A review by earlc
Et Tu, Babe by Mark Leyner

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a very funny book, and genuinely made me laugh out loud at certain parts. It's also quite clever, as each chapter takes a different form and structure from the one before (epistles, excerpts from fake books, standard narrative, etc.), and it's a wonderful exercise in surrealism and cyberpunk. Some of the most fun is seeing the degree to which the life of the fictional and outlandish Mark Leyner reflects the real life of author Mark Leyner; he is a self-proclaimed gym rat, and he really was married to a woman named Arleen Portada, whom he subsequently divorced. However, though a great exercise in meta-fiction, this isn't a great book; the characters are intentionally portrayed as caricatures through the fictional gaze of Mark Leyner, and what it has in cunning it lacks in heart.