A twentieth century odyssey of a man who is obsessive, paranoid, yet capable of relating lucid details, even if they may seem not quite believable. Small details become large and inform his life. "My tropical fish are more important than anything else. . . " What we have is the anxiety of discovery and being discovered, or at least believing one is being watched. Where is that hidden camera? It leaves you on the edge and never seems to go anyplace - yet wonder is always present. ( )

In which an unassuming man receives a series of invitations to various venues, at all of which he is thrown into absurd, vaguely threatening situations of increasing angst as the night proceeds. He concludes, on insufficient evidence, that he is being used, or misused, as the subject of a prank for a hidden camera reality show, but, complaining all the way, he obediently follows directions to the next pitfall. Our narrator is somewhat beyond unreliable and has proceeded directly to delusional as he obsesses over the image he is projecting for the audience, how his manipulators are achieving their effects, and constructs elaborate backstories for the two people whom he sees at these places. The individual episodes make effective use of magic realism, yet the novel seemed to be building to a climax which never came; the quiet, thoughtful ending seemed quite underwhelming. ( )

A neurotic undertaker finds himself compelled to take part in a bizarre scavenger hunt tailored entirely to him. If you enjoy post-modern, existential suspense, this book may keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Every twist and turn of this labyrinth is completely unpredictable, and yet Zivkovic masterfully pulls off an escape for the hero in the end. Sort of! - Adam

see http://www.sfsite.com/11a/hc211.htm ( )

A mild paranoid fantasy.

"I was risking my life to reach some secondhand bookstore at the appointed time. Who rushes to a used bookstore? You couldn't be late for anything there." (p. 37) ( )