"Impossible to put down!"

Arthur Nersesian is the author of some highly acclaimed, albeit, quirky literary novels. His credits include debut novel, THE FUCK UP, DOGRUN, MANHATTAN LOVERBOY and CHINESE TAKE-OUT. Though I have not yet read any of the above- mentioned titles, after reading the impossible-to-put-down SUICIDE CASANOVA, I anxiously look forward to owning a complete collection of Nersesian's works.

In SUICIDE CASANOVA, Nersesian takes readers down quite a road. We get more than just a glimpse into the souls of men, we are forced to stare into the eyes of the soul for 377 turbulent pages which, translated, equates to a long, hard unblinking gawk into an unrecognizable darkness that just might be our very own unrecognizable reflection. Talk about stirring.

Told in patches of flashbacks, we get to meet our main character, Leslie, a wealthy, high-powered attorney. His wife, Cece, has just died. Though it wasn't murder, he is somewhat responsible for the strangulation that killed her. Cleared of any foul play, Leslie is forced to meet with a psychiatrist. Thankfully not through patient -- doctor sessions, we get to see what led to Cece's demise, as well as Leslie's fall from—well, it was never graceful— his fall from, let's say, Mount High.

How to explain the plot ... Sky is a porn star. Once Leslie sees her films he falls in love with who she is. It becomes his life long obsession to meet her. Once he tracks her down, the unthinkable happens. They meet. She is a stripper, a whore, a porn star—and he loves her. He hates her. They don't so much date, as become involved as she flip flops from one pimp/agent to the next.

Leslie meets Cece. She is a dominatrix. He thinks Sky is out of his life for good. But she isn't. Can't be. She is inside of him. And when Cece finds that he still has a thing for Sky—she leaves Leslie.

In desperate need of help, Sky finds herself on Leslie's doorstep. She has hit rock bottom. She is pregnant and wants to clean her life up. Leslie has a lot of decisions to make. Eventually, Sky moves on, marries and grows a small family into something meaningful.

When Cece dies, Leslie wants Sky back. His obsession is powerful enough that he develops an alter ego, poses as a photographer and tracks down Sky's teenage daughter. He'll do anything to have Sky want him ... anything.

This is no traditional Romeo & Juliet love story. It is like no love story I've ever read, which is why it reads fast, deep and intense. There is even a little legal matter as a side-story line that takes place in the book— not anything like a John Grisham might write, thank goodness.

SUICIDE CASANOVA is dark, disturbing. There is drug usage, drinking, strip clubs, adult bookstores, heavy descriptive sex, masturbation, murder, pimping, X-films ... it is filled with everything that I never see or hear of in my everyday life. Believe it or not, there is a story in the mix of it all. A sad story. Nersesian makes the reader care about what happens to these people, sympathize and at times empathize with them. A great story by a talented writer.

© 2003 Phillip Tomasso III

Reviewed by Phillip Tomasso
Posted October 30, 2003

Summary

From the author of New York cult-classic The Fuck-Up, Suicide Cassanova is a psycho-sexual thriller, a bold literary provocation that follows the path of sex-offender Leslie Cauldwell as he wrestles with his own culpability in the death of his wife. Seeking both redemption and release from Sky Pacifica, a porn actress-turned-soccer mom, Leslie haphazardly navigates the streets of a morphing New York City that is brought vividly to life through Nersesian's masterful depictions of his characters and the neighborhoods they inhabit.