3.5/5. An interesting tale with a distinctive mid-century American voice.

Villa Incognito - the novel, not the hard-to-access home in the mountains for which the book is titled - is a story about a group of disenchanted American expats who decided to hang back in Southeast Asia and become full-time MIAs following the Vietnam War. They cross paths with a local woman who happens to be the descendent of Tanuki, a Japanese demi-god creature, and spend a lot of time discussing and debating religion, patriotism, environmentalism, and other high-brow issues. They also spend a lot of time chasing skirts and doing drugs.

Although the book is set in the early 2000s, it has a very 1950s-60s feel to it. Part of this, I think, is Robbins' writing style, which is reminescent of Kerouac and other writers of that time. The other part of it is that the characters are somewhat frozen in time having come from the US during the War and not returning to get back up to speed for the next forty years.

While I liked a lot of the story, the writing occasionally left something to be desired. There are numerous instances of Robbins stating his opinions on topics point blank and then loosely suturing these instances together with "plot" - Robbins really wants us to know how he feels about X, so he'll just have the characters stop what they're doing and ruminate together on X. And I agreed with 90 percent of Robbins' stances on things! I thought that the time Robbins, via his characters, discusses the legality and morality of using heroin to ease the pain of dying cancer patients was particularly interesting and poingant. But still, I came away with the impression of there being too much of the author in this book, and the characters don't get to stand on their own enough. The depiction of just about every Asian woman was pretty gross; they're all the exotic "me give you happy ending tee hee" nymphomaniac type who can't speak English properly to save their lives (there is one who speaks good English) despite the fact that it's the 21st century. I'm not sure if it was meant to be caricaturization, but it's exactly what I'd expect when the author is a white American guy born in the '30s.

Despite that, I enjoyed Villa Incognito and I'd definitely be up for reading some of Robbins' other works.

Not shown: another half-star. To yield to the self-indulgent, sophomoric, hyper-sexualized narrative of Bad Boy Tom Robbins is to venture, either gladly or maddeningly, into the metaphysical realm of myth, chaos, drug-induced consciousness and/or fantasy, irreverance, satire, and without hesitation, an unabashed stretch of counter-cultural literary license as will rarely be found elsewhere in the metaphorical sandbox of so much word play. And, in this, the eighth such novel I've read in his serio-comic series, the magical mystery tour continues. The key figures in the story are a trio of intellectual elitists, a free-thinking leftist-leaning B-52 crew suspected of ducking into cloud cover to drop their bombs into the sea when the idea of inflicting massive collateral damage so late in the war (whose fate is decidedly lost) was in their considered opinion a dubious, if not morally reprehensible, mission. Their antics and pontification and reparte for verbally humiliating their establishment counterparts in the Officers Club earns them the reputation and namesake on their B-52: "Smarty Pants." Which, incidentally, costs $63 million a copy and gets shot down. They are captured but only loosely guarded escaping to finish out the war as MIAs, choosing an altogether alternative lifestle, thereafter, hiding out in the most remote mountainous regions of Laos. In their hideaway home (Villa Incognito), they establish an illicit but lucrative partnership with Hmong natives whose specialty is opium farming, not to mention a penchant for digging up rubies; both smuggling-worthy enterprises that keep the three renegade airmen (two which are in a love triangle) well-situated until one of their number is busted by authorities in Guam. Meanwhile, the plot takes on Robbins's weirder signature characteristics as over-sexed, anthropomorphic quasi-badger/dog/raccoon creatures called Tanukis (curiously male--albeit exceptionally so--with certain conspicuous anatomical endowments) metamorphosize to copulate opportunistically whilst freely impregnating the ready, willing and able female human population closest at hand; like the satyrs of Greco-Roman mythology but translated to convey the Eastern party-animal ethos, instead. The interbreeding leads, of course, to complications as both an insult to the gods, and mutant spawn having to be "conveniently disposed of" while a few survive (curiously all female) to become protagonists elsewhere in the story. One whose role is secured is named Ko Ko, aka Lisa Ko, who becomes part of a circus act where Tanukis (the animals and not the god...it's complicated) are trained to jump through hoops and thus become a popular featured attraction. That is, until the circus train derails in Grants Pass, Oregon, and they too escape into the remote woods of the Pacific Northwest. The whole plot structure is in juxtaposition, a three ring circus; simultaneously completely over the top. And to be quite honest, even by Robbins's standards, a bit much. But his style, a nonsensical stream of randomized consciousness, keeps the word play ball bouncing and it's fun to follow. Not my favorite, and certainly not his best, Villa Incognito makes for a decent story, and as a musical bonus, not a bad lyrical construct, also, for a potential release as a theme song. Which brings to mind another: "Still Crazy After All These Years."

