Naked Came the Post-postmodernist

It's no secret here that I skim read descriptions and/or emails about books and then sometimes get surprised by what I end up reading.  When I was first emailed about this book the basic premise of the book got me first, because I do like a mystery, and then the thought of a whole class coming together to write a book together.  What would it sound like? Would it flow? I must check this out.

Then I got it.  And I started reading.  And I started giggling.  And then I started googling.  Okay, all you nerds aka Underhill types who already knew about this and think now I am supreme idiot.  Let it be known I grew up in such a small backwards place you should all be thankful I knew how to find the Internet.  Anywhoo, if you haven't heard of Naked Came the Stranger by Penolope Ashe, you may need to know that about 40ish years ago a group of writers came together to write THE WORST book ever as a joke and see how people reacted.

Now, I am not saying this is the WORST book because it is not.  It's actually quite entertaining and had me wondering what the next chapter would bring.  If you are looking for a murder mystery that doesn't have about 23434 different characters and narrators it isn't for you.  But if you like to read something that's a bit different while still having mystery and randomness check it out. 

I thought it was very good.  They did an excellent job writing and even though they were able to write whatever they wanted, some of it flowed.  The characters didn't do anything too out of the character already described by someone else and the writing wasn't so vastly different that you were confused.  I think my only critique would be that there not be so many extra participants.  It got a little crazy with all the characters.  But it was a very quick read (read it in one day start to finish! yay snow days!) and had me wondering how they were gong to end it.  The ending had me rolling my eyes in a good way.  You should check it out!

Description: Who killed Eric Davenport? A senior mathematics professor at Underhill College has been found dead in his office, the victim of murder. At Underhill, a small liberal arts college with a pricy tuition and a pampered student body, all of the students are close to their professors. But at least one loved Eric Davenport in a deeply inappropriate fashion. Some hated him. And then there is the faculty at war with itself. And the idiotic administration. And the twin boys who live next to campus. And what’s with all those praying mantises?

The collective work of Sarah Lawrence writing class 3303 - R, taught by novelist Melvin Jules Bukiet, here is a send-up of contemporary campus life that is also the latest installment in an inglorious literary tradition of wacky fun. And the mayhem hasn’t stopped. Soon, a student is found dead in the library, and, from the quad to the dorms, crime scenes and crises begin to multiply. A wealthy alumni donor becomes alarmed. Enter a libidinous medical examiner. Depicting rampant insecurities and raging egos, and with a cast of characters from conflicted faculty to student cliques, from hemp kids to Ugg girls and the J Crew crew, Naked Came the Post-Postmodernist takes us on a journey some may find eerily familiar. .


Have you ever had to write a paper/story with another person? How did you share roles? Does the idea of writing a novel with a group of people appeal to you? Have you read Naked Came the Stranger?

Disclaimer: I got this book for review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own!