I read this book having heard nothing about it -- I was attracted by its cover, to be completely honest. But I was caught in its snare from page one. It's a debut novel about a young American's journey into his family's European past -- told from the eponymous narrator's own perspective, from that of his translator (in haltingly hysterical English), and via the historical novel the narrator/author is writing. Hard to explain. Just read it. It's a funny, convoluted, moving, unbelievable book. It's also the first book I'm releasing into the wild (I just joined the site today, New Year's Eve, 2002). Happy New Year!

Released on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at Southbound platform, Cold Spring train station in Cold Spring, New York USA.

The book is leaning on a payphone on the southbound (NY-bound) platform. Happy New year!