Super Cell Anemia by Duncan B. Barlow

So I got Super Cell Anemia last night (after having to order it to the book store).  It's really quite excellent so far -I've read through about 100 pages. The author splits the book into 2 main sections of storytelling. First is through the normal pacing, which always starts with a journal entry, and then continues after the italicized text into present tense. The other type of chapters begin with specific places, (like apartment rooms, a mansion, etc.) because the main character of the story has obsessive compulsive problems (he's always aware of sounds and investigates them) so he somewhat stalks on what people are doing.

It's really interesting so far and the author, Duncan B. Barlow, uses a quirky, almost naive way of explaining things.
 

The story touches on themes like sex, religion, paranoia, and motherhood. And then off of motherhood, rebellion I guess. An exotic dancer the main character likes, Charlie, had a mother that tortured her into learning ballet perfectly. Then as she grew up, she stopped dancing, but then started again, only now impurifying the ballet with many other different styles of dancing (leading to her exotic dancing). That was her form of revenge against her mother. But he's afraid to have sex or any form of relationship with her because he's obsessed with staying free of germs, haha.
 

As for the plot, the main character, Gilles, is electric and moved to Ohio so he could be investigated by Dr. Moore.  The doctor gave him copper strips so he could relieve the electric currents through his limbs.  And he's also been noticing sounds outside of his window at night to discover a mutant cat man, wearing a tuxedo, staring at him.  Among other problems, he's also trying to date an exotic dancer. 

It's odd (and unnerving/unsettling as the story progresses), but really fun and thoughtful as well.  I highly recommend it.

Here are some compliments other writers have said about the book:

"In Barlow's Cincinnati-gone-strange, a germ-obsessed electrified man finds himself at the mercy of a mutant cat man, an odd doctor, misguided policemen, and (perhaps worst of all) the terrors of dating.  Unrelentingly bizarre and mysterious, unsettling in all the right ways, Super Cell Anemia is a strange and powerful debut." --Brian Evenson, author of The Open Curtain, The Wavering Knife: Stories, and Altmann's Tongue

"Prepare yourself, good reader, for you are about to have the great fortune of meeting Gilles, dreamer of dark and beautiful dreams, spinner of strange syntax, copper biter, spark shooter, cat chaser, tunnel explorer, vigilant neighbor and, most importantly, hero of this knockout novel.  Go ahead, try it, see for yourself (the guy, like the book, is high-voltage)...shake his hand..."  --Laird Hunt, author of The Impossibly, Indiana, Indiana (The Dark and Lovely Portions of the Night) and The Exquisite

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT!