A review by gsroney
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker

4.0

As an experimental novel, with the full length of it taking place only during the ascent of one man on an escalator, it's rather interesting and triumphant. And Baker's ability to beautifully and matter-of-factly write about extremely mundane aspects of life in ways that are extremely relatable and almost meditative (and it is no coincidence that our hero is carrying with him a copy of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations with him) is impressive. However, it takes a great deal of patience to read a plotless novel, composed mostly of footnotes, in which the major action is a contemplation about milk cartons vs glass bottles and the frustration about plastic straws floating in cans of soda.