Men Under Water - Hardcover

A standout among the nine stories in this first collection is the prize-winning "Inn Essence," named for a curious restaurant where a group of Thai waiters experiences some of the byways of American society. The narrator, a young American salad chef, follows the manic behavior of the restaurant owner, a would-be philosopher, as he, his mistress and the vulnerable Thais suddenly reverse roles when a visit from immigration inspectors forces them into a comic "only in America" alliance. A wry and imaginative comedic vein runs through many tales. In "Purification" a fishing trip taken by an unfulfilled artist and an expectant father becomes a metaphor for life. "Museum of Love" offers a brilliant send-up of modern culture in a trendy curator's frenzy to create "the Historical House Museum, an eco-museum, the French would call it--whatever's there when you find it." Original, at times whimsical, the stories, some of which have appeared in the New Yorker and the Atlantic , are deft and biting entertainment.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Some of the stories in Lombreglia's new collection have appeared in The New Yorker, Atlantic, and The Best American Short Stories in 1987 and 1988. Lombreglia has considerable talent for making the improbable seem inevitable. The title story is about a very large man called Gunther and his handyman, Reggie, who narrates the story. Gunther cherishes a delusion: He wants to make movies, and Reggie spends half his time aiding and abetting Gunther's delusion. A quasi-successful rock band rents one of Gunther's old Victorian houses and in the course of a visit to unplug toilets Reggie comes up with the idea of a movie about a rock band. The denouement is as likely as finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, yet Lombreglia makes the reader believe it. His affection for his characters, his acceptance of them as they are, is contagious. These nine stories are a trip through a magic fair, and for the duration Lombreglia's talent turns disbelief to amusement.
- Marcia Tager, Tenafly, N.J.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.