Motherless Brooklyn
Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, published by Vintage on October 24, 2000, is a unique take on the classic detective novel. This edition spans 311 pages and is presented in English. The story follows Lionel Essrog, an orphan with Tourette’s syndrome, who navigates the chaotic world of Brooklyn’s underbelly while working for a small-time mobster’s detective agency. When his boss, Frank Minna, is murdered, Lionel finds himself entangled in a web of crime and intrigue, struggling to piece together the mystery while grappling with his own challenges.
Readers will encounter a narrative that blends elements of mystery and humor, as Lionel’s Tourettic impulses lead to unexpected and original expressions of language. The book delves into themes of friendship and loyalty among Lionel and his colleagues from St. Vincent’s Home for Boys. As he attempts to solve Frank’s murder, Lionel’s journey reveals the complexities of his world and the relationships that define it. Motherless Brooklyn offers a distinctive exploration of the detective genre, showcasing Lethem’s inventive storytelling style.
Official synopsis Publisher
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • A complusively readable riff on the classic detective novel from America’s most inventive novelist.
“A half-satirical cross between a literary novel and a hard-boiled crime story narrated by an amateur detective with Tourette’s syndrome…. The dialogue crackles with caustic hilarity…. Unexpectedly moving.” —The Boston Globe
Brooklyn’s very own self-appointed Human Freakshow, Lionel Essrog is an orphan whose Tourettic impulses drive him to bark, count, and rip apart our language in startling and original ways. Together with three veterans of the St. Vincent’s Home for Boys, he works for small-time mobster Frank Minna’s limo service cum detective agency. Life without Frank Minna, the charismatic King of Brooklyn, would be unimaginable, so who cares if the tasks he sets them are, well, not exactly legal.
But when Frank is fatally stabbed, one of Lionel’s colleagues lands in jail, the other two vie for his position, and the victim’s widow skips town. Lionel’s world is suddenly topsy-turvy, and this outcast who has trouble even conversing attempts to untangle the threads of the case while trying to keep the words straight in his head.
Motherless Brooklyn is a brilliantly original, captivating homage to the classic detective novel by one of the most acclaimed writers of his generation.
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