Tales Of Insomnia

THE SERIAL KILLER'S

DIET BOOK

The DEFINITIVE version of this acclaimed literary satire. First published in 2001, it was revised & re-edited in 2015 (although the author still dislikes commas).

FRED ORBIS is fat, very fat, and he wants to be thin.  He wants to be someone else. In his eyes, he is Federico Orbisini, internationally known novelist, existential philosopher, raconteur, and lover of women. His is a villa on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, and an apartment in Paris and New York. And wherever he goes, women will see in him a depth of passion so great that they'll be both overwhelmed and helplessly drawn. In his eyes, they'll see themselves as they always wanted to be, and for a brief glorious moment, their souls will dance. 

THE SERIAL KILLER'S DIET BOOK is a fin-de-siècle Faustian satire inspired by Rabelais. It's a reflection on morals, God and the Devil, heaven and hell, beauty, literature and the bestseller list. And through it all, the universal longing to become someone else.

"A complex, thought-provoking, challenging, and hilarious novel. Rich with nuance, layers of meaning, symbolism, and literary references. The SERIAL KILLER'S DIET BOOK (love the title) is a rhapsody on Beauty, Good & Evil, and the selling of souls. The revised edition is amazing! Why this is not a bestseller, I don't understand. Someone needs to tell Oprah about this book!"

—Dr. Roxanne

THE SERIAL KILLER'S DIET BOOK

The SKDB is not just a comic masterpiece, but it's also a wonderful introduction to Wakese, the language James Joyce created to write his final book, "Finnegans Wake." In Chapter 25, the titular anti-hero, writes a letter to the police telling them exactly where and when they can find him, but he writes it in Wakese. It takes the world's greatest authority on the "Wake" (a former scholar, now a homeless bum living behind a dumpster) to translate it for the detectives. Meanwhile, the book itself gives the reader an intimate look at how this cleverly inventive language works. For both a fun read and an enjoyably-offbeat understanding of "Finnegans Wake," this is a book not to be missed. I couldn't put it down!

—Time Out Helsinki