Quitting the Nairobi Trio
by Jim KnipfelJ.P. Tarcher, 285 pp., $23.95
You know the moment: a dinner party, a drag on a cigarette, a guest too comfortable begins, "I had the most fascinating dream last night ..." And you think, "Oh no. Oh please." Jim Knipfel is that guest. Knipfel (Slackjaw) spent six months locked in a psychiatric ward after a failed suicide attempt and a "psychotic break" with reality. Quitting the Nairobi Trio is the story of those six months. Unfortunately, it is also an account -- the long version -- of his break with reality. He gleefully pokes fun of the other patients in what he deems "the bughouse" and makes light of his own troubles, never allowing readers to feel genuine sympathy for him. If you can bear the lengthy "dream sequences," Quitting the Nairobi Trio does have some fascinating moments. The romance between Gus, a "gaunt, unshaven man" who furiously pedals a stationary bicycle all day, and Edna, a woman whose make-up "was spread around only vaguely near where it was supposed to be" is priceless. Knipfel is a shrewd observer, with some interesting commentary to make. Just don't invite him to your dinner party.
