Maman Rosnan Rosnan itibaren Esenkent Mahallesi, 34848 Maltepe/İstanbul, טורקיה
Two words: Amish. Werewolves. Even if those two descriptors don't key you up into rushing out to find a copy of this fine posthumous release by Tristan Egolf, you may still want to consider it for your queue. Egolf died young, after scant but brilliant output. He had a free-wheeling unique style punctuated by breathless burlesque. Hence the frequent comparisons to John Kennedy Toole. But Egolf's vision has more contrast to it - the black in his black comedy is significantly darker than Toole's. The story revolves around a young man coming of age in Amish society during the modern era. The society itself is undergoing transformation, and these two more sweeping shifts are mirrored in the fellow's startling physical changes. There is nothing rote in the werewolf mythos here, it is treated as if it were an obscure but legitimate historical fact with medical and sociological underpinnings. Supporting characters include some prizefighters, both seasoned and rookie, a reporter disillusioned with the truth, church elders both cantankerous and forgiving, and some very supportive friends. By the end, the novel felt more "real" than many conventional stories that don't include such outre elements. This feeling is no doubt compounded by my personal worldview that life is both hilarious and horrifically tragic simultaneously. The book isn't scary in the Stephen King, keep-you-up-at-night sense, but it will shake you in the existentialist manner of Camus.