Mr. X
By Peter Straub
Random House, $25.95
ISBN 0679401385

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Mr. X is a reality paradox about a dysfunctional family whose members can be in two places at once, float off the ground, dematerialize through walls, hang in the air, travel through time, come back from the dead, predict the future, read minds, and destroy others with a glance. Part mystery, part horror, Mr. X is the story of a man figuratively and literally coming to terms with various aspects of himself and hoping to stay alive until his next birthday. It is a suspenseful novel that leaves the reader wondering right from the start, What's going to happen next? Those who enjoy the writings of old-timer H.P. Lovecraft will especially enjoy the game Straub plays with the reader.

Mr. X has more sharp turns than a one-lane mountain road, with all routes beginning and ending in the same freaky town. The about-faces are unexpected and Straub takes great pains to set the reader up. He's a writer in masterful form, controlling the emotions and perceptions of the characters and the reader as well.

The plot moves fast, much happens, and the reader rushes to keep up. The beginning is slightly confusing, but it is purposeful. There's an incredible amount of stimuli -- sights, sounds, senses -- that is reflective of what must be going on inside the main character's head.

Full of action, yes, but Mr. X is much more than that. It is a mental chess game and the wise reader will not skim or divert his attention (or ignore seemingly insignificant characters) because two chapters later he will be clueless and have to reread. Even paying attention, the reader may feel a mental circuit is about to blow as the story heaves and lists, but rare is the author who thinks enough of readers to give them such a mental challenge. When the end arrives, the tapestry is perfect. Complicated plot lines are securely entwined with other plot lines, each dependent upon the other. One character remarks, "If every book writer goes through the kind of misery Mr. Rinehart did, I'm glad I was a driver." At times the reader may wonder if Peter Straub didn't write these words about himself. There are a lot of characters and subplots to keep straight in the mind of one single man.

Mr. X is a mystery character who takes the entire book to unmask. And only if you are confident, do you believe you know him then.

Clay Stafford is a writer and filmmaker living outside Nashville.