Losing It

I gulped this book down in two midnight sessions, to the detriment of my productivity the next days. Why was I so fascinated by it, and why could I not stop reading it? I think it was the author's probing into the minds of these apparently normal (well, except the mother) people who were all, in their own ways, totally losing it. The descriptions of the mother, who has advanced Alzheimers, were brilliantly done, but I guess I have to admit they got a bit old as time went on. Mania can be pretty boring. But there weren't so many of those anyway. Bob was brilliantly funny. We all have our secret fantasies, and it was nice to be plunged into the weirdness of someone else's. The trouble it got him into was delicious. Somehow the author made us just hold onto liking him enough to keep reading. I was actually pleased that he made it up with his wife in the end in spite of the fact that he's a lecherous old professor. The impossible stress of a 2-year old ("nubbies!") and a senile mum in the same house was wonderful - hilarious and heart-rending. Brave of the author too to take on the mind of a beautiful, sexy, but somewhat sick Asian-American college student. At her best she was fabulous - I loved the poetry. Not so convinced by her second thoughts after Bob got exposed on the internet in his red leather miniskirt (great scenes!). The plot was probably a bit lame when I think about it, but the structure of the book leads you on without having to think too much. Alan, I'm going to look for more by you. Thanks for the thoughtful and sometimes moving entertainment.

I don't know what to add to that. If you like Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris, or A Confederacy of Dunces - you'll love this book. It's shockingly funny and good and I needed more at the end. Stunning!!!!!

I absolutely LOVED this book. The descriptions of when poor Bob got in trouble were wonderful. Mr. Cumyn writes beautifully. Can't wait for his next book.

This is a novel about an English professor whose efforts to pursue his sexual longings cause mayhem in his life, and whose efforts to cover up his activities cause him to spend a lot of time in various bathrooms engaged in clean-up operations. Told from the rotating perspectives of five different characters, the novel's first couple pages seem incomprehensible because they come from the prof's demented elderly mother-in-law, but don't let that scare you off--by her next narrative turn, you will understand everything, and the view from inside the brain of an Alzheimer's sufferer whose connection to reality actually declines within the course of the book is very well executed.The other perspectives: the professor's young wife struggling with the round-the-clock demands of a toddler and her ailing mother, the handyman exploring new-age religion and harboring a secret crush on the wife, a gorgeous undergraduate with malevolent intentions and of course the professor himself.I was very surprised not to see any customer reviews so far. This book deserves more attention than it's getting.