"Жолбарыстың көрінісі"

Book by Herman Raucher

A Glimpse of Tiger is a 1971 novel by Herman Raucher. It was his first original novel; his previous (and first) novel, Summer of '42, was based on his own screenplay of the same name, and written at the request of Warner Bros. as a means of promoting the film. A Glimpse of Tiger tells the story of Tiger and Luther, a pair of young bohemian con artists living together in an apartment in New York City in 1971. The novel follows the archetype for a romantic comedy, but employs an original twist ending in its final chapter. Though the book became a best seller, it never matched the success of Summer of '42, although it was embraced by critics. The Boston Globe dubbed it "A strange and moving tale with a shocker climax".

In the late 1960s, 19 year old Janice McAllister runs away from her home in Indianapolis after an argument with her parents about her future and comes to New York City, where she is taken in by Luther, a playful con artist and bohemian. Renaming Janice "Tiger," Luther becomes both her boyfriend and mentor, schooling her in the art of con games and petty crime. The two prove to be an effective pair and they successfully live from the food and money that they steal or con. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Luther is the beneficiary of an enormous trust fund set up by his wealthy parents, and that his lifestyle is a result of boredom rather than necessity. Although the two enjoy one another's company, Tiger is constantly frustrated by Luther's habit of role playing multiple personas—including Dracula and a terrorist called "The Mad Bomber of London"—even when not engaging in con schemes, a habit she believes is an attempt to emotionally distance himself from her. Even after living with Luther for an extended period, Janice realizes she knows more about Luther's personas than she does him. Luther responds to her attempts at emotional intimacy by claiming he has no need to mature any further in life. One afternoon, on a whim, Luther invites a pair of pornographers to move in with him and Janice so that they can focus on building a phone sex operation. One of them, a morbidly obese man named Chance, overdoses on drugs and nearly dies in their living room. The experience startles Janice enough to end her relationship with Luther. At this point in the novel, the narration begins alternating between third person accounts of Janice's life and italicized, first person segments narrated by Luther, who appears to be steadily losing his mind. Luther's segments take the form of letters, journal entries, and even direct addresses to the reader, as he documents his attempts to win back Tiger's affections. Tiger becomes a secretary at a law firm, where she befriends several of her coworkers and is briefly promoted to the personal assistant of a prominent attorney, who demotes her after she rebuffs his sexual advances. Luther, meanwhile, tries to convince Tiger to move back in with him; Luther's attempts at regaining Tiger's love take the form of a number of comic set pieces that take on more and more sinister undertones as the book progresses. In his first person accounts, Luther indicates that the two pornographers have moved out of his apartment and that his electricity has been shut off, and he begins to obsess over his sudden tendency to wet the bed. One of Janice's coworkers sets her up on a blind date with an optometrist. Although the date begins successfully, Luther shows up at the restaurant where they are having dinner, in character as one of his old personas, a Russian waiter. After refusing the manager's request to leave, Luther sparks a small riot after he begins rapidly switching personas and starts throwing patrons' food at them. Luther later wonders why he didn't simply leave the restaurant after being found out by the manager, per his grifter's code of always escaping a bad situation when caught. Deciding that he must really be part Russian, Luther travels to the Soviet embassy in New York City requesting asylum, but he is denied. Tiger is promoted at work and continues to date the optometrist. Luther becomes more aggressive in his pursuit of Tiger, ultimately stalking her at work and breaking into her room at the YWCA. After catching Luther in her room one night, Tiger and Luther discuss their life philosophies; Luther sadly acknowledges that he and Janice are incompatible and agrees to leave her alone. The next day, Luther phones Janice's office in his "Mad Bomber of London" persona, threatening to blow up the building. Although the rest of the staff evacuates the building, Tiger assures them that it's simply a prank and remains at her desk. In his final address to the reader, Luther's narration deteriorates into incoherent rambling, rants against Christianity, and an anecdote about once breaking his nose on New Year's Eve. Sitting at her desk, Janice has a sudden revelation and attempts to leave the building. Before she can, a bomb on her floor detonates, killing her and burning down the office. On the street, Luther watches the rubble burn and has a vision of finding a young Janice on the beach and taking her home.