George Rabasa

The story revolves around Mark Lockwood, a writer who has grown to view writing as a means of paying the bills rather than an art. Well, rather - the story half revolves around him. More accurately, it revolves around the famous opera diva whom he has been visiting, gathering notes on, in order to ghostwrite her biography. Her death, however, pushes her into the spotlight once again, and Lockwood's agent attempts to take his notes to give to a more famous author, but Lockwood has become so show more intrigued by Merce Casals, that he absconds with the notes and locks himself in to finish her story himself.

The book alternates between Lockwood's current struggles and Merce Casals's reminiscences, which leads to the first problem, in that apparently the author felt the need to help readers differentiate by writing Lockwood's portions in present tense. I freely admit that I am a snob about such things, however; if you feel that this would not bother you, by all means, read on.

The problem is that Merce Casals is perfect. Rabasa creates a figure who should be arrogant (she listens to nothing but her own famous arias), but comes across as humble, precocious, poetic, and wistful. She is every bit as changeable and charming and larger-than-life as one would expect a famous diva to be. However, this is sort of the problem with the book - Lockwood, who dominates most of the plot, can never live up to her presence. The portions of Casals recollecting the Spanish Civil War, and later, her complicated love for one man she grows to despise as much as she loves, are far more interesting than the somewhat pathetic figure Lockwood cuts.

Interspersed with the dreamy, amused narrative of the diva, we have Lockwood's own cringe-worthy attempts at seducing a woman who is not his wife, disturbing ramblings when attempting to talk with his wife, and ignominious moments such as when a dog gets familiar with his leg at a bar. The ending never really shows that Lockwood has learned anything from Casals's life - instead, it takes another character to tell him what he should have garnered from so many intimate moments with his subject, recounting her beautiful life.

Finally, there are nominally three other important characters, but none seem to contribute anything meaningful and are gone almost as soon as they appear, with little fanfare as they leave.

All in all, it would have been more satisfying to have read a more in-depth fictional account of Casals's life and left poor Lockwood out of it entirely. show less

Miss Entropia and the Adam Bomb is a love story, but a love story of the type that is born of something less than sanity. It begins on the way to a mental institute, winds its possessive and fiery way through the lives of Miss Entropia and Adam, and ultimately ends in tragedy.

Adam Webb is an odd kid. In fact, it’s on the way back to the Institute Loiseaux (essentially a mental insitution, though it has its quirks) that he meets and falls for Francine Haggard, better known as Miss Entropia show more or Pia. Adam is immediately smitten and while their initial adventure results in Miss Entropia not being accepted at the ‘Tute (as Adam refers to it), he never forgets Pia and holds her up on a pedestal as a goddess (specifically, the Hindu goddess Kali). She occupies his thoughts constantly, and when a chance run-in leads Adam right to her again, he decides that he will do anything to possess her, to keep his goddess for himself. Pia, a pyromaniac and someone who is even less stable than Adam, will have none of Adam’s possessiveness, and refuses to be owned or worshipped. Their relationship (and Pia) is pushed to the breaking point as Adam tries to hide her from the police who are supposedly looking for her as they investigate the mysterious fire that destroyed her parents’ home; in reality, the fire and “investigation” simply allow Adam to keep Pia tied to him. As Pia grows frustrated and unhappy with her situation, things begin to spiral totally out of control and tragedy strikes.

Miss Entropia and the Adam Bomb is both funny and dark, charming and and yet ultimately disturbing. The characters in general are interesting (especially Adam’s family members, who have some eccentric moments), and Pia and Adam are wonderfully well-written -- they’re funny, unbalanced, neurotic, disturbed, quirky, and most important of all, they’re believable. Their story may not be a “normal” one, but Rabasa makes their characters come to life in a way that you can imagine the events of the book actually happening. The writing is wonderful, and I found myself simply turning page after page to see what happened next to Adam and Pia. show less

I found this novel to be both engaging and beautiful. As I was pulled through the story by the entrancing narrative of Adam, a mentally ill and highly intelligent individual recounting his one wondrous experience with love, I felt like a passenger on a train being told an intimate story by the stranger sitting next to me, one that is part confession, part self effectuation and entirely sincere.

I especially appreciated how mental illness, while being a large part of both the plot and the two show more main characters, did not overpower the story. As Adam told his tale, his mental illness as well as Miss Entropia's own disorder were little more than the way things were. He would recount his unusual actions or insane episodes so matter-of-factly that I had to mentally prod myself to classify such actions as abnormal. Insanity fits the two main characters of this story like expensive well-tailored suits.

While the ending is tragic, which is something foreshadowed in the first few pages, by the end of the story I would wish it no other way, and the last two lines bring the novel to a close so perfectly that the weight of Adam's transgressions lift themselves like a dissipating fog.

Highly recommended, especially for book clubs. show less

This book was enthralling. I was immediately drawn in by the unique perspective. The author gives voice to a disturbed young man so well, so effortlessly, that it is easy to forget how troubled he is and root for him. This is the story of Adam's single-minded pursuit of his "one true love", Miss Entropia, who seems to be at least as disturbed as Adam himself. There is nothing ordinary about these people or their relationship, but it has its charm. No matter how absurd the situation he puts show more himself in, Adam is written with such compassion and humor you desperately want him to succeed. This is definitely a twisted kind of love story, and well worth the time. Highly recommended. show less