May 5-11, 2005

artpicks

God Is In the Details

reading

The characters are flat, the prose is simple, and the plots march straight and tie up neatly like jokes. You can't read Shalom Auslander's Beware of God (Simon & Schuster) the way you'd tackle other works of short fiction; the existential explorations — played out by self-aware chimps, theological fundamentalists and a dog who frowns on masturbation, among others — are not intended for scholarly interpretation. Indeed, reading Auslander at all might put unfair pressure on an author who isn't trying to create conventional literature. He's a smart guy with a sharp eye for human behavior, a tendency to repeat himself for comic effect and a couple shrewd points to make about overly organized religions. Sounds like a standup comedian to me. At the library, we should see Auslander in his element, reading his stories aloud, pausing for the laughter and making a direct connection with his audience.

Shalom Auslander, Thu., May 5, 7 p.m., with Eric Bogosian, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322.

—Patrick Rapa