As much as I can’t stand Steve Martin in most of his films, I adore him as a writer. From his books, such as Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, which were translated into Hebrew that I read, it seems that he always picks the point of view of the outsider and deals with it with great sensibility.
I had a struggle within me whether to write about this book or to write about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time but even though there is much to learn from Mark Haddon who uses the English language and mathematics for his own needs; I still wanted to write about Martin because he represents a different approach to weirdness. The story teller in his book doesn’t know that he is mentally challenged. He is sure he belongs in Mensa and last Friday I met a man who had a brain aneurism and I noticed, while he was talking that he views himself as normal, like the hero of this book. Another thing I take from this book is his realism and sense of humor, as well as the way I could identify with his point of view and ceremonies, (even though after Monk it might seem less odd). Needless to say, Martin’s books teach us a lesson in humbleness and are very highly recommended.