The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards

Kristopher Jansma is truly a new author to keep an eye on.  I recently finished his debut, The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards, due out soon, and was stunned.  There has been a lot of hype about this title which usually makes me nervous.  It lives up to the hype and then some.  This is, by far, one of the best debut titles I have read in a long time.  

The story centers on an unnamed narrator who desperately wants to become a successful writer. His relationships with friend/rival Julian McGann and McGann's friend Evelyn are the real focus of the story. Even though the