Like some sort of Mendelian hybrid, Lethem's MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN is a cross between a classic detective story, a satire of that same story, and a literary exegesis on the infinite complexities of language.
When the phone rings at precisely six o'clock one evening, it shatters the silence of the farmhouse where Fran has lived alone since her mother abandoned her at age fourteen.
She recognizes the voice on the line immediately. Though it has been four years since she left, Fran's mother offers no apologies or explanations. She is calling to tell Fran the family stories. And though Fran longs to hang up on her, she can't help but be drawn in by the strange and wonderful tales her mother has to tell.
