What a strange little book!

The story is about a man in Santa Monica who is mostly housebound due to his severe case of OCD. The book is told from his perspective and we learn about all of his odd compulsions (like his inability to step off a curb) and his impressions of all the people who live in his neighborhood.

It took awhile for me to decide if I thought he was a good person with some issues or a scary person who was putting a friendly spin on his bad behavior.

Ultimately, it becomes a book about friendship, trust and love.

With the exception of the undeveloped backstory about the main character's childhood that popped up out of nowhere nowhere (I'm talking about Dad here, not Granny.) I liked the book quite a bit. ( )

A very light breezy take on what can be a very debilitating compulsion. For a very short book, it doesn't feel rushed, the main character reveals himself fairly gradually, before showing the true extent of his issues. That being said, the ending seemed to wrap up much too quickly and neatly. ( )

Daniel Pecan Cambridge is a strange man haunted by his mental disorders that he makes rational excuses for. He goes out his way to find symmetrical driveways in order to cross the curbs because they are "illogical elevation[s] imposing [them]selves between the street and the sidewalk."

There are many people in his life. A grandmother he hasn't seen in years because his fear of public transportation; his neighbor Phillipa, the actress, and her hulk of a boyfriend, Brian; Clarissa, his student therapist/social worker; Zandy, the attractive pharmacist who knows all his maladies; Elizabeth, the love of his life; and Lenny Burns, a pseudonym he once used to write an essay that returned to haunt him.

But when Clarissa's personal life unfolds outside his apartment window, he finds himself in a new world. One that might allow him to shake his neurotic views and habits and actually become normal.

I suppose, in many ways, (and I know how cliche this'll sound) I relate to Daniel because of his inability to function correctly in public. An unforeseen obstacle can send him into a state of hysteria that calls for his creating a magic square.

But when something gives him purpose, he's able to shake those habits out and find balance in his life.

I noticed that both Steve Martin novels have a theme of mental disorders lining them. It's probably the reason I loved his books so much. ( )

Steve Martin has so many talents!

This is the story of Daniel, who has OCD and finds things like curbs and public transportation difficult. In spite of this, he manages to make friends with his neighbours, and with a student therapist assigned to monitor him. It's a heart-warming story, often laugh-out-loud funny; often touching. Steven Martin's sense of humour comes through when Daniel becomes two of the five finalists in an essay-writing contest. Maybe wraps up a bit to neatly and quickly in the end, but that's not a major fault in this book -- it's what I wanted for Daniel, after all! ( )

Very sweet story. My only criticism of it, was that the ending was a bit abrupt (though this is a novella, so....)..
There were a lot of laugh out loud moments. ( )