With The Story of My Baldness, Marek van der Jagt proves that he's an outstanding debut novelist, not once, but twice. Having won the Anton Wachter Prize in 1994 for Blue Mondays, he won it again for The Story of Baldness in 2000, the second of which was taken away after it was learned that Marek van der Jagt was the heteronym of Arnon Grunberg.

Given that, however, does not take away from the story's near perfection, made of equal parts laughter, tragedy, and a whole lot of heart.

Set in Austria, The Story of My Baldness follows Marek van der Jagt, a fictional character, as he grows up in a dysfunctional family of a carefree dad who works in insurance, a brother who continually faints for attention, another brother who works in banking after leaving music as a prodigy, and a mother who habitually cheats on her husband. The narrator swears that he tells only the story of how he goes bald at such a young age, but that part only takes a up a few pages at the end of a story about a boy trying to find love and acceptance in a cold world that stigmatizes him for his small member and a mother who's barely there. It is a quest to find what he calls "l'amour fou" and a story of his mis-steps and tragedies as he embarks on this quest. Throughout the entire journey, readers will find Marek both relatable as well as outlandish, yet either way he is full of quirky observations, both of his world and of himself. Superbly written, the novel reads flawlessly even through Marek's most uncomfortable moments, for example, a visit to a plastic surgeon in regards to changing sex.

Perfect in every way, it leaves me wondering why van der Jagt or the man behind him are so underrated in the states. ( )