"The Cannibal" is an engaging, flowing novel that is also completely flat (in character and description) and jumpy, with no emotional involvement and even less dialogue (if that's a gesture of defiance toward literary convention, it certainly doesn't work). Is it possible for a book to be completely incoherent and confusing during and after reading, but still keep your finger on the next page? Apparently so, as this is certainly not the worst book I've read. It's unmemorable, sure, but John Hawkes at least exhibits a style that's free of the outright pretension that befalls authors like Pynchon and DeLillo. Interpret it how you may: "The Cannibal" is a book about nothing (maybe incoherence and WWII), but it is well-written, therefore it avoids a one-star rating.
