The Ecstatic by Victor LaValle is a darkly funny and surreal exploration of a mind veering between reality and hallucination. The plot follows Anthony, an unreliable narrator, as he navigates surreal scenes, twisted logic, and impossible events while interacting with strange characters like Uncle Arms and Ishkabibble. The writing style is described as visual and lyrical, capturing the gradual disintegration into madness experienced by the protagonist.
From The Publisher:
Anthony James weighs 315 pounds, is possibly schizophrenic, and he's just been kicked out of college. He's rescued by his mother, sister, and grandmother, but they may not be altogether sane themselves. Living in the basement of their home in Queens, New York, Anthony is armed with nothing but wicked sarcasm and a few well-cut suits. He intends to make horror movies but takes the jobs he can handle, cleaning homes and factories, and keeps crossing paths with a Japanese political prisoner, a mysterious loan shark named Ishkabibble, and packs of feral dogs. When his invincible 13-year old sister enters yet another beauty pageant-this one for virgins-the combustible Jameses pile into their car and head South for the competition.
Will Anthony's family stick together or explode? With electrifying prose, LaValle ushers us into four troubled but very funny lives.
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