Jonathan Bricklin's debut novel is astounding for its intellectual playfulness and verbal ingenuity, and for the exuberant voice of Willy Nilly, the young hero of this unexpected adventure. Telepathy, Tetherball, Turtles, Politics, Pirates, Lemonade, Cryogenics, Waterslides and Holograms are some of the ingredients in this madcap frenzy of metaphorical escapism. If Raymond Chandler and Tom Robbins adopted a baby it might grow up to write a book like this.