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A review of Motherless Brooklyn

by Jonathan Lethem

Classic detective story with a main character afflicted with Tourette's syndrome.

Reviewed by: A.J. Kohn
About A.J. Kohn

Motherless Brooklyn ‘Motherless Brooklyn’ is a classic detective story with one major twist – the main character has Tourette’s syndrome. In other hands this concept could have gone awry, but Jonathan Lethem creates a dynamic mystery while giving the reader an engaging, eye-opening education on a misunderstood disease.

Using Brooklyn as his canvass, Lethem introduces Lionel Essrog, an orphan ‘freak show’, who along with three other boys are taken under the wing of Frank Minna, a local low-level wise guy. The four boys grow up under his tutelage, performing a variety of odd and vaguely shady jobs, and ultimately become ‘Minna Men’, employees of a pseudo detective agency disguised as a limousine service.

Lionel’s world is turned upside down when Frank is murdered, setting into motion a classic whodunit full of suspense, betrayal and plot twists. The plot is somewhat intricate, yet connecting the dots isn’t difficult but, as it should be, is rather enjoyable. Lethem’s writing is clean and crisp but also rich and evokes the sights, sounds, smells and overall feeling of those New York neighborhoods.

The plot grounds and propels the story. However, it is the mental gymnastics of Lionel, his tics and verbal jabs, which fill the book with awe and humor. You can’t help but learn quite a bit about Tourette’s syndrome, and it is at once fascinating and hilarious. Yes, Lethem plays some of the symptoms for laughs, but affectionately, with a full understanding of the condition.

This is not a light treatment of the subject where all you’re exposed to are bursts of expletives intended to tickle the funny bone of the average teen. Whether it is his obsession with eating White Castle hamburgers, a compulsion to tap a person’s shoulder a specific number of times or his plight of pet ownership, you begin to get a glimpse of what it is like for Lionel and all those afflicted with Tourette’s syndrome.

‘Motherless Brooklyn’ is a well-written onion peel of a story that breaks the usual detective genre with a distinctive voice and provides a satisfying payoff.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Motherless Brooklyn

Copyright © by A.J. Kohn, 2002

Reviewed by A.J. Kohn:
-- Motherless Brooklyn - by Jonathan Lethem
-- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - by Douglas Adams
-- Stranger Passing - by Joel Sternfeld
-- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - by Michael Chabon
-- Bloodsucking Fiends - by Christopher Moore
-- The Long Rain - by Peter Gadol









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