February 12-18, 2004

artpicks

Kyle Smith reads and signs

by Alex Richmond

Books

It's not news to anyone that guys get their hearts broken just as much as women do. They just tend not to write novels about it. Hence the genre "chick lit," which is for now without a male counterpart ("dick lit" sounding more likely to be less literary). Catcher in the Rye is as much about the male romantic experience as adolescence. And no one calls novels by men "men's novels."

Enter Love Monkey (William Morrow), which could be the first, most modern entry into the self-depreciating, funny, wry and painfully accurate genre of whatever the male counterpart to chick lit would be. Kyle Smith's debut novel is that rare gem in that its hero, Tom Farrell, is typical, being single, horny and almost desperate, and rare in that he's honest with his modern love-life confusion (to call him clueless is to write him off).

Love Monkey also takes note of the single most important event in this century, 9/11. Could any modern novel set in New York City not? The day of and those after are not red-white-and-blue flavored, or jingoistic. Farrell is too smart and cynical for that.

Most thankfully, Love Monkey does not have one of those novelistic endings where all the loose ends tie neatly into a happy, smiling bow. In this day and age, it would be dishonest if it did. Love Monkey will be a cult classic and Kyle Smith revered much like another male humorist, David Sedaris. I wonder if Smith has a sister, too?

Kyle Smith reads and signs, Tue., Feb. 17, 6 p.m., Borders, 1 S. Broad St., 215-568-7400.

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