Deek Book of the Month: Home Land

By Sam Lipsyte

Reviewed by Niki Holler

Combine Shakespeare's mastery of the English language with Hemingway's

love of the concise and Woody Allen's dark humor, and you get the writing style of Sam Lipsyte, author of Home Land , a poignant, hilarious glimpse into the life of America's unsung heroes; those uncelebrated prototypes of the impecunious, forced to live in the shadows of their more accomplished peers.

Home Land is written from the perspective of Lewis Miner, aka Teabag, an Eastern Valley High Alumni who has watched his former classmates rise to success while he composes FunFacts for a soft drink outfit and pines for his ex, Gwendolyn. Miner decides to begin contributing his own updates to the Alumni newsletter because, as his sidekick Gary (a.k.a Captain Thorazine) points out, "The things that happen are the things that happen." Miner's delightfully delirious, eloquent epistles soon become his catharsis. His hysterically truthful descriptions of an "existence eked out in the margins of post-Eastern Valley High School America," are a stark contrast to the lives of his more "successful," money-driven ex-classmates, such as Doctor Stacy Ryson and her fiance, ex-locker-room-bully cum attorney-at-law, Philly Douglas.

Home Land is more than just a humorous depiction from the viewpoint of the underdog, however. As the name implies, it is also a brilliant satire of modern American existence. Lipsyte wittily reminds us of our country's shortcomings through Lewis, who speculates about, among other things, the false ideology of the American Dream, assimilation, and the existence of the American oligarchy, or, as Teabag refers to them, the "gatekeepers." Lipsyte's genius is his ability to find the humor in truth, creating one of the funniest, well-written novels I've had the good fortune of not being able to put down. Two thumbs way up, Roger.

If you are interested in this book, Jesse Hicks (jesse@deekmagazine.com) will buy/lend you a copy.