Strange, Playful, Fun

I know that they can confuse and frustrate some readers, but by gosh I love Cantero's playfully transgressive and puckish novels. Gender fluidity meets bizarro plotting meets meta narrative, and it's all wrapped up in dry humor, energetic narrative, and sardonic wit.

In "The Supernatural Enhancements" Cantero gave us an inspired and elegantly dense send-up of gothic ghost stories. In "Meddling Kids" Scooby-Doo and the Hardy Boys fought interdimensional demon spawn. Here, a twin set of brother and sister, who share one melded body, fight crime as a private eyes. (Just the play he makes of singular and plural pronouns and verbs justifies the existence of this book.)

Everything about the book is joyfully subversive. There are typographical jokes. Narrative can be straight forward or couched as scripted dialogue, interview transcripts, or stream of consciousness monologues. Banter is smart and fast. Throwaway lines, clever asides, literary side-eye, the antic, and the deadpan, all tumble past each other.

This is ripping fun. It's more accessible and less stand-offish than "Supernatural Enhancements" and less plotty and faster paced than "Meddling Kids", so this book, even though it's Cantero's third, strikes me as a most excellent place to start if you're new to Cantero. If you know his work and like it, this will count as another treat.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Edgar Cantero, you're a good dude. You have figured out how to write the meta books to complement the meta movies I love, such as <i>Scream</i> and <i>Scream 4.</i>

I won't lie, I grabbed at this ARC 90% due to the author, then realize the story actually sounded interesting. It had an air of "Sherlock, but with his mortal enemy in the same body?" And it is really worth noting that there are two characters: Adrian and Zooey. Form your love and opinions for both.

At its heart, it is a meta detective novel. Do we have a femme fatale? The unnecessary death? Way too much exposition in the detective's brain? A damsel in distress? YES, but also no.

If you read Cantero's <i>Meddling Kids</i> and loved it, you'll love this book. It is in some ways less meta than the previous book, or it at least works in the meta so much better. I couldn't stop reading and laughing — between Danny and Ursel and Zooey, expect to be entertained in inappropriate ways.

I thought I had the mystery figured out, but then realized I had ~30% left of the book and thus I was wrong. But I didn't care. The real mystery is even better than what I had figured out — less obvious, but totally believable.

If you are looking for....a twist on Sherlock? Something ridiculously fun and meta? A book that has a body with two people in it that isn't a breakdown for one or both sobbing about it, this book is fun and you should pick it up.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book — it definitely did not influence my feelings.  I plan to buy my own soon as well.

This Body’s not Big Enough for the Both of Us is my third Edgar Cantero novel (The Supernatural Enchantments and Meddling Kids) and I think it’s his best yet. The noir genre compliments his unique writing style. The main character is A. Z. Kimrean (Adrian and Zooey) who are fraternal, hermaphrodite twins who share the same body.... So far a total mind f@ck right!!??!! but it gets better. The left side (analytical, methodical, emotionless) of the brain is controlled by Adrian and the right (creative,experimental, emotional) is controlled by Zooey. Their living in such close quarters has triggered one of the worse cases of sibling rivalry in fiction. A. and Z. are private dicks on a case involving mob boss Lyon children being brutally murdered. The cast of characters include undercover cops, ninjas, a femme fatale, a waitress, thugs, a cartel boss, and a tween. You’ll have to suspend your belief at times but it’s definitely a fun ride.

Detective fiction is riddled with genre clichés and tropes, but there are also plenty of ways to subvert the expectations that come from noir.

For instance, what if instead of a single two-fisted, whiskey-swilling, Spade-esque detective, you had two? And what if they were brother and sister? What if they were twins? And what if they were twins who inhabited the same body? Not conjoined twins, mind you – one body, two people.

Well, then you’d have A.Z. Kimrean, the protagonist(s) of Edgar Cantero’s “This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us.” The book is a weird, occasionally hallucinatory trip down a pop culture rabbit hole; it’s built on a foundation of detective fiction, but really, anything goes. Rapid-fire references and allusions abound; the dialogue crackles with anarchic wit. It’s a comic thriller unlike any you’ve ever read starring a character unlike any you’ve ever experienced.

The office door has two names on it: A. Kimrean and Z. Kimrean, Private Eyes. And there are two detectives, a brother and a sister. Adrian is the brother, logical and aloof. Zooey is the sister, creative and empathetic. But that’s where the twos … stop. There’s only one desk and one chair. And when someone comes in looking for help, they’re looking at just one body.

But it’s two people.

