Posted by MBM on March 28, 2001 at 18:24:47:
One Review: "Yes, -- and what else would one expect of Nicholson ? -- it is a book about foot fetishism. Though Nicholson's books always range far beyond their obsessions, using them only as a platform. But here he takes on a more ... unsavoury obsession. His anonymous narrator is a (relatively) unapologetic fetishist, and Nicholson allows him to lovingly wallow in the murky depths of his obsession.
Striking a delicate balance between the awkward and the truly icky Nicholson manages to arouse some sympathy in our heroes odd obsession. His pursuit of feet is admirable and amusing (though always tinged with the thought that much of what he is doing is most inappropriate). The erotic thrill of the fine shoe is ... plausibly related, the foot-indulgences quite convincing.
Obsession breeds excess, and excess leads to disaster: so Nicholson's novels invariably prove, and this one is no different. Fashioning a vague thriller plot around the foot obsession Nicholson allows his narrator to find a love who warms to his fixation (Catherine, with perfect feet) and a shoemaker who can create the finest footwear around them.
The story is amusing enough, but it is the riffs on the foot fetish that make the book (with a perfect turn to close it out). In short, complete chapters, Nicholson offers a fascinating picture of obsession, love and sex. Fun indeed. We recommend it to any and all who are not put off by the title."