Funnies

As often poignant andinsightful on the subject ofsibling relations as it is laugh-out-loud hilarious,The Funnies is a bittersweet comedy that tells thestory of the Mix family--a dysfunctional,semi-estranged brood forever immortalized aswisecracking imps in their father's nationallysyndicated "Family Circus"-esque comic strip.When their cartoonist dad dies, his estate isdivided among four of his five children. Instead ofa cushiony bank account, Tim Mix, a strugglingartist and our narrator, is given three months tolearn to draw the strip. If he succeeds (whichmeans selling out), he will have inherited a goldmine; if he fails, he will get nothing.As in his first novel, Lennon brings to life a widerange of characters who ring true at everyturn--from Dot Mix, the matriarch whosealcohol-induced senility means she onlyoccasionally recognizes members of her brood, toPierce Mix, the family's black sheep and itsyoungest member who never made it into the stripand has been clinically depressed ever since. Thedeeply odd world of syndicated cartoonists isused to full effect on these pages, as is Lennon'sgift for creating, in the words of The NewYorker, "psychologically nuanced, richlydetailed, and unexpectedly comic" situations. TheFunnies marks a bright and brilliant leap forwardfor one of our most imaginative and gifted youngwriters.Lennon, J. Robert is the author of 'Funnies' with ISBN 9781573227810 and ISBN 1573227811.