Albina and the Dog-Men might be described as a story Gabriel García Márquez would have written if he'd dropped acid. With a constant flurry of strange, sexual, colorful and surreal activity, the fifth novel by filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky (best known for avant-garde works such as The Holy Mountain) is a perfect picaresque novel for lovers of the absurd.
When an albino giant appears on her street, Crabby, a hunchback, takes her in, unaware of this strange woman's effect on men. The giant, whom Crabby names Albina, begins a career as a stripper, aided and abetted by the hunchback. Before long, they're threatened by a local corrupt government official and go on the run, leading to one of the strangest road trips ever put to print, including were-dogs, ancient gods, aliens and mystical trees. What begins as a story about two women becomes an odd fairy tale readers might elect to keep out of their children's hands.
While the novel is utterly bizarre, the reader never gets lost, which is a testament to Jodorowsky's storytelling. In lesser hands, it could have been a chaotic hodgepodge of shaggy dog stories and meditations on human existence. Instead, Albina reads like a force of nature, never slowing down even as it follows detours and asides. For those new to Jodorowsky's work, and for fans alike, Albina and the Dog-Men will be a fantastic--even pleasant--trip, guided by one of the more memorable artists of the 20th century. --Noah Cruickshank, marketing manager, Open Books, Chicago, Ill.