Finished Matt Ruff's Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls yesterday. Absolutely amazing! He's one of a handful of writers I want to BE.

A description of the plot would be inadequate because his work is so layered and full of texture that it wouldn't do it justice. Kind of like explaining procreation in clinical terms. Suffice to say that his ability to convey a multitude of distinctive characters has never been stronger than in this twist on a coming-of-age tale of two people with multiple personality disorders. Each personality, or "soul" as he calls them, is as sharply drawn as any of the major characters in Fool on the Hill or Sewer, Gas & Electric: THE PUBLIC WORKS TRILOGY, and the way he presents life inside their heads is nothing short of brilliant.

That the story takes place in the real world, as opposed to the hyper-realistic fantasy settings of his first two books, is a testament to his versatility and a body blow to the idea that "fantasy" and "literary" are two separate genres.

The lives of Andy Gage and Penny Driver, the protagonists of House, will stick with me for a long time.

Up next: Crawfish Dreams, by Nancy Rawles, another random-while-browsing discovery. One chapter in and I'm liking her style.

---

New York City bid Eric a fond farewell last night with a summons for "open container/public alcohol" and a July 14 court date. I got an identical one.

Talk about not thinking! Eric was still at the store when I got to his place last night, so I parked behind his truck - which was parked right in front of the house he was living in - and sat up in the bed to wait for him. Five minutes later, he comes around the corner with a six-pack of Corona, a bag of pretzel twists and some unsalted cashews in tow. 15 minutes later, sitting in the back of the truck, we each have an open bottle when a police car drives by and interrupts our reminiscing. 30 minutes later, we each have identical summonses for our "quality of life" violation! If you can make it here...

Safe travels, my friend, and best wishes. I'll miss having you around, but more than most, I fully understand where you're heading.

---

This just in:

Wednesday, August 4th @ the Blue Ox Bar
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

[the new bio]
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is a Mets fan from the Bronx, and has a beautiful wife and two amazing kids. He won some poetry slams, founded a reading series, co-authored a book of poetry, and still writes when the mood hits him and he has the time. He prefers India Pale Ale and Pumpkin Stout, still reads comic books, and hasn't completely let go of his plans for world domination. Check out http://loudpoet.blogspot.com for even more things you didn't want to know about him.