A Handbook for Visitors from Outer Space

by Kathryn Kramer

A sharply fresh vision of our time conveyed through the experiences of a boy filled with classic yearnings for family wholeness and national honesty, on a quest to uncover his elders' secrets. Beginning with a mysterious, unlocatable war and concluding with a battle on the New Jersey Turnpike, this is a “mad fairy tale that unexpectedly turns out to be true” by “such an engaging storyteller that we willingly submit, believing the impossible.” (The New York Times Book Review)

A “combination of inspired tenderness and brilliant technique; it reads as if it were written by a very witty angel.” -- The Boston Herald

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Sci Fi Fantasy

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Kathryn Kramer is the author of several novels, most recently Sweet Water, short fiction, and non-fiction articles. She’s currently completing a memoir entitled Missing History: The Covert Education of a Child of the Great Books, about the experience of being brought up in the Socratic tradition. On a volunteer basis she teaches English as a second language to migrant workers in Vermont and has an Undergraduate Collaborative Research Fund grant from the college to work with a student to develop an ESL textbook for this population.

Above from Middlebury faculty page: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/e...

Reviews

[S̶e̶a̶n̶ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A war that’s not really a war...or is it. An oddly twisted family tree bearing the fruit of forbbiden love. Eccentric recluses who may or may not be royalty living on a bizarre New Jersey estate. A stew of buried secrets bubbling in the cauldron of suburban America. This is a weirdly compelling novel that will keep you speedily turning the pages until the very end. Note that this gem was also published as part of the stellar Vintage Contemporaries paperback series—a glittering mine studded with some of the best off-kilter American literary fiction published during the 1980s. Look for Lorraine Louie’s wonderful cover designs (later expanded in the 90s to a less uniform approach).

[Jordan West · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was younger and first came across the books from McSweeney's Press, the covers of these volumes created an expectation in me, a sort of ideal novel that was inspired by the images that adorned then. Unfortunately, none of the MP books I read ever quite measured up to that idea, and perhaps nothing else has, until this; a quietly unclassifiable novel, subtly fantastic and full of whimsy bordering at times on the twee - perhaps reminiscent of a gentler Vonnegut - but still possessing genuine sorrow and angst at its core. An offbeat and distinctly unique book, for me, it brought the works of Wes Anderson and Steven Millhauser to mind, as well as Hal Hartley's The Unbelievable Truth for some reason, but I haven't encountered anything else quite like it.

[Declan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most bizarre book you'll ever love. If you remember what the world was like when we lived with the real possibility of nuclear annihilation you'll understand the subtext of this suburban world.

If you like Don Delilo or Thomas Pynchon you'll like Kathryn Kramer. She's that smart, her language is that carefully crafted. She uses the frivolous and trivial to smack you between the eyes.

[Eric Kirkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece that history lost track of. Shades of Thomas Pynchon but more direct and linear.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, as the book jacket didn't have much of a description. I had picked it up on a whim years ago, and finally decided to give it a go. It was more entertaining than I expected, but the main character annoyed me, and the ending left something to be desired. An okay read overall.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book for people who want a singular story with one through line. Instead, this is more of a series of character sketches and small, real-life storylines explored with sharp language, poetic vocabulary, and a sometimes laugh out loud sense of humor.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nicely written. Kramer can turn out some fine paragraphs. I loved the characters and the situations but I felt like I was left hanging at the end. There were so many characters with unresolved stories. I'll be worrying about them all night.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witty, well-written mid-80's novel. It is not about aliens, but about a war with no fighting!

[Sally Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been forever since I read this, but I quite quite liked it in the 1980s when I read it. I bought it as a gift several times.

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so bizarre, but I loved it. I can tell this is going to be one of those books that is a much different read the second time through.