"A Singular Man" is J.P. Donleavy's second novel, originally published in 1963. Unlike Sebastian Dangerfield, the hero of Donleavy's first novel "The Ginger Man," George Smith has a ton of money. He is a success in a business that is never revealed. Veiled and not-so-veiled threats frequently delivered by mail and courier have him in the grip of paranoia. He is building the largest masoleum possible, in which he apparently intends to live. He has a "behemoth" of an amored car as protection against possible attack. He can't have the woman he loves, Sally Tomson, also known as DIzzy Darling, a model and part-time actress. His wife and four cretinous children from which he is separated are no comfort. George Smith, described as "frond-like" is eccentric, funny, and something of a sexual dynamo. He leaves several women, including his housekeeper, in various states of satisfaction and anger around the city as he searches for Sally Tomson, finds her, and loses her. Sometimes described as Donleavy's favorite novel, "A Singular Man" is funny throughout, but with an underlying seriousness that elevates the story above mere humor. ( )

A singular waste of paper. ( )