San Francisco Book Review: Love and Other Pranks

(The following review of Love and Other Pranks was originally published in San Francisco Book Review. The review was written by Lauren Stafford.)

* * * * *

Come aboard, set sail, and lose yourself upon this non-stop, wild ride! Being equal parts intellectual, humorous, and utterly perplexing, Love and Other Pranks has become one of the best novels I have ever been fortunate enough to read. Tony Vigorito masterfully weaves together an infinitely looped tale of love, pirates, and wittiness that delights and mesmerizes from the very first page.

One of the best novels I have ever been fortunate enough to read.Follow along with the love story of Merlin Otherwise and Lila Louise, or with their alter egos Crow and Flaming Jane, or with their other aliases Adam and Eve. Where does one story begin and the other end? Just like the Möbius pendant worn by the heroine, so does Love and Other Pranks twist and turn upon itself in its telling. The engaging banter, the historic and philosophical quotes and references, the constant shifting of perspective all form a Gordian knot that is somehow all interconnected. I lost many hours to this story, and the layers just wash over and infuse within your very being. This book will have you, at times, crying, laughing, thinking, and shouting in rage. The thought-provoking reflection of both past and current society gives this humorous novel a serious side that perfectly balances the tale. Oh, but it’s not enough to just have all the stories interconnected, but each “story” is a perfect reflection of the “others,” with certain characters and themes mirrored or repeated across each other. One good example would be the mirrored descriptions of Catface and Dogface, or perhaps the repeated phrase of “Möbius—this isn’t really happening!”

This novel will satisfy any reader, because it has everything: pirates, angels, tricksters, love, and demons. This novel definitely delights, and I highly recommend this to everyone. There is nothing but praise I can give Love and Other Pranks, and I look forward to reading more from Mr. Vigorito.

Five stars.