Mrs Smith Reads Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, #CBR4 Review #18
Motherless Brooklyn is a detective story with an interesting detective and a not so interesting story. There is something very endearing about Lionel Essrog, the story’s main character. Lionel, or Freakshow, as his friends call him, is an orphan and he suffers from Tourrette’s Syndrome. Jonathan Lethem does a remarkably credible job of explicating the running inner dialog, the tics and touches and the frustratingly uncontrollable exclamations that constantly ruin Lionel’s ability to blend in with Brooklyn’s Smith Street crowd.
I loved this book. Have you read Fortress of Solitude? It’s even better. Unfortunately, You Don’t Love Me Yet is crap, so I wouldn’t recommend that one of his.
I will have to look for Fortress of Solitude. Chronic City has also been recommended.
I’ve yet to read Chronic City. It sounds good, as do some of his older books.