Bob the Gambler

Starred review from September 29, 1997
Clear-sighted, decent Ray Kaiser narrates his sudden capitulation to the allure of Biloxi's Paradise Casino in Barthelme's (Moon Deluxe; Painted Desert) deftly comic and gently melancholic 11th book. Abandoning his unremunerative architecture firm (running Ray Kaiser Design "is kind of like being a pro bongo player"), he becomes intoxicated by the rituals and the heady promises of big payoffs at the blackjack tables and the slot machines: "It was a joy to see the money move at a sedate pace back and forth the table, as if it had a life of its own, or was reacting to my will, or the dealer's, or even the magic in the cards." His thoroughgoing investment in the casino prompts him to reevaluate everything--looking askance at the architecture profession even as he takes jobs "a little south on the food chain.'' With bracing good humor and moral nuance, the novel makes this familiar tale fresh again: Ray is as much a husband and father as he is (in his stepdaughter's sardonic parlance) "Bob the Gambler." His relationships with her, his parents and his wife, Jewel, are beguiling and carefully delineated. The unpredictable and morally ambiguous outcome of the tug-of-war between these relationships and the casino distinguish this rueful comedy, in which the narration is pitch-perfect and the plot is clever, surprising and vibrant with immediacy. Author tour.

June 15, 1998
As read by Adams Morgan, this is a humorous, if sometimes repetitive, gambling story. Ray Kaiser should be frantic. He and his wife, Jewel, have developed serious financial problems from visiting the local casino in Biloxi. They've had to close his architectural business, sell their home and cars, and move in with his mother. Stepdaughter RV, moreover, seems to be getting involved with drugs, partly because, her parents worry, they spend so much time at the casino. Funny thing, though--Ray and Jewel aren't unhappy. In fact, they rather enjoy leaving behind the accouterments of their former boring, safe lives for something they see as more authentic. They love gambling, too, getting such a charge out of it that winning almost seems irrelevant. Barthlelme creates sweet, if not especially believable, characters through sparkling repartee. The gambling plot device certainly is timely, and many listeners may enjoy the book for that reason. Others may find descriptions of the many blackjack games merely dull, or even feel that some of the humor misses the mark. This is certainly not essential but not a bad optional purchase.--John Hiett, Iowa City P.L.