The Mezzanine

Nicholson Baker`s divinely nutty first book, THE MEZZANINE, takes place as Howie, the protagonist, rides down the escalator in the office building where he works, planning to buy a new shoelace because his has broken. From this series of nonevents in a plotless novel, Baker fashions a brilliant and hilarious narrative about nothing more (or less) than Howie`s view of the world. As one digression leads to another (and to a whirlwind of elaborate, funny, and/or informative footnotes), Howie ponders such things as milk cartons, bathrooms, staples, the little thread you pull to open a band aid, Pez dispensers, doorknobs, and of course shoelaces (the physics of their breakage) and even footnotes themselves. Of all his novels, THE MEZZANINE seems the most accurate mirror of what the inside of its author`s curious (in both senses) mind must look like: a roomy, well-stocked fusion of the astutely scientific and the purely childlike, full of fascinating facts, utterly unique observations, and an enviable way with the English language. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.