Adrian and Zooey aren’t conjoined twins; there’s just one body. And they aren’t a fractured personality; DNA evidence proves that they are two distinct people. And together, they are maybe the best private detectives that the West Coast has to offer. But when they’re enlisted to help solve a case involving drug kingpins in California’s dirtiest city, they might be in over their heads.

Victor Lyon – known on the streets simply as “the Lyon” – leads one of the country’s largest drug cartels. He lives in the hedonistic and sin-rich (and delightfully named) city of San Carnal. And someone is targeting his heirs. Someone is ruthlessly dispatching the Lyon’s cubs and no one seems to really understand who it is. Is it the Yakuza? The Mexican mob? Another unknown gang looking to make a splash? It’s up to Adrian and Zooey to figure it out – and hopefully stop a major gang war.

Along the way, they have to deal with overzealous law enforcement officers, including one undercover cop who’s in too deep and may not be able to get out. There are femme fatales a-plenty – particularly since the Kimreans play pretty fast and loose with the definition of the term. And of course, the wealth of pop cultural tidbits and tropes that mark the work of Edgar Cantero; nods to big dumb action movies and noir classics, Saturday morning cartoons and canonical literature.

And at the center of it all, one of the most bizarre sibling rivalries ever put to page.

Full disclosure: I assumed I was going to like this book, if only because I absolutely loved Cantero’s last offering “Meddling Kids.” But I also assumed there was no way the author could re-achieve the hilarious and strange heights hit by that story. I was wrong. “This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us” is just as good as its predecessor while being a very different book. The two share some stylistic and thematic DNA, but each is its own thing.

“This Body” is a very interior book; unsurprising, considering the nature of its protagonist(s). Cantero spends a lot of time teasing out the weird dynamic between Adrian and Zooey, drawing the reader along as we learn more and more about these two people as they try and navigate their unique circumstances. The interpersonal interactions between them are magnificent to read, capturing the bizarreness of the situation while also presenting the two as real, distinct people.

It really is remarkable.

Of course, “This Body” is also populated with a cast of idiosyncratic supporting characters that really flesh out the world that Cantero aims to create. The dysfunctional family at the helm of a drug empire, packed with a soap opera’s worth of overwrought relationships. The undercover cop whose faith and friendship mean the world to Adrian and Zooey … and whose fate might well rest in their hands. The doctor who proved the individual personhood of the Kimreans (though the “how” is never really explained) and who remains in their lives to this day. All are multi-dimensional and funny and weird and beautifully unique.

Cantero’s San Carnal is a funhouse mirror salute to societal self-involvement, an urban amalgam that imports bits of vital venality from a variety of cityscapes, from Vegas to Venice Beach. It’s an ideal setting for such a story, chimeric in much the same way as the story’s star(s).

“This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us” is a hilarious trip of a novel, self-aware and subversive in all the best ways. Cantero’s multitude of inspirations come together in a marvelous morass, creating a story driven by unconventional heroes and unexpected villains. It celebrates its influences even as it challenges them. A remarkable work from a remarkable writer.

I began This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us with eager anticipation--I really enjoyed Cantero's two other English-language books. And while I felt that this got off to an uneven start, I found myself enjoying it more and more as it progressed. Adrian and Zooey Kimrean (a near-anagram of Kimerean, as they are a chimera) are sibling private investigators constantly fighting for control of the single body they share. Asked to investigate a mob killing, both sleuths make unique contributions and develop as individuals during the case. Cantero's unorthodox mix of traditional prose and screenwriting formats makes for a quick and fun read, providing excellent descriptions and visual cues for readers. Overall, an eye-opening and manic joy ride.

Brother and sister P.I. team Adrian and Zooey Kimrean are on the case. Dealing with femme fatales and neckless thugs is just Tuesday for them, which is why the police are calling them in to help with the drug war that is exploding in town. Because their undercover guy, Danny Mojave, needs help before he ends up as collateral damage in the hostile takeover of the top drug cartel. Danny asks for the Kimreans, and his superiors decide to go along so as not to destroy the 18-month undercover investigation and everything that they've uncovered so far. 

Pretty typical private eye story so far, right? 

Nope. 

Zooey and Adrian work together because they have to, not because they want to. Adrian is the scientific one, depending on facts and figures, rational and unemotional. Zooey is a wild child, excited by food, alcohol, sex, and driving like a banshee. It would seem like they have nothing in common, but they actually have a lot in common--their body. Both Adrian and Zooey occupy the same body, and they spend their time fighting against each other at least as much as they fight criminals. 

With the sharp eye of Sherlock Holmes and the snarky wit of an entire writer's room full of comedians, Zooey and Adrian fight crime with intensity, intelligence, and more than a little insanity as they try to figure out who is trying to start a war so they can make sure their friend Danny can get out alive. 

