Review: The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen by Cameron A. Straughan

Taking readers beyond the pale of comedy, decency, and reality itself, author Cameron A. Straughan delivers a gobsmacking adventure of weird whimsy with The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen. Following the banal yet brain-boggling events of one man’s larger-than-life existence, this collection of loosely-linked vignettes bends the limits of normality in an outlandish spree of storytelling.

The bizarre nature of the world that Straughan has created transcends the lines of farce in some ways, but there is always some strange sliver of reality that draws readers back. The idea of colleagues growing accustomed to Anthony forgetting to wear pants, or a coworker donning a ball gown every day, does give this realm a nonsensical feel, yet even the oddest moments feel tied to recognizable issues – gender norms, individuality, social taboos, cancel culture and more.

By pushing the boundaries of surrealism, Straughan cleverly turns the lens back on the implicit absurdity of life as we know it. Some might consider the social commentary to be heavy-handed, while others might appreciate the bluntness, as today’s modern world is often too fast for nuance. The police hippo is a particularly nice touch, waddling “to the scene because an incredible injustice had been committed – or maybe he just liked chocolate bars.” A book-of-the-month club that ends in a rain of bullets also has some ominous echoes for contemporary society. Some of these themes are set off by everyday triggers, evidence of a crafty, creative, and cerebral pen.

The recurrence of certain characters, such as Monty the eccentric ringing feline, helps to round out the story and remind readers that consistency does exist in this decidedly odd world. This type of tongue-in-cheek writing, with its own inside jokes, as though Straughan is crafting stories for his own amusement, is reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, William Burroughs, and more. There are dozens of moments where readers will be hard-pressed not to burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of a scene, such as the alien standoff with deadly vegetables as weapons, or the spaceman mysteriously landing in a city park. There is something paradoxically profound about the insanity, and the writing sometimes goes so far around the bend that it can sometimes start coming back toward allegory and wisdom.

The sharp tongue and polished wit of the author are relentless, but not perfect, as some of the humor can feel forced. Making your readers take a long and meandering walk to a lackluster punchline can be anticlimactic, and disrupts the frenetic pace of the prose that Straughan is otherwise able to maintain. Though some interludes do seem redundant, progressing the overall story very little, such as it is, the non-traditional style of writing – choppy, self-interruptive, and seemingly self-aware of its own strangeness – is maintained flawlessly.

If Straughan’s novel could be placed in any genre, though it would certainly resist, it would stand out for its absolute originality. This idiosyncratic work can seem hyper-prone to tangents and distractions, but there is something uniquely brilliant in the breathless stream of consciousness that Straughan has created, for a novel like no other.