How is this novel classified wrt genre? I believe it's a Fantasy but, like many good Fantasies you will find it in the mainstream literature section of bookstores, along with Stephen King and other great authors. I wish I could write with half the skill of Tom Robbins. He is retired from writing now but it always took him a long time to write a short book. That's because he was soooo careful about the way he turned each phrase and how he used each word. I can read his novels as writing lessons for improving my own Fantasy writing or I can just kick back, relax, and enjoy. Villa Incognito is one of my favorite books by any author and, as a Fantasy, I am awed by Robinson's wild and wonderful imagination. He weaves the real world into his stories and that makes them come to life.

Loved it, of course. The first line:

"It has been reported that Tanuki fell from the sky using his scrotum as a parachute."

Ha. Nice story involving elements of Japan, Thailand, Laos, opium, heroin, beastiality, myth, gods/goddesses, the circus, animism, and much more. It can get a little annoying when Robbins' characters talk like him, but because that's just Tom Robbins, I forgive him.

"...the soul is not an overweight nightclub singer having an unhappy love affair in Detroit. The soul doesn't hang out at a Memphis barbershop, fry catfish for supper, and keep a thirty-eight Special in its underwear drawer... On the other hand, the soul is most definitely not some pale vapor wafting off a bucket of metaphysical dry ice... Soul is not even that Crackerjack prize that God and Satan scuffle over after the worms have all licked our bones... Religions lead us to believe that the soul is the ultimate family jewel and that in return for our mindless obedience, they can secure it for us in their vaults, or at least insure it against fire and theft. They are mistaken."
p. 77

''...Hem insanlardan şikayet etmekten daha üretici bir şeyler yapabiliriz. Tanrıları örnek almalıyız elbette, yani akıllanana kadar insanları görmezden gelmeliyiz.''
Tanuki tam, Bulut Hisarı'nda ya da Öbür Dünya'dayken insanoğlunu görmezden gelmek kolay tabii diye lafı yapıştırmak üzereydi ki, birdenbire bu dünyada ne gözkamaştırıcı bir gün olduğu gözüne çarptı ve keyiften dili tutuldu.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. I enjoyed the magical and fantastical elements scattered throughout the story. However, the loose ends weren’t all tied up for me, despite the author writing about the fate of each character in the epilogue. It felt a bit too much like the author clumsily trying to connect characters and storylines after already bringing the story to its conclusion.

I found Stubblefield to be an unlikeable character, rather too much enjoying the sound of his own voice and the cleverness of his own thoughts - which, funnily enough, is the impression the author gives too (at least, to me). The reverence with which the author writes about Stubblefield irked me. There were also the occasional lines which I found distasteful, for example this about women: “were any ordinary woman informed by a lover that he was ���giving” her over to his rival, she would instantly detest him with a hellish fury - while at the very same time want him twice as much as she ever had before...” Nope.

Animal gods, tight rope walkers, academic drug runners, and a healthy dose of insight into the true nature of humankind. This, Robbins’ most recent novel, could have easily been written at the beginning of his career, as it possesses all of the mythic whimsicality and cutting philosophical ideas of his early work. As usual, a heap of sentences throughout this book made me stop to either laugh or catch my breath or roll my eyes in a stupefied sort of reverence. If there is any sign of improvement on the part of the author, it is that this book is more concise in terms of how it relates to the moment in which it was written - though now, nearly twenty years later, it feels, for all its flights of fancy, both potently timely and timeless. I’m glad to know that, even having finished this book, my mind will without a doubt return often to visit Villa Incognito.

Hunter S Thompson + Catch 22 + South Park

This was an extraordinary book. I can't WAIT to read more by this author.

