Johnny Critelli

"Johnny Critelli" made me feel I got to know Lentricchia just a little bit better, even though a lot of it was not true. What the hay. The reading was fun and then we got to "The Knifemen". And that, my friend, was one big ouch. Lentricchia should be more widely read. We sure would have a smarter country if he was.

Somehow, this remarkable book slipped under the radar of most reviewers and readers upon release. Do yourself a favor and seek it out immediately! The book collects two novellas which are lyrical, funny, and ultimately very moving. Mr. Lentricchia may have made his name as a critic, but his prose reveals him to be a natural novelist. His writing is clear, vivid, and filled with striking images and phrases. Imagine Joyce circa "Portrait," but filtered through a streetwise New York sensibility and you have an idea of the style. These stories center around Utica, NY, exploring characters who escaped from the decaying city and those who stayed, and the price each paid. Like Joyce's Dublin, Lentricchia's Utica is both a particular city with its own lore and customs and a setting for stories that have a universal resonance. These two tales of memory, loss, and redemption are a pleasure to read--and not easily forgotten.

The two compelling novellas that make up this volume trace how the past haunts us, tracks us, shapes us even when we think ourselves beyond it. Lentricchia's probing of his character's memories and personalities is ruthless and brutal, his prose exacting so that it can cut deeper. But despite being immersed in the violent fantasies of the protagonist of "The Knifemen" and the toxic remembrances of "Johnny Critelli," the high quality of these works ultimately makes reading this a cathartic experience. There are also quite a few funny passages that leaven the darkness. Ambitious, lyrical, and moving in its unflinching depiction of people haunted by the very things that keep them alive. Call it a demonology with a heart. Highest recommendation. Also worth seeking out: Lentricchia's next book, "The Music of The Inferno," a savagely funny tour-de-force that re-imagines the historical novel as revenge fantasy, complete with an unforgettable dinner scene that turns "Babette's Feast" on its head.