Ebook345 pages5 hours
The Blow-off: A Novel
By Jim Knipfel
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Monster Stalks NYC
When a local drunk is mugged near the toxic Gowanus Canal by “a hulking, hairy beast who smells really bad,” Hank Kalabander thinks nothing of blaming the assault on the legendary Bigfoot. His sardonic crime blotter for The Hornet, a local Brooklyn rag, often gleefully recounts the tragedies that befall the borough’s dimmer residents. But when an upstart reporter from The Eagle, a tabloid paper, lifts his piece and implicates Bigfoot in two more attacks, the crimes become local news fodder and the hunt for the “Gowanus Beast” takes off. Pretty soon the G.B. is to blame for everything from murder and robberies to playground scuffles and a pie’s disappearance—and neighborhood watch patrols have taken to the streets. Alarmed by the populace’s response, Hank decides it’s his responsibility to disprove the existence of this menacing beast and, with the help of an old carny colleague, put an end to the growing hysteria.
In The Blow-off, acclaimed writer Jim Knipfel has crafted an astoundingly funny send-up of our current times—an intoxicating blend of sharp cultural references, wildly comical scenes, discerning commentary, and unforgettable characters.
When a local drunk is mugged near the toxic Gowanus Canal by “a hulking, hairy beast who smells really bad,” Hank Kalabander thinks nothing of blaming the assault on the legendary Bigfoot. His sardonic crime blotter for The Hornet, a local Brooklyn rag, often gleefully recounts the tragedies that befall the borough’s dimmer residents. But when an upstart reporter from The Eagle, a tabloid paper, lifts his piece and implicates Bigfoot in two more attacks, the crimes become local news fodder and the hunt for the “Gowanus Beast” takes off. Pretty soon the G.B. is to blame for everything from murder and robberies to playground scuffles and a pie’s disappearance—and neighborhood watch patrols have taken to the streets. Alarmed by the populace’s response, Hank decides it’s his responsibility to disprove the existence of this menacing beast and, with the help of an old carny colleague, put an end to the growing hysteria.
In The Blow-off, acclaimed writer Jim Knipfel has crafted an astoundingly funny send-up of our current times—an intoxicating blend of sharp cultural references, wildly comical scenes, discerning commentary, and unforgettable characters.
Author
Jim Knipfel
Jim Knipfel is the author of three memoirs, Slackjaw, Quitting the Nairobi Trio, and Ruining It for Everybody, and three novels, Noogie’s Time to Shine, The Buzzing, and Unplugging Philco. He lives in Brooklyn.
Read more from Jim Knipfel
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Reviews for The Blow-off
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
2 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I received this book for free, from the goodreads first reads program.
I enjoyed the characters in this book. Their peculiar personalities made for some interesting reading. They seem to live in their own world, while interacting with the general population. Hank and his carny pal Rocky were fun characters. They seem to share a common past, although that is only briefly touched upon in the novel. I would like to read more of their backstory.
The plot, about how mass hysteria can grip a city, and the part the press plays in it, was believable, although I hope it never goes as badly in real life as it does in the book. I didn't quite understand the end of the novel. It appeared that Hank had some sort of new insight to the Gowanus Beast, but I wasn't sure what it was.
This book had a fast paced plot, and interesting characters. Hank's character may be offensive to some readers. He seems to insult everyone he comes in contact with, and many of his insults are based on racial stereotypes. Still, I enjoyed the way the chaos spins out of control as the myth of the Gowanus Beast grows. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knipfel tells a rollicking farce on New York, the media, and mass hysteria. It is impossible, I can venture to say, to read and not to hope that someone, anyone, will eventually get it right and focus on the real crime, that someone will call the media on the circus they have created, that at some point the journalists or the public will sober up. But, no. When the sanest group of people walking around in the Gowanus area consists of a circus midget, a bigoted penny-saver journalist, and a floor-manager-gone-alien-hunter, who can imagine what else can go wrong?
Blow-off is, on the surface, a humorous tale of monster-on-the-loose, but underneath an unsettling farce on the state of "free" press.
Book preview
The Blow-off - Jim Knipfel
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