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Slapstick or Lonesome No More
Slapstick or Lonesome No More
Nov 17, 2025 8:54 PM

Author:Kurt Vonnegut

Slapstick or Lonesome No More

Manhattan has become the Island of Death.

The former President of the United States stands barefoot in a purple toga around a cooking fire in the lobby of the Empire State Building.

He is Dr Wilbur Daffodil-II Swain and Slapstick or Lonesome No More! is his story – one of monstrous twins, orgies, revenge, golf, utopian schemes, and very little tooth brushing. In this post-apocalyptic black comedy – dedicated to Laurel and Hardy – Vonnegut is at his most hilarious, grotesque, and personal.

Reviews

The non-stop invention, the jokes and clowning are in the familiar Vonnegut tradition

—— Daily Telegraph

Wittily and engagingly written

—— Guardian

A brilliant wacky ideas-monger

—— Observer

A cool writer, at once throwaway and passionate and very funny

—— Financial Times

One of the master alchemists of modern American fiction

—— Sunday Times

Wonderful... a beautifully written coming-of-age story

—— Nina Stibbe

Dear Edward made me think, nod in recognition, care about its characters, and cry, and you can't ask more of a novel than that

—— Emma Donoghue

Stunning, life-affirming

—— Vogue

A Good Man slinks into the dark heart of a ripped-from-the-headlines crime fueled by toxic masculinity. As in Leila Slimani’s Lullaby, the slow unpeeling – layer by layer – of the conventions of sanity left me breathless, saddened, and spooked.

—— Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, author of Bittersweet

Think The Shining meets Grey Gardens ... One of the striking things about the book is Thomas’s icky tone, as he constantly romanticises, almost Disneyfies women ... The story slickly slides down its twisting descent. Katz has taken us inside the mind of the sort of man you hear about on the news and wonder about ... Sordidly gripping.

—— Observer

A striking modern tale of violence, sexual abuse and vindictiveness. Katz’s edgy novel examines a dysfunctional family, a failed relationship and a modern culture in which a violent man can see more to worry about in “invading” phone privacy than in violating a woman’s body.

—— Independent

Truly gripping … Ani Katz has created an edgy debut with a disturbingly unforgettable ending.

—— The Skinny

[A]n absorbing tale of shaky domestic balance

—— SHOTS Magazine

Riveting... An American Psycho for the 21st century... Superior psychological noir.

—— Daily Mail

[A] dark study of toxic masculinity ... Deeply atmospheric and morbidly compelling, with a near-total commitment to character that suggests a powerful talent … Accomplished.

—— Guardian

Katz's debut is one that will have readers gripped from the very first words until the last - and a book that will stay with you for a long while afterwards.

—— Her.ie

[A] smart debut, both compelling and disturbing, delivered with the kind of confidence that makes me keen to see what Katz will come up with next.

—— A Life in Books Blog

[G]ripping debut … Here’s a page-turner you’ll devour before the week is out

—— Stylist Daily Newsletter

A razor sharp psychological deconstruction of the motivations, regrets and secrets behind a picture-perfect façade.

—— The Week

White-knuckle ride

—— RTE Guide

I really wanted to just press the book into anyone’s hands and say ‘please read this’! [...] An important read

—— Bookish Chat

Readers hungry for an in-depth study of a man searching for control, power and ownership will find satisfaction in A Good Man. But caveat emptor - this story inevitably hurtles at the end towards a chilling finale

—— Crime Review

This stellar debut from Ani Katz had us gripped from the beginning.

—— That’s Life!
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