November 20, 2023
New Yorker contributing humor writer Stein debuts with a darkly funny tale of a man’s unraveling after he receives an unprovoked death threat. Melvin Levin, 41, is focused on gaining a long-awaited promotion at his unspecified corporate office job when he finds an anonymously written letter laced with hilarious misspellings and mixed metaphors (“You’ve worn out my patients for the last time and your through. My fury will rain down on you like a pack of rapid dogs and you’ll be flayed”). To Levin’s surprise, the attention paid to him by “the threatener” inspires newfound confidence. His gait takes on a “hint of urgency, conveyed mainly by a slight hunching forward,” and he adopts a superior attitude when a colleague shares a story of a comparatively inconsequential mugging. After the threatener sends photographs of Levin as proof that he’s being surveilled, Levin is keen to share them with coworkers until he realizes they’re unflattering. As he grows restless with waiting for the threatener to act and annoyed by his coworkers’ banal fixation on things like a retirement party, he finally forces a crisis, which the author resolves with surprising irony. Stein’s diverting story of self-aggrandizement is worth a look.
November 1, 2023
DEBUT Humorist and television writer Stein's first novel introduces readers to Melvin Levin, a creature of habit who lives so cautiously that he has carpeted his apartment in cardboard so as not to disturb his noise-sensitive downstairs neighbors. Levin's mundane existence, centered around toiling at an office job, takes a turn when he unexpectedly receives a death threat in the mail. Though poorly written and vague, the threat revives Levin, whose suddenly fleeting life is reinvigorated with purpose and anticipation. Levin begins eschewing work obligations, treating himself to fine dining, and enjoying, almost craving, the increased attention the threat brings him. Though centered around a death threat, this short novel is a satirical character study, not a mystery or suspense story; it could be an excellent addition to displays of quick, engaging reads. Fans of Less by Andrew Sean Greer will enjoy Stein's tongue-in-cheek writing style. VERDICT It doesn't necessarily break new ground, but this debut is an enjoyable, easy recommendation to readers looking for a humorous escape.--Mary Kamela
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