Flann OBriens first novel is a brilliant impressionistic jumble of ideas, mythology and nonsense. Operating on many levels it incorporates plots within plots, giving full rein to OBriens dancing intellect and Celtic wit. The undergraduate narrator lives with his uncle in Dublin, drinks too much with his friends and invents stories peopled with hilarious and unlikely characters, one of whom, in a typical OBrien conundrum, creates a means by which women can give birth to full-grown people. Flann OBriens blend of farce, satire and fantasy result in a remarkable, astonishingly innovative book.