The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

Incredible writing, for sure. A whirlwind and fever-dream of a story about sexual discovery and the confusion of coming-of-age. Chabon's mastery of sentence structure and recognition and ability to impart the surreal moments that shape us is on full display, but Art Bechstein also kinda drove me crazy and was whiny and difficult in ways I never felt about Holden Caulfield. Or, at least, I don't remember feeling about him. He was just caught in the wind and that lack of conviction of anything made me dislike him, maybe unfairly. And the swirling of the storyline was a bit much and a bit repetitive.