Jim Krusoe

Gem-like. Tremendously funny. You know, one of those tremendously funny gems. The story of, mostly, a furniture upholsterer who seeks to communicate with the dead by means of a contraption made of egg containers he wears on his head. Krusoe's primary voice is wonderful: deadpan, naive and sincere, full of odd precise perceptions. And great set-pieces: a wonderful description of what goes on in the local police station at night is a utopian vision of policing.

Underneath the comedy the book show more is haunted, by death and other modes of disconnection between people (and also between people and dogs.) show less

Working at a frozen yogurt shop may not seem like the most exciting venue for a job, at least that is what Jonathan thought before he unwittingly discovered six inanimate women suspended in Plexiglas cylinder tubes of acidophilus in the basement. He soon finds out from his boss, Spinner, that these women are part of a project designed to stall aging. The trouble is in how to bring them back. When Spinner unexpectedly dies, Jonathan takes it upon himself to be their savior, to attempt to show more bring them back in secret.

Krusoe's storytelling style is engaging, and he speaks as Jonathan authentically, from his history with women and his struggles with his inner demons to his failed attempts at re-animation and the guilt that follows. His voice is one of simplicity bordering on psychopathy. By the end, you find a sympathetic character that may not be playing with a full deck.

The underlying themes of change, freedom, and objectification are just below the radar yet ubiquitous. It's dark comedy - not funny ha-ha but funny weird to its fullest. show less

"Erased" is, I gather, the second in a thematic trilogy of novels dealing with blurred boundaries, and specifically with the task of blurring the boundary between what's dead and what's living. It in no way requires knowledge of the first in the trilogy, "Girl Factory."

Krusoe is an interesting writer, deserving of a wider readership, and "Erased" is an often hilarious book, particularly in it's portrait of Cleveland as a peculiarly rundown and mundane utopia, filled with artists and social show more groups, especially women's groups. Krusoe is more interested in story and image than plot, but "Erased" proceeds as a sort of parody of a murder mystery with supernatural overtones, and is a swift read. The narrator's voice is a great achievement -- the narrator is deadpan, naive, optimistic, lost in a strange world. show less

An odd little book, but funny and unpredictable. Krusoe's narrator's voice is charming and matter-of-fact, and the novel captures a quiet sense of melancholy that rings true.

A recommended effort, especially as it accomplishes these feats in only 182 pages, thoroughly avoiding the modern American novel's usual bloat.

(And can I also just say how much I love Dalkey Archive Press, and the quality of its books, and the quirkiness of its catalog? Lovely. This edition is particularly nice, with an show more elegant font and slightly cream-toned pages.) show less