"The Vanilla Kid was the only name any of us knew for him; and, at that time, the only name Kid knew for himself. He was one of the street people: those who had disappeared from another life and would disappear from this one, too." -So begins the story. Who he was before, and who he was after-and how he sorted it (them ) all out-is a witty and bizarre tale built on mind games pitting Identity versus Deception. The Vanilla Kid is a labyrinth of wry twists and turns, a series of illusions which will challenge the reader to new insights- all leading toward that enigma called Self. But even these supposedly lofty thoughts are offered up with an ever-present sense for the absurd.