Rutger Van Trout has worse problems than his mundane existence in the all-consuming, all-suppressing Vulgaria of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's not t...
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reviews
Apr 05, 2009
"If you had a time machine and could secure the living brains of James Thurber and Andre Breton ripped untimely from their skulls, run them through a juicer, then mainline the blended liquid neurons, you might become a writer like D. Harlan Wilson. In fact, I know with certainty that this is how he actually got his start. As evidenced by his new 'Memoir of Vulgaria,' Blankety Blank, we are facing a writer who can evoke howls of pity and tears of laughter on the same page, and generally with
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Dec 13, 2010
Alan
rated it: 
Things I learned from this slender, choppy novel:
* Axl Rose is a perfect anagram for "oral sex" (seriously—this may already be common knowledge, but since I'm neither a GnR fan nor all that good at anagrams, this is the first time I'd had that pointed out).
* I am sufficiently politically correct that I was disturbed by the phrase "with the grace of a quadriplegic" (p.140)
* If there isn't one already, there should be a named subgenre of surrealism called Trying More...
* Axl Rose is a perfect anagram for "oral sex" (seriously—this may already be common knowledge, but since I'm neither a GnR fan nor all that good at anagrams, this is the first time I'd had that pointed out).
* I am sufficiently politically correct that I was disturbed by the phrase "with the grace of a quadriplegic" (p.140)
* If there isn't one already, there should be a named subgenre of surrealism called Trying More...
Dec 12, 2011
S.T.
rated it: 
This book would be close to one of the best books I read this year. It’s really unusual. It takes reality to strange new places. Truth and lies blend into one superbly written ‘memoir’ about Blankety Blank, a serial killer in the suburbs. I used this for a case study at uni this year for an essay on postmodern representations of suburbia. The way it reaches out for those pure, idealistic 1950s suburban ideals, yet completely misinterprets them/bastardizes them, it led me to conclude that this bo
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May 01, 2009
Jason
rated it: 
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
Regular readers know that one of the types of literature I try to take on here more than most other review places is so-called "bizarro" fiction (also known sometimes as "surreal," "Weird," and by a whole host of other names); but as you can guess, a big reas More...
Regular readers know that one of the types of literature I try to take on here more than most other review places is so-called "bizarro" fiction (also known sometimes as "surreal," "Weird," and by a whole host of other names); but as you can guess, a big reas More...
Dec 31, 2011
Josiah
rated it: 
This is a highly absurd novel that is chalk full of slapstick humor. There were a few too many punchlines that fell flat for me. What really made this book, were all of the digressions and pseudo essays. They seemed to be better thought out then some of the vaudeville slapstick comedy used in the plot with the characters. Some of them were borderline brilliant and showed the imagination and intelligence of the author. I would've only given this a 1 or 2 star if it wasn't for the breaks in t
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Jan 11, 2012
Davis
rated it:
This was different than I expected. Almost felt like I was reading an anthology. I enjoyed the chapter Contemporary Juwes more than any other part. I'm a horror fan and there's plenty in that tiny bit. The brief histories of... where a very close second for me. I could read a whole book of nothing but those. I really enjoyed Blankety Blank, really really did. This was the first I'd read by D. Harlan Wilson, won't be the last.
I wish Blankety Blank had a book all about himself.
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I wish Blankety Blank had a book all about himself.
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Dec 07, 2008
Jesse
rated it: 
The author channels Kurt Vonnegut for this story instead of Philip Dick. I'm sure this makes great literary criticism, but it doesn't make much of a bathroom read. I'll just wait for the sequel to Dr. Identity...
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