Prunty, Andersen. Jack & Mr. Grin. Portland: Eraserhead Press, 2008. 212 pp. $11.95. ISBN 978-1933929712.

Andersen Prunty is our lord and saviour. Jack & Mr. Grin is yet another one of his gospel Bizarro books published by Eraserhead Press. Prunty’s ability to draw a reader into the story makes this work a compelling read, as well as quite difficult to put down. Through Jack, Prunty forces the reader to question his/her own morals and values, and contemplate notions of life, death, humanity, and the magnitude of one’s existence in the universe.

The story follows the quest of Jack, who lives a boring, monotonous, nine-to-five existence. He lives with his girlfriend Gina, and finds himself completely content living out his life in passivity, trudging along slow, steady, and simple. Once Gina mysteriously goes missing, Jack is pushed out of his comfort zone, and must quickly come to terms with what is happening to him. Jack finds out that Gina has been kidnapped, and starts to question his own feelings, motives, and values. Jack sets out on a quest to find his love, and has many revelations along the way.

Prunty presents this story as Jack’s quest to find Gina. The story has an intended destination, and as the reader quickly becomes empathetic towards Jack, he/she will become actively involved in the story; Prunty makes the reader care about what happens to Jack. The best part of this book is the incessant dialectical arguments Jack has with himself about philosophical notions he never cared about before. Prunty breathes life into this once two-dimensional character, and inspires both Jack and the reader to contemplate diverse opinions on moral issues such as abortion, death, and human existence. Mr. Grin delineates a fantastic template of the different kinds of men, which proves to foreshadow Jack’s development as a character: “‘Some men are born to shake the walls of temples. Other men are meant to crawl through shit. Some men aren’t men at all’” (48). As the story progresses, Jack aspires to be a better man. Though his job never required him to use his brain, he’s constantly challenged, as Prunty determines to bring out the hero in him. Not only will the reader be compelled to follow Jack’s quest, he/she will also experience Jack’s thought process, and be able to think about the issues he discusses.

Prunty uses a good formula in Jack & Mr. Grin. The dilemma is introduced early, and the story follows a developmental path towards resolution. Prunty is a skilled writer, and proves this fact throughout each of his works. (WARNING: This book may separate your flesh from bone, or cause constipation.)

—Richard Nicol