If one requires a linear narrative that wraps up in a neat expository conclusion, then this will not be your book. I suppose it is inevitable that O’Bien must be compared and contrasted with James Joyce. Toward the end one gets the impression that the author might be taking the piss out of Ulysses, even. At a third of the length of Joyce’s most experimental works, this may be a more concise alternative; less bloody-minded than Ulysses and infinitely more coherent than Finnegans Wake, yet possessing something akin to both. There are numerous thoroughly enjoyable laugh-out-loud moments in the mostly ludicrous farce that fills the pages, but also passages that could be described as nothing less than tedious. O’Brien seems to be much more intent on emphasizing the absurdity of his story and the act of writing in general. There seem to have been long stretches of text that ultimately had no bearing on subsequent outcomes, if one could even say there was any explicit outcome. Effective descriptions of mood and gesture in conversation were impressive. O’Brien’s comedic style was enjoyable, and I would read more of his work, but likely after a brief respite with another author’s work.