Everyone who was robbed in Bank #117 of the most sentimental object in their possession at the time of the robbery undergoes a sort of 'trial' in the following days and has to either find a way to overcome their ensuing problems or be destroyed by them. The protagonist (who is a bit of an asshole..) now has a wife who can't stop shrinking ever since she was robbed of a sentimental calculator.Humorous and a little weird as seems to be Kaufman's style (of which I am fond). Again, the writing style is probably not for everyone, but if you enjoy odd stories where random things happen like wives shrinking, mothers multiplying, offices becoming submerged in water, tattoos coming to life and the like with little explanation, you'll probably like this. It doesn't seem to have as much (obvious?) symbolism/metaphor as All My Friends Are Superheroes and the entire tone feels a little more subdued, but it is still interesting to imagine some of the bizarre happenings in both their literal and possible figurative senses.One problem I had was on page 82 (I think) where the story very suddenly jumps from one person's side story to another's and I wondered if my copy was missing a paragraph or something (I don't think so, though). That said, the writing style is naturally (but not uncomfortably) abrupt enough for me to assume it was just me.All in all a delightful read. Short and sweet but, ultimately, underwhelming. The weakest of Kaufman's books so far, in my opinion. It sometimes manages to stray beyond the whimsical and charming into itchingly, willfully 'quirky' territory. If you've read the rest and are looking for more Kaufman, it's fine, and not a big investment of time. There's enough in it to entertain. If you haven't read any others, seek out The Waterproof Bible or All My Friends are Superheroes instead.
Do You like book Minuscule (2012)?
I fell in love with this story. quirky and sad.
—Candie
3.5 stars. A very quick, quirky little read.
—Xeaya