The book opens with a very strange story about an animal god. Then maybe a third or less of the way into the book, it shifts to a story about three Vietnam era MIA's who are living incognito in Laos. Eventually, amazingly, the two stories connect.

Honestly, I should probably give this five stars, because I truly did love it. I only held back one because I am sure this book wouldn't appeal to many of my friends. It is extremely well written, with a lot of truly lyrical descriptions and pithy social commentary. The use of language in it is beautiful. But it is also way out there in terms of conventional story telling.

As I was reading this and discovering how much I loved it, I looked up Tom Robbins. I saw many reviewers who had compared him to Kurt Vonnegut, and I think the comparison is apt. There is a wildness and humor in the writing, yet there is also clear-eyed, acid-tongued political critique. But for all that, it left me with a hopeful feeling, not a cynical one. In general I would say that if you enjoyed Kurt Vonnegut, this book is for you.

This book came to me because the recommender asked what that funny statue was in my living room. I replied, a tanuki. He looked at me strangely, so I spelled tanuki out for him. Then, much to my surprise, he said I read a book about tanukis and I thought they were made up by the author.

Well, Tom Robbins did not make up the story of the tanuki from scratch, but he did embellish on the Japanese legend. Robbins is one of those rare authors where I stop for a second and think, how the hell did he come up with this?!

He is creative without being unbelievable. He writes as if you were having a direct conversation with him and not just merely reading a novel. He doesn't explain every detail immediately, and let's the pieces fall into place as the reader moves along. He is well-versed in current events, mythology, philosophy, and pop culture. In other words, he is a rarity.

The plot jumps back and forth without being overly confusing. You have to trust that the loose ends will be tied up eventually, and it is worth the wait. Everything and everyone is connected, and what at first might seem like happenstance, turns out to be another fork in the road. Suspension of reality may be necessary while reading this novel, but at the time, it doesn't seem out of the ordinary.

I've always struggled with Tom Robbins for the last 15 years or so & this was really no different. Though, Villa Incognito is my favorite so far.

My Uncle Scott, who is really the one who gifted me with my love of literature & all things alternative counter-culture, gave me Another Roadside Attraction as a birthday gift when I was a teenager. I must have started that at least 3 times before finally finishing. My wife has always been reading Tom Robbins. We even had a wedding drink named Sissy Hankshaw. We also had a drink named Sal Paradise, that one was for me but I only drank the beer.

Deep down, I know I appreciate Robbins. The writing is right up my alley. It's zany and kooky by way of Brautigan, another Washington state/Pacific Northwest writer. I've always told myself if I ever need to give it all up and flee I would head to the Pacific Northwest to live out my days. The storylines and their little trails are hysterical & there are great bits of poetic zen wisdom throughout. Yet I always find my mind wandering when reading him. Maybe it's too scattered? Sometimes it feels like there isn't enough weight. Not enough meat on the bones. Being witty for wit's sake. Despite that lack of focus imbued, I always enjoy reading his work.

On Villa Incognito specifically, if it's got disgruntled Vietnam Vets, I'm locked in. Tree of Smoke, Full Metal Jacket, Fortunate Son. Just count me in from the get-go. I also bought into the fun Japanese folklore mythology early on. I didn't know the big balled tanuki was a real animal until about page 200.

This feels a bit underdeveloped. Robbins retains his usual wit and inventive and vibrant prose, but the story never caught and took flight. Underdeveloped story, underdeveloped characters, just bleh.

If you've never read Robbins before, please don't start with this one. It doesn't give him a fair shake.

Random things that bothered me throughout the entire book: (1) the Colonel is a 45 year old black man. The book takes place in 2001, which means he was born in '56 and was a teen in the late 70's. So, what's the deal with the way he speaks? His speech is riddled with phrases like: "You jiving me?" "You right about that, brother man." "This cat ain't even hip..." I'm sure this was purposeful? If someone can explain the anachronisms here, I'm all ears. Maybe I missed something.. (2) The sisters of Dern Foley- why the hell were they even in this book? They serve no purpose, only to characterize a simple woman who is especially fond of describing the weather as if she was describing kittens- cute, adorable, etc. And then the other sister who seems more level headed, who finds out she's got a clown kink after working with the circus.

I think I would have oddly preferred the book to just continue with the tanuki and kitsune story line. It could have been much more interesting than what we got.