There are many things to recommend this book. First, I think, are the characters. Lionel Essrog ranks up there with Oskar Schell and Owen Meany. And it's not only his Tourette's syndrome that makes him memorable; he is a good guy trying to the right thing despite the fact that the whole world sometimes seems to be against him. And he is surrounded by other equally interesting characters. Second, Jonathan Lethem is a great writer. He has a great ear not only for the language of his characters but also for the sounds of the city (Brooklyn here as in a lot of his books). Third, he has crafted a quick moving and compelling plot, with some interesting twists.

Some of the people in my book club found this book a difficult read, I think because Lethem does such a good job of getting inside Lionel's head to make you understand what Tourette's is like. But I found this just fascinating.