This book was a painful read. As another reader correctly observed, Straub tries too hard to show how clever he is and forgets to tell a compelling story. I quickly stopped caring about his quirky characters and their absurd lives. I used to enjoy Straub's work, particularly his very creepy "Shadowlands". However, "Mr. X" and "Koko" have annoyed me to such an extent that I sincerely doubt that I will ever read another Straub novel.