Edgar Cantero follows up last year's incredibly clever Meddling Kids with this intense lunacy disguised as a hard-boiled P.I. story. This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us is another brilliant send-up filled with unexpected one-liners, gigantic action sequences, and sarcasm to spare. If you're needing a high-octane, blow-soda-out-of-your-nose funny novel teeming with pop culture references flying faster than bullets, then this is the book for you. Huge fun and very highly recommended! 



Galleys for This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us were provided by Doubleday Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I loved Supernatural Enhancements so I expected a lot from this book. This one felt overworked. It took me a while to get into it and I had a hard time forcing myself to pick it up again once I stopped reading. I think fans of Christopher Moore will enjoy this book. Or maybe fans of Robert Rankin's Eddie Bear series. I will have to try this one again. I think I wasn't in the right frame of mind to appreciate this one.

This book is a hilarious play on pretty much all the classic noir detective tropes. The detective is less hard-boiled and more hare-brained... at least half of them is. Conjoined twins Adrian and Zooey Kimrean share everything, and they hate it. But when a friend who is now an undercover cop embedded in the local mafia calls with a big problem, they aren't given much choice but to help out.
What ensues is madcap hijinks, fast-paced action, and enough plot twists to make M. Night Shyamalan dizzy.

Oh. My. Goodness. I LOVE EDGAR CANTERO'S BOOKS!!

Seriously, he has the most incredible imagination. And he pairs that with an impeccable writing style/sense of pacing and comedy AND a seemingly endless (and absolutely brilliant) collection of literary and pop-culture allusions that he sprinkles throughout his stories like marshmallows in Lucky Charms. Honestly, you couldn't ask for more!

This book brings us the most phenomenally tragically hip protagonist in recent times - A.Z. Kimrean is a marvelous creation and Cantero manages the duality/singularity with aplomb and panache (of course). The tale is wild and unusual and fascinating - as much so as Adrian and Zooey themselves - and I flew through it, skimming pages on my kindle so fast I'm surprised I still have fingerprints.

If you like your stories original, perfectly paced, and with a spot-on sense of the darkly comic absurdity of life, you can do no better than Edgar Cantero.

A comedic noir with snappy lines, pop culture references, and the obligatory femme fatale (sort of), This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us crosses genres with ease.
Adrian and Zooey Kimrean (known together as A.Z.) are twin brother and sister Private Eyes sharing an office in Fisherman's Wharf ...and also a body. As chimeric twins (the only known occurrence in the world), they are two separate people living in the same body. What some people mistake for schizophrenia is really sibling rivalry. Adrian is the intellectual/calculating twin with a sharp eye for observation and Zooey is the free-spirited/passionate twin with a sharp eye for trouble (especially causing it).
When the sons of the San Carnal drug cartel boss are murdered one by one, A.Z. speed into town to solve the case before a gang war spills out on the streets. Looking for clues, they also manage to rescue an undercover cop and a sassy 11-year-old girl along the way, while dodging bullets and fighting ninjas (and each other).
A unique gender and genre bending novel with wildly entertaining characters!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic follow up to his last great book. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Never a dull moment with charters and plot.

I was given access to an Advanced Reading Copy, by Netgalley, in exchange for an honest opinion before publication.

I gave the book three stars because there were 4 star moments but the strange and morally controversial subject matter was presented in a manner that I found hard to grasp and difficult to get through which made me want to give it 2 stars... so, I split the difference. While I do demand moral certainty from my reality, I do admit enjoying moral uncertainty in my fantasy. I felt the author was attempting to be humorous but the joke either lost a lot in the translation or media format.

https://youtu.be/00w1HGqyxTM

I loved the first sentence. It made me think of Richard Stark's Parker pimp-slapping Elmore Leonard with a copy of Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules to Writing.

The flashback within flashbacks made the start clunky and hard to follow the action. The use of the graphic novel format seems more appropriate for the author's intention.

The style is a mash up of different genres. It was like Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam placed the scripts of Brazil, Pulp Fiction and The Maltese Falcon into a cocktail shaker with William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch and The Nova Express Trilogy, then added Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 and Gravity's Rainbow and then added Samuel Beckett's Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable and shook it up with nitroglycerin and LSD.

If this were a movie it would star either RuPaul or Bruce Jenner & Kaitlyn Jenner as the main character, a dual personality, hermaphrodite literally split down the middle. A Two-Face minus the double-headed coin and Batman. A Two-Face that uses a rubber butt-plug instead of a gun.

If this had been a graphic novel like Dave Sim's Cerebus or Neil Gaiman's Sandman; then I would have given it a 5 star review. I do recommend that others read it and make their own decisions. I will most likely give the author's other works my attention.