Time Out Chicago books editor Messinger has a few gems sandwiched between predictably sardonic musings on failed relationships and poor life decisions in his debut collection. The opening piece, Captain Tomorrow, expertly captures a mixture of teenage summer malaise and a hint of innocence lost, but it's not until several stories later, with the man-eating wolf farce Not Even the Zookeeper Can Keep Control, that the reader encounters something other than recycled humor. Ironic kookiness seems to be the order of the day: a child with a large head gets stuck in a fence; there's a machine shaped like a large ear of corn and known as The Hummingbird; and there are several hidden stories wedged into the text. Scattered throughout are hints of Messinger's talent, and these are found in stories that explore burgeoning teen sexuality - notably One Valve Opens and The Birds Below. The familiar-feeling patina of self-consciousness will turn off as many readers as it hooks.
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