My book group loved this book! It's beautifully written and gives a vivid picture of life in San Francisco at the turn of the century. The central conceit (the main character is born old, and grows younger as his life goes on) could have been just a gimmick, but it was handled very elegantly and made for interesting reflections on the nature of youth/age, the passing of time, etc. Also provided a built-in temporal frame (because the narrator knows that he is growing younger and when he reaches zero he'll be dead.) It reminded me of Lolita because the narrator speaks from the perspective of a monstrous outsider, and so much of it is about his hunger for people and life that he can't access. Fascinating.

RELEASE NOTES:
Changed my release plan and left this one at the Palo Alto Cafe on Middlefield Road, Palo Alto CA instead. It's here!