From Publishers Weekly
"Inn Essence," the tale of a young American salad chef among a group of Thai waiters, is the highlight of this collection; other standouts include "Purification," in which a fishing trip becomes a metaphor for life, and "Museum of Love," a send-up of modern culture. "Original, at times whimsical, the stories . . . are deft and biting entertainment," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Some of the stories in Lombreglia's new collection have appeared in The New Yorker, Atlantic, and The Best American Short Stories in 1987 and 1988. Lombreglia has considerable talent for making the improbable seem inevitable. The title story is about a very large man called Gunther and his handyman, Reggie, who narrates the story. Gunther cherishes a delusion: He wants to make movies, and Reggie spends half his time aiding and abetting Gunther's delusion. A quasi-successful rock band rents one of Gunther's old Victorian houses and in the course of a visit to unplug toilets Reggie comes up with the idea of a movie about a rock band. The denouement is as likely as finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, yet Lombreglia makes the reader believe it. His affection for his characters, his acceptance of them as they are, is contagious. These nine stories are a trip through a magic fair, and for the duration Lombreglia's talent turns disbelief to amusement.
- Marcia Tager, Tenafly, N.J.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.