McCormack, Pete. Shelby. Permanent Pr. Jun. 1994.
c.269p. LC 93-27527. ISBN 1-877946-47-8. $22
[FICTION]
Shelby Lewis, neurotic medical school hopeful,
accidentally drops out of college and experiences life--or
rather, in this bizarre and comical tale told by McCormack,
allows life to get the better of him. Roaming through uncharted
territory, giving up the strict order he previously placed on his
life, Shelby falls for a woman who is a feminist stripper by
night, crystals and tarot New Age eccentric by day. He tries to
make sense of the odd group of characters he falls in with,
including roommate Eric, lead singer in a band called Smegma
Bomb!, and his parents, who are disappointed that they will not
have a doctor for a son. Throughout, Shelby grapples with the
changes he is experiencing as he haplessly wanders from one
situation to the next. McCormack definitely has a gift for the
absurd and for comic dialog with a bite. From musician to
pseudopsychotherapist to library assistant in a public library,
Shelby sees all, does all, but does he know all? The reader will
have to decide. Not an essential purchase for fiction
collections, but recommended.
Kevin M. Roddy, University of Hawai'i at Hilo