I love his writing. Some of it is uneven, but it's mostly good. I first got hooked when I read the first pages of "A Cook's Tour" where he begins "Dear Nancy,

I love his writing. Some of it is uneven, but it's mostly good. I first got hooked when I read the first pages of "A Cook's Tour" where he begins "Dear Nancy, I'm about as far away from you as I've ever been... There's one lightbulb, a warped dresser, and a complimentary plastic comb with someone else's hair in it. In spite of the EZ Clean design features, there are suspicious and dismaying stains on the walls. About two thirds of the way up one wall, there are what look like bloody footprints and - what do they call it, arterial spray? How they got there, so high up, I can only guess. The wall opposite has equally sinister stains - evidence of a more opaque substance - these suggesting a downward dispersal. Having seen the bathroom, I can't blame the perpetrator for anything." I can read that letter over and over.