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4.0 out of 5 stars
Do I just have a sick sense of humor?, Jun 30 2004
I'm reviewing this book because I see it differently from all other reviews I've read. I've seen it described as bleak, disenchanted, dis-everything, but they never mention the humor. Yes, I think this book is funny. Scathingly, satirically, mercilessly funny. Now, I honestly don't know how I'd describe this book to a friend: "This guy gets sick of life in general and drops out to live in a leper colony in Africa...you'll laugh your head off!" Doesn't sound right, does it? I guess it's just schadenfreude, taking delight from another person's pain. Which isn't as awful as it sounds; most of the pain Querry goes through is high irritation caused by people insisting that they know his true nature...and as far as the guy is concerned, they couldn't be more wrong. It's a comedy of errors, like Candide or The Lavender Hill Gang:
"You're loving! You're saintly! You have strong faith in God. Hey, I hear you're going to build a church!"
"What in the hell are you talking about? I think religion is a crock, I seduce and dump women, and people in general make me retch. I'm a jerk!"
"And you're so humble, too."
"AAAGH!" These people see what they want to see in Querry; he keeps trying to set them straight and fails; he keeps giving up and walking away. Querry regards it as a pain in the posterior, but he doesn't lose any sleep over it. You can laugh at it the way you'd laugh at someone trying to hang wallpaper one-handed or supervise a roomful of screaming preschoolers. It's hopeless. When the reporter shows up to write a baloney-filled article about Querry's 'saintly' quest, Querry seems to find the guy a bit refreshing--because the reporter's a liar, but at least he *knows* he's a liar! (The reporter creates whatever his audience wants to hear; think Rita Skeeter. There, I've compared a Graham Greene novel to Harry Potter. The Internet will now explode.) I say, read this book with an eye to the ridiculous side of the plot. There's a lot here to like; gorgeous sarcasm, black humor, and a character with an attitude from Hell. It bites like a wolf right down to the last line on the last page, and I loved it.
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