THE UNNAMED (Joshua Ferris) - February 14/11

Ugh, what an obnoxious book. The Unnamed starts out reasonably well, with its rather ludicrous story of a man who can't stop himself from walking. Though Ferris' writing style is a little ostentatiously pretentious, the author generally does a nice job of portraying the protagonist's condition and his efforts at sustaining his home and work lives. But then Ferris has the character go crazy, and the reader is treated to an interminable stretch in which he rambles on and on (and on). It didn't work in Spider and it doesn't work here. By the time the guy becomes lucid again, it's impossible to care and the last 50 pages just drag for what feels like an eternity. * out of ****