![]() As it is, these unanswered mysteries are simply just things that happen. Coincidence is fine when it brings to a head a point or a revelation of character, but herein there is coincidence simply to move things forward (the greatest sin there is), and while a mystic refusal to answer questions can create a sense of deeper intellectual exploration, here it is simply a refusal to ask or answer the questions that could have been posed. Here things mostly just happen, largely to characters that end up not mattering at all, almost entirely for reasons that are arbitrary. Gone from this novel is the depth of characterization and the complexity of the absurdity of the situations. I found myself agreeing with all of his views and disagreeing with nearly all of the ways that he said things. The problem is that the characterizations, even for parody, even for humor, are flat and contrived, the philosophy espoused is pedestrian, even for a college freshman (seriously, can't people just get over their realizations that Columbus didn't "discover" the Americas? Is it really so profound that you have been told a lie of fact even as you are being told a truth of consequences?), and the political commentary is so incensed that it lies down on the traintracks of talking head babble. It is very funny, with lots of excellent lines and clever little observations. ![]() ![]() This is probably the worst Tom Robbins I've ever read. ![]()
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