But the people and events of the story pop up to bother Blom enough to keep the action going. The wrong people keep appearing, the right people keep disappearing, and Blom must find out why. Martin has a long, wild ride when he borrows a friend's car one night, but the next day, his friend notes that it doesn't look like the car's been moved. Photo by Archie Ferguson Surrealism's strange influence is most prominent in the way Thomson scatters, for Blom and for readers, so many odd clues and events that almost, but don't quite, make sense. In this way, the familiar but unknowable landscape, the nature of Blom's condition, and the book's packaging are all products of the same master plan.
Illness often causes one to focus on certain sensations or memories to the exclusion of others.
Dreams, violence, illness, and the odd motivations necessary in those realms are the building blocks of Thomson's novel. His method is to poke and provoke, through disorientation, annoyance, and humor. As one happily annoyed reader can testify, it's a method that works. Pop's pull-down menu Pick one, then press Go. Wired Digital Inc., a Lycos Network site.