Constructed through a series of interconnected, erotically fueled, hallucinatory episodes involving Jonathan Harnisch's signature character Benjamin J. Schreiber--who, like the author, suffers from schizophrenia and Tourette's syndrome--this nonlinear novel is, on the surface, about struggling with mental health, sexual obsession, and toxic interdependency. But ultimately, this twisted and at times psychopathic story is an intimate journey of self-discovery steeped in existential philosophy. Georgie Gust is Schreiber's alter ego. Gust is obsessed with Claudia Nesbitt --an imaginary construct that is simultaneously his paraplegic lover, a one-night stand, a sexy neighborhood waitress, and his cheating wife, depending on what "schizophrenic sex- and-drug skit" or "sleazy hardcore porn-flick" scenario he is currently immersed in. At the behest of his "psycho brain picker," Dr. C, Schreiber chronicles his fantasies as Gust in meticulous detail by writing them down. In one particularly memorable sequence, Gust is living in a suburban McMansion in New Jersey. With Claudia dead and Gust now married to a shrew of a woman, he secretly opens a wax museum to pay homage to the object of his obsessive affection, who has inexplicably reappeared as an alluring waitress. While not as brilliantly constructed as Harnisch's Lover in the Nobody (2014)--which had a jaw-dropping revelation at novel's end--his latest still delivers, although on a more muted, introspective level. Amid the chaos of Schreiber's life, he--with the help of his psychiatrist--finds an almost Taoist peace of mind through deep self-analysis. "So, Ben, no matter how bad things get, no matter how stupid and ridiculous and absurd the whole world seems, even if the whole world goes crazy--remember, Ben, don't forget to laugh." This is not necessarily an easy read but one that has palpable philosophical weight. Those adventurous enough to follow it to the end, will be rewarded by transformative glimpses into the underlying principles that govern the chaotic world in which we live.
A fascinating book that raises questions about the meaning of self and relationships, and is a unique look at love. Hallucinatory and complex, The Oxygen Tank by Jonathan Harnisch delves deeply into an imaginary couple whose relationship's consequences are all too real. Ben Schreiber lives halfway in a dream-world of schizophrenic hallucinations. Some are tortured, some bizarre, and all are centered on his dream woman, Claudia Nesbitt. In them, Ben's alter ego, Georgie Gust, engages in an endless pursuit of his beloved, only for their relationship to shatter again and again. Through every possible scenario, including abuse and death and sex, Ben chases Georgie chasing Claudia, always seeking an answer to his own inner turmoil. The book is a series of fantasies, each one involving various stages of the relationship between Georgie and Claudia. Throughout, it is unclear whether Claudia herself actually exists. Judging by Georgie's earlier experiences at Wakefield Prep School, as told in Harnisch's novel Freak, Claudia may be a manifestation of a young woman whose suicide left a deep impression on Georgie. It is possible to read into the book that the relative orderliness of the real, doomed Claudia's life in comparison to Georgie's may be the source of his guilt. He seems as obsessed with his disorder as he is lost in would-bes and fantasies. Whether she's real, based on reality, or completely imaginary, Claudia is unattainable. Even when Georgie tries to literally objectify her by turning her likeness into a wax sculpture, she shatters his equilibrium and frustrates his intentions, evading his control without even trying. In this way, Claudia represents Ben's schizophrenia, a simultaneously beguiling and excruciating experience that can give him nothing real by definition. The book's examination of the characters of Georgie and Claudia is unrelenting, and several other characters reappear regularly in Ben's hallucinations, but Ben himself is only an observer. Despite this, he is the only character who evolves throughout the book. Georgie simply repeats the same mistakes over and over again, and Claudia is essentially an archetype. But, then again, neither of them is real. This subtle difference helps to give the book, and Ben's struggle to understand his own complicated mind, greater weight. The book's use of a preceding synopsis is a bit of a spoiler for the development of each hallucination, often revealing what might have been better left to discovery. However, the synopsis is easily skippable, and the chaos of the book's structure is a far greater pleasure. Evoking the currents and eddies of Ben's mind, the book seems to forcibly pull Georgie away from happiness at every turn, emphasizing his lack of control over his situation. The Oxygen Tank is an interesting, even fascinating book that raises questions about the meaning of self and relationships. In all respects, it is a unique look at love. Fans of Harnisch's other work will appreciate this, which may be among his best work, and those looking for a break from run-of-the-mill literary fiction would be well advised to take a look.
Harnisch's (Porcelain Utopia, 2016, etc) unconventional work of fiction documents its protagonist's chronic mental illness. Benjamin J. Schreiber, recently out of rehab, lives a life of arrant dissipation, lost in a world of alcohol and drugs. He documents his life and obsessions in his journal, The Secret Sex Diaries of Benjamin J Schreiber. Sometimes, Benjamin writes in the first person, other times in the third, describing the frantically lascivious exploits of his alter ego, Georgie. Other times, the narrative unfolds in the form of correspondence between Benjamin and this therapist, nebulously named "Dr. C." Georgie meets (or, maybe, he conjures) Claudia, a sultry sexpot who becomes his sexual companion, wife, muse, and perpetual source of angst. At one point, they're married and live in a sprawling mansion; at another, Claudia is his older, French inamorata, and they rob banks together. Harnisch announces in a prefatory note that the book is composed in a nonlinear fashion as a series of Benjamin's potentially hallucinatory imaginings. However, this note is unnecessary and even condescending, as none of the competing storylines seem plausible enough (or are delivered sedately enough) to be other than fantastical. Also, the prose is, at best, uneven: " 'Photograph me, Georgie,' she whispers. 'Picture me. Print me. Capture me and keep me in your memory. I just love, love, love pictures. Take more pictures of me. Please, please, please, Georgie-boo-boo!' " Eventually, after a tragedy, Georgie desperately attempts to keep his memories alive by constructing a wax museum. The author is to be commended for considerable ambition, as it takes some audacity to thoroughly dispense with the traditional structure of the novel to more palpably represent Benjamin's profound illness. However, Benjamin is the only character that's given even a hint of depth, and readers' only access to him is through his maniacal reveries. The book's principal defect isn't merely that it's hard to follow, but that it's impossible for readers to care enough to make the effort worthwhile. An admirably daring account of psychosis, but one that's too disjointed to sustain interest.
