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Kockroach _by Tyler Knox

_____________________________________“As Kockroach, an arthropod of the genus Blatella and of the species germanica, awakens one morning from a typically dreamless sleep, he finds himself transformed into some large, vile creature . . .” a human. So begins Knox’s unique mirror novel of Kafka’s classic story of metamorphosis where we follow the hilariously bizarre attempts of our cockroach-turned-human hero to apply his natural insect perspective on life as he comprehends it in New York, era 1950.

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With his outlandish walk and expressions (he wears a perpetual, teeth-baring grin to intimidate any would-be predators) and the echoes of classic street jive he utters at random, Kockroach strikes people as either “the coolest cat on the Square . . . or some physically disabled vet.” Unlike pitiable Gregor Samsa in Kafka’s tale of transformation, Kockroach’s amorality and innate perseverance allow him to adjust quite easily to the role his new body allows for. Laughing until your ribs ache, you will read of Kockroach’s criminal, political, and romantic adventures as presented through three extraordinary, unforgettable narrators: Kockroach himself, tortured crook Mickey “the Mite” Pimelia, and the polio-crippled beauty, Celia. This new novel is recommended not only to all who’ve read Kafka’s The Metamorphosis but readers who, in particular, appreciate noir fiction at its most humorous, engaging, and thought-provoking.

Note: While newly cited as a debut novel of literary existentialism, “Tyler Knox” is a pseudonym of popular crime novelist William Lashner; you can visit the author's webpage for a reading group guide, "konfessionals," and more information about the book, its characters, and its setting.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

“One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.” The Metamorphosis is, as reviewed in The Reference Guide to World Literature (Henderson, 1995), “quintessential Kafka and deservedly the most famous of his works. Written during Kafka's first period of intense creative activity in late 1912, it was one of the few pieces published during his lifetime. [. . . ] The Metamorphosis has been seen as a sadly sick, but more often as an acute vision of reality.

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"Whether the story’s elusive meaning is essentially psychological, sociological, existential, or religious, the text seems to imply much more than it states, to challenge its readers to explore the possible significance of its every detail, to escape from the hero's perspective in order to appreciate its black humour, and to discover its universal relevance. Its exceptional power to haunt the imagination, together with its undermining of certainties, has earned The Metamorphosis its place of prominence in the history of 20th-century world literature.” Inspiring several excellent adaptations, including the above-reviewed Kockroach by Knox, this classic story is an unforgettable one highly recommended for all adults and high school-aged teens.

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Other novels inspired by Kafka’s The Metamorphosis available through OCPL include:

• Insect dreams: the half life of Gregor Samsa (2002) by Marc Estrin
• Shoebag (1990) and Shoebag Returns (1996)—children’s books— by Mary James
• The Underland Chronicles (teen books featuring “Gregor the Overlander”) by Suzanne Collins
• The Metamorphosis (a graphic novel, c2003) by Peter Kuper