I selected this book on 11/11/17 at newly reopened The Book Thing of Baltimore. Thank you so much!

I read another copy of this book in 2000. This is what i wrote about it after I read it...

Lionel Esrog, a young man with Tourette’s syndrome, is one of a group of youngsters hand-picked by Frank Minna from St. Vincent’s Home for Boys to eventually become part of his “Minna Men”. At first working for Minna as moving boys, these young men later become his personal “detectives”, working under the cover of a car rental service. On one of their jobs, Esrog and a partner suddenly realize that their boss has been taken captive and is being sped away by car through the streets of New York City. They must rush after him and not allow him to be lost from view. The race is on!

Lethem gives his readers a wonderfully creative and somewhat unusual novel. Throughout the story, Lionel displays the aberrant behavior of a person afflicted with Tourette’s syndrome. Since Lionel is the protagonist as well as the narrator, the reader not only experiences Lionel’s verbal outbursts and physical tics, but is also given some insight into their manifestation. The story is a mystery, and at times almost becomes a satire of life in New York City. It is fast-paced and funny, with creative word-play, occasional amusing situation descriptions, and even a few (good) jokes. The writing is done so well that, once this story has begun, the book is often hard to put down. As the novel draws to a close, the plot unfortunately tends to become a bit complicated and confusing. Nevertheless, it’s an exciting, entertaining story and one that should not be missed.

I'm releasing this book for...

*** The 2018 4 Elements Release Challenge hosted by Firegirl. The book title or author's name contains the word BROOK.

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