A Highly Unlikely
Scenario, by Rachel Cantor, takes place in a world where computer programs walk among us, the
police wear Chipmunk Patrol sashes, and quasi-religious philosophical groups
battle for converts via fast food restaurants.
This dystopia comes replete with a Leader whose food preferences are
kept secret to preserve unity, though a neo-Maoist book group claims the Leader
has seized control of the Menus. From that description, readers may think they
know what kind of book they’re reading, but long before they can get their
bearings Cantor is spinning out a plot about medieval Jewish sages, the
Voynich manuscript and an elementary schooler who does awesome karate kicks.
Leonard is a Listener, as determined by his Neetsa Pizza
Pythagorean Mentor, meaning he spends his nights answering the irate phone
calls of clients-in-pain and offering them compassion via coupons. He also babysits his nephew Felix, of the
awesome karate kicks, every day after school while Felix’s mom Carol works at Jack-o-Bites,
a Jacobite eatery or hangs out with her neo-Maoist book club. Leonard’s life is
uneventfully small as he toils in his home office until he gets a phone call on
the complaint line from Marco Polo.
Leonard, who is not terribly worldly, has no idea who his
caller is, but with the guidance of a medieval Kabalist, who sounds like
Leonard’s dead grandfather, Leonard finds himself sucked into a world of
metaphysical time travel, Latter Day Baconians and Tibetans (who, the very
mention of, can short out phones and computers). Leonard bumbles his way through with little
more than his belief in Pythagorean principles and his ability to listen. He also
gains an ally in a beautiful woman with prophetic powers and no need to wear
freckle dot makeup.
Cantor’s first novel never takes an obvious turn when a
stranger one might do and the result is a plot that bounces, soap-bubble like,
above a world that is equal parts absurdity and whimsy. The book
is packed with strange details and odd moments.
Cantor has a firm grasp on building a familiar yet surprising world with
language – cubits and lucre their more common synonyms. Combined with the Leonard’s “young man goes
out into the world to seek his fortune” story, the whole thing has the air of a
fable translated from a very foreign language.
A Highly Unlikely Scenario or, A Neetsa Pizza Employee’s Guide to Saving the World is neither
a heavy or dark book, even when the future hangs in the balance. But its anti-grittiness, its sheer sense of
wonder and fun make it even more unlikely. Sometimes, all anybody needs is a good
listener.
