The El Bimbo Variations

To write ninety-nine versions of a single line sounds like the idle boast of a literary geek in response to a drunken dare. Though endearing in its brain-over-brawn daredevilry, it smacks of absurdity, the chances of its successful execution slim. Up the ante—pick a line from a well-known and well-loved song, one that hardly needs rewriting to begin with—and the stage is set for the author of the boast to lose the bet, ending up naked, injured, or broke instead. Unless, that is, the literary geek in question is Adam David, who, in writing The El Bimbo Variations, turns what might be dismissed as a harebrained idea into a hilarious, thought-provoking read. --from the introduction by Conchitina Cruz