by Lance Olsen
From Booklist
Combining his dexterity for cutting-edge experimentation and a love of classic literature, Olsen takes on Franz Kafka's surreal novella "The Metamorphosis" and ingeniously adapts the story line to multiple perspectives. In the original, Kafka chose authorial omniscience to recount the misfortunes of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who awakens one morning to find himself transformed into a "monstrous vermin." Olsen surveys the unsettling events in the Samsa household from the viewpoints of, respectively, Gregor's sister Greta, his parents, the kitchen staff, and even a contemporary London woman perusing Kafka's yarn in a British Museum reading room. The essential twist in Olsen's interpretation is that Gregor never actually changes into anything except his birthday suit. He merely goes mad, hallucinating his insectile transformation. This variation allows Olsen free rein to incorporate stray biographical details from Kafka's life and allusions to his other works, most notably "The Hunger Artist." While some Kafka connoisseurs may embrace Olsen's creative retelling, others may just be driven back to the original masterpiece. Carl Hays
