get the gist. Peter's spiritual and ontological views justify his actions; they also are justified through them. In the end, God, or at least poetic justice, has the last laugh.

I could go on and on. And I have. I've read this book twice, that's twice as many times as I ever read this sort of novel--I'm an average reader, yes. OF Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Hemingway and company. The book is no Classic, but it's a classic, for what it is. A five-star above-average average read.

"The Seduction of Peter S" stood my test of time, however; the encore read was well rewarded and I know I'll read it again. Probably the next time I'm relaxing on a beach somewhere in the mood for the literary equivalent of a summer affair.

I highly recommend this book to any and all readers. The only disappointment is that it made me want to read other books by the author, but it was the ONLY one of Sander's novels I've been able to finish (ie. get past page 3).

I guess I'm looking for a younger type.