As Mazeppa, the trumpet-playing burlesque dancer from “Gypsy,” pointed out, “Kid, you gotta have a gimmick if you want to get ahead.” Rudolph Delson’s first novel certainly has that. “Maynard and Jennica” tells the story of, er, Maynard and Jennica. Their New York City romance is told through the voices of no less than 35 different narrators. And, like Mazeppa herself, the story is revealed to us a little bit at a time.

Maynard Gogarty is a “reformed misanthrope” who now spends his time secretly filming fashion faux pas on New York subways. He lives in an apartment his parents own, making a few dollars here and there by teaching piano to children who would rather play video games, and occasionally indulging himself with his strange whims, such as a failed bran muffin business. His film, “Unseemly,” featuring clips he has shot on the subway, has garnered him a spot of attention, most recently being shown at Sundance.

PUPPY JONES paraphrases what Maynard Gogarty said when asked at Sundance about immortality (early August 2000):
He says, “And that is how you achieve immortality. You achieve immortality by being a cliché. Because if you are a cliché, then even though you may die, you have lived on.” ... He says, “So no, I do not want to achieve immortality through art. Art is what I hope will let me rest in peace.”...
And I sez to Bez, “The man is a genius!”
And Bez sez to me, “He’s just full of himself.”

Jennica Green is an implant from California, a workaholic who denies herself fun and relaxation in favor of being “illustrious.” She moved to New York because she felt it was where she needed to be to achieve her goal, something she has wished for all her life.

MITCHELL and SUSAN GREEN discuss their daughter’s aspirations to illustriousness (early August 2000):
S: Jennica thought we led boring lives. What do you tell a sixteen-year-old? “Be grateful you live in peace and comfort”? And expect that to be the end of it? “Nothing interesting ever happens to us. All you and Dad ever did was go to college and buy a house and have us.” I told her she could say whatever she wanted to us, since we were her parents, but she shouldn’t just go around telling other people that she thought they led boring lives, because she would hurt someone’s feelings. She said “At least hurting someone’s feelings would be interesting.” What do you say to that?”

While most of the narration takes place around the beginning of the 21st century, the speakers reveal things about Maynard and Jennica from all different stages of their lives. Their parents (and dead ancestors) talk of things that happened when Maynard and Jennica were children, giving us background to explain both of their eccentricities. A train conductor weighs in about the couple’s first meeting on the train she was driving. Maynard’s friend David talks of trying to help him sort out legal issues. Jennica’s friend Natalie explains how she is trying to set up Jennica with her brother George. Even things not human have their say.

The passage of time, as observed by CERTAIN CICADAS (late summer 2000):
“She-eee-eee. Hee-eee-eee.”

Rudolph Delson has scored here with an entertaining story. The book is a quick read, with the story played out in easily ingestible morsels, bouncing back and forth between narrators and time periods, colorful and flashy as a pinball machine. It is reflective of fast-paced New York City. The words seem to come at such a rapid pace that, at times, it gives the feeling of having more words on the pages than there actually are.

The book is not entirely without its flaws, however. The story is so delightful that when the occasional narrator is vulgar, it seems out of place, striking up like a fist from the page. And Jennica’s use of the word ‘like’ in, like, almost every sentence, a trait that first endeared Maynard to her, is actually, like, a bit irritating, giving her sentences little hiccups that jar your eyes from their travels.

Still, it is not enough to keep “Maynard and Jennica” from being highly enjoyable. Delson’s author write-up says he left his job as a lawyer on the eve of his 30th birthday to finish the book. Seems like it’s going to work out well for him. With a fresh approach to the novel, he is certain to go far in the literary world.