The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil

An extraordinarily powerful small book that satirizes the nativist protectionism now rampant in many parts of the world in such an amusing manner that even nativists could read it. I was so taken with the opening paragraph that I read it aloud to my wife and 10 year old son. The result: for the next 4 nights we gathered and I read the complete book aloud. A gem.

This thin novella is wacky and wise. The tale, originally conceived as a story where all the main characters were shapes, is both fantastical and troublingly realistic. Saunders has a rare talent of infusing a story that is so simply hilarious you could read it to your kid with a deep political and social truth. On the surface the story told is one of the inner and outer Hornerites, two nations of strangely conglomerate masses which find themselves at war for no particular reason. Phil begins his reign by inciting this strife, and the power of creating an insider/outsider mentality catapults him to the leadership of the outer Hornerites. Might makes right, so he enforces his rule with the help of two attention-starved and gigantic brothers. The characters might be strange shapes, but they are vividly recognizable: the bold and pontificating Phil, the senile and ineffectual former president of Outer Horner, the newscasters repetitively shouting banal notifications while the entire population of Inner Horner is about to be eradicated. It's an extremely funny story, and yet if you've lived in this world, it's also extraordinarily heartbreaking. Thankfully, Phil doesn't stay in power for long. But both in the story and outside of it, it seems safe to assume that history will only repeat itself; it's only a matter of time before rivalries and exclusions develop, and another leader arrives on the scene to exploit these divisions. Written in very simple language, Phil is a fast and easy read. It is less "adult" than the more cerebral Pastoralia and CivilWarLand. But the humor is just as intelligent and the style just as sure. With a unique blend of child-like innocence and adult cynicism, Phil has its own special appeal.

This is an amazingly imaginative piece of social and political satire. It could be set anywhere, at anytime, although at first it seems far away and somewhere in the decaying future. However, as I read it I couldn't help but feel that the plot has taken place many times and in many places. While I enjoyed the humor and satire, in the end I was sad to know that the same story is happening HERE and NOW. Saunders' totally outrageous setting, characters and plot are not only creative and hilarious, but they allow us to see past the surface features of today's world and into the fundamental nature of humans and society. Reading this utterly unpredictable yet somehow familiar tale, I could not help thinking, "When will we ever learn?" Although one reviewer was dissappointed that the book was short, I will propose that less is more here. Saunders conveys everything you need to know. Want to hear a delightful and unexpected yarn? Read about Phil. I'm sure you already know him. You will know him even better after this reading.

This isn't the kind of book you'd expect from an esteemed college professor and New Yorker writer. In fact, it kind of rejects the conventions of what fiction is supposed to be. It's literary, but with important graphical elements. It's funny, but the subject matter is life-and-death, future-of-existence serious. It's an allegory (I've been told), but it could be about any number of real-life events, and doesn't easily fit any of them. It's a book we're supposed to take seriously, but it's barely 100 pages long. Oh, and Saunders' eerily precise writing makes the characters live and breathe, but they aren't... human. Frankly, Saunders has taken a lot of risks here. And I'm happy to report that they all pay off. This is a reading experience unlike any other I've ever encountered, and I have a feeling it's going to stay with me for a long time. This is the kind of book that changes the way you think about and look at the world, even if it is about... belt buckles.

Another winner from one of contemporary literature's funniest and most original writers. If you're a fan of Saunders's previous story collections -- "Pastoralia" and "Civilwarland in Bad Decline" -- you'll read this in one sitting, and then immediately start all over again. (At least that's what I did.) If you're unfamiliar with Saunders and enjoy surreal, topical fiction, this is one you should definitely check out. The critics' default comparison to "Animal Farm" is not entirely inaccurate as Saunders does seem to favor the absurd allegory over traditional realism, but don't assume that he's a second-rate Orwell imitator. For one thing, his stories are infused with more pathos and heart than Orwell's, and more hope than Vonnegut's (another frequent comparison). In short, if the top writers working in America today were to play a game of king of the mountain, Saunders would have a good shot at pushing others off the peak. But if the handling of his subject matter is any indication of how Saunders regards his fellow man, instead of pushing he'd extend his hand and help pull others to the top, all the while making sure everyone had enough room and a steady foothold. Buy and enjoy.