Monday, August 03, 2015

"Nine Kinds of Naked" by Tony Vigorito - A Surreal and Comedic Novel That Makes Time Stand Still



Tony Vigorito's "Nine Kinds of Naked" has become something of a cult classic.  The book is a wonderful roller coaster ride of a literary and philosophical examination of the nature of reality, time, synchronicity, the Butterfly Effect, quantum physics and the wonders of life in New Orleans.  Perhaps because of the New Orleans setting, reading this book made me think of "A Confederacy of Dunces," if it had been co-written by Hans Reichenach and Stephen Hawking, with commentary by Woody Allen.

The action toggles between the Middle Ages and present day - although according to the author, there is only one moment in time.  This makes for fascinating paradoxes as certain humans and gnomes are able to manipulate time, freezing action.  There is much discussion of the Butterfly Effect as it relates to a card-spinning prisoner whose twirling playing card sets in motion vortices that grow into tornadoes and eventually a mysterious Great White Spot - a stationary super-tornado that camps out at the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico.  This Great White Spot spawns a generation of mystic pilgrims who are drawn to New Orleans to join the underground M2 movement whose motto is "Walk Away."

If your literary tastes lie in the way of comedy mixed with philosophical musing, then you will enjoy the hi-jinks of the menagerie of characters that the author spins into being.  Time will stand still for you as you make your way through these chapters.

Enjoy!

Al

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