RARA-AVIS: Like a Hole in the Head

From: Dixon H Chandler II ( dchandler@nettally.com)
Date: 08 Sep 2000


Has anybody read Jen Banbury's Like a Hole in the Head? It was on the discount table at Border's, and I passed it up--the first page didn't do anything for me, and the jacket copy claimed it was a marriage of Gen X and hardboiled, which made me shudder. Amazon "reviewers" blurbed it as
"Maltese Falcon Meets Marx Brothers," so I'm even more suspicious. Still, I'd like to hear from anybody who might have read it. It was only four bucks, should I go back and give it a chance? Or am I being needlessly cynical, and ... well, hardboiled?

Here's an excerpt from the Amazon site:

"Past all the two-story apartment buildings where old women laid out their cast-off clothes like a distress signal. They would sit around in beach chairs waiting to sell wrinkled muumuus for two bucks a pop. Past the strip malls with the five dollar manicure places. Past Donut Heaven, Donut Time, Winchell's Donuts, Time for Donuts, I Love Donuts, Falafel and Donuts, Jimmy's Donuts, and Dough-nutty. Past the Hare Krishna temple. I had gone there once for a free vegetarian meal. They asked me to leave before serving me. You have to chant before you can eat and I kept saying 'Hairy Hitler' instead of Hare Krishna. The girl praying next to me blew the whistle. I was hungry and I shouldn't have been such a wiseass. I've heard the food is pretty good."

Thanks for your comments,

-dc

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