Frenzy [Paperback]

Percival Everett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1996

'wickedly funny' novel, Dionysus revisited

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What transpires inside the mind of a god? Specifically, inside the mind of Dionysos, Greek god of wine, pleasure and eroticism? Everett's playful novel attempts to answer that question, weaving together the god's memories as narrated by Vlepo, Dionysos's mortal assistant and constant companion. Abandoning the American West of books such as Watershed and The Big Picture, the prolific novelist brings his sharp eye for the mutability of identity, the clash of myth and culture, and an offbeat humor, to this iconoclastic study in Greek mythology. Curious to understand his own experiences, Dionysos sends Vlepo into the "temporal soup" of his own godly memories, where he observes his master's experiences from different perspectives, such as that of a tick on the god's skull. Leaping through time and space with ease, Vlepo revisits events like Zeus's seduction of Semele, Dionysos's mother, and Zeus's subsequent revelation of his godhood, during which he incinerates Semele with his brilliance. Elsewhere, Vlepo observes the tragic death of Eurydice, and Orpheus's journey to Hades in an attempt to reclaim her. But the myth that shapes the book, is that of Agave, daughter of Kadmos and sister of Semele. Having slandered Semele and suggested that Zeus was not Dionysos's father, Agave eventually goes mad, killing her son, Pentheus. The choppiness of the narrative, however, prevents any real tension and saps the book's effectiveness. By Frenzy's end, the mind of this turbulent god remains as unknowable as in the beginning.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Remember the simulated Bacchanalian frenzy of Donna Tartt's Secret History (LJ 9/1/92)? Here's the real thing, the story of the half-man, half-god Dionysus, who inspires a wild devotion but, because of his divinity, is unable to experience it. Thus, he transforms and re-transforms his faithful follower, Vlepo, a sort of executive assistant, into a woman, now a flea, now a river, now a vulture?to experience and understand the material world by proxy. Billed as comic, Everett's (Watershed, LJ 3/15/96) novel is in fact more often steeped in a pensive sadness that is reflected in the style, though in the more experimental passages, Everett can get pretty purple (e.g., "Do you not see the puissance of this loving?"). An interesting book, but, owing to its quasi-experimental nature and arcane themes, mostly suited to large fiction collections.?Robert E. Brown, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Graywolf Press; First Edition edition (December 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555972446
• ISBN-13: 978-1555972448
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,135,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, March 9, 2009

By 

J. Teekell - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frenzy (Paperback)

If you're interested in Greek mythology, I recommend this. There aren't enough real and human stories about these myths, in my opinion. In my search for "more," I found this book and couldn't put it down for long! (a rarity for me) I loved the unique descriptions of the locations and characters, and specifically enjoyed the dynamic between Vlepo and Dionysus.

Fascinating read. Concise and beautiful.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome vision into an ancient world most people find dull., February 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] - William James (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frenzy (Paperback)

As a historian, I love history, particularly medieval and ancient history. Unfortunately, most people find history boring and just something they have to do in school. Percival takes a subject that is wonderful and interesting to some of us, namely Greek history, and makes it into something that everyone can access and experience. He gives life to names in text books that most people never think twice about. In addition to bringing history to life, his style is very unique. His use of Vlepo as a point of departure from "normal" point of view story telling is truly awesome. The ancient world has never felt more real.