The Extra Man

I'm not sure why I let this book keep me away from Tristram Shandy, except that it was much faster to read and easier to follow. This book did not require me to re-read sentences a few times before I understood them. This was light and fun although perhaps longer than it should have been. A lot of the elements in and of themselves were interesting – wanting to be a ‘young gentleman' of a previous era, sexual confusion, having a mentor from whom you hide yourself, etc. – and in combination with early-nineties New York (pre-9/11!), this was a good story, engaging and funny and stuff and stuff. But why did I let it suck me in when I had on hand a literary classic well ahead of its time, as well as many other perfectly readable, short, engaging, and amazing works of literary art? Browsing in libraries can be a terrible thing.