Downtown Owl: A Novel by Chuck Klosterman

Klosterman does fiction! He's still got the same unmistakable voice, but shows off some adroit storytelling. Of course, like Klosterman, I am a thirtysomething white American male who played high school football and watched the mid-80's Georgetown Hoya basketball team, who are referenced multiple times; i.e. I can relate to everything Klosterman says. But I wonder how this book plays to those who do NOT know that the Hoyas were famous for, among other things, wearing t-shirts under their basketball jerseys, which was a big deal back in 1984, and which Klosterman riffs on at least 2 or 3 times. Finally, I'm not sure about the ending. It works reasonably well, but something a tad more subtle might paradoxically have had more impact. Nevertheless, Klosterman maintains his postmodern punch throughout, and has made the transition nicely from the guy you'd want to get drunk with and talk about sports and music, to the guy you want to tell you about your life in his fiction. Highly recommended.