Spooner

Pete Dexter is an odd man. Even if I hadn't met him in New York at BEA, having read Spooner, his latest, I would like him for his oddness (I'm not sure that's a word). Spooner is a strange, slightly slow child in a family of exceptional children being raised by his ever put out mother and kind hearted step father. This book is laugh out funny at times, flat out interesting for the rest. It's a 500 paged book I didn't want to end. Someone pointed out to me that I am often reading strange funny books, and I'll tell you why, they interest me. I like authors who can capture the oddities of life, and create characters I haven't seen before but find believable. Spooner is interesting, funny and sweet, his step father is kind and loving despite the difficulties of raising a strange young man. Read it. And tell me why she is only ever called Spooners wife or Mrs. Spooner and how Philip didn't fall out of that row boat.