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The Celibacy Club
Janice Eidus. City Lights Books, 1997. 199pp. $9.95

Amy Christopher

"If Elvis is alive and well and masquerading as a Hasidic Jew in the Bronx, well, then, anything is possible, and I do mean anything," writes Janice Eidus in the first of nineteen unpredictable stories that comprise The Celibacy Club. This eclectic and immediate collection spiritedly delves into many of our nation's collective preoccupations and emerges with surreal tales, pairing fantastic characters with everyday New York life. As we spin from a matzoh-munching Elvis sighting to the sensual attraction of a ping-pong master/vampire, Barbie emerging in the 90's at a group therapy session and the inner torments of a phone-sex operator, the ridiculous is skillfully made relevant. Twice winner of the prestigious O. Henry Award, Eidus wields charged humor and unanticipated poignancy to create manic snapshots of contemporary American obsessions.