Rating: 
Summary: Junk and kitties-my favorite
Review: This is the story of a man who is obsessed by junk. He is obsessed by estate sales and thrift stores. Just after his mother dies, he starts an affair with Theresa, who works in an animal shelter, trying to look after abandoned pets, and killing them when she can't. Our hero falls in love with Theresa, the first time in his life that he has done so. But she cannot reciprocate because she is too emotionally scarred by all the pets that she has killed. The other part of the plot is the hero's own discovery of who his parents really were, through the junk that they left behind. Together, he and Theresa come to terms with their respective losses, in a beautiful ritual, which marks the book's culmination.
I found the characters both interesting and sympathetic. They all had something to admire and something not to admire. You get a detailed description of the lives and problems of people who make a living from junk and of those who work in animal shelters. I found myself wondering how you can stay sane, if you spend your days killing pets that people discarded like old clothes. They also develop in a believable way. I didn't find them annoying in any way, unlike some reviewers, but then, your mileage may vary. This is essentially a story about two people who expect to live lives without love. At times they love each other, and for a lot of time they hate each other. It's a bit like "Frankie and Johnny". How it all ends is not at all predictable and the way it ends is so wonderful as to verge on magic realism.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, insightful, original, perceptive
Review: This tale engages all the reader's emotions. It is laugh-out-loud funny, sexy, poignant, heart-rending, and an overall satisfying read. The protagonist and narrator is a self-deprecating second-hand-store owner who is happily addicted to other people's cast-offs: the kitch and style of items from bygone days that have become the stuff of happy memories. His mother's death triggers a series of events that includes discovering his parents' humanity and falling in love with a quirky, tortured, fellow junker. Particularly insightful are the author's theories about consumer culture. The book is a lot of fun, particularly for readers who appreciate thrift stores, estate sales, and the cast-off detritus of strangers.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't want to close the cover on the last page!!
Review: What a wonderful story....well-written and fun! Mr. Zadoorian really makes you feel you are right there in the middle of the story with his vivid, descriptive writing. I really didn't want it to end!
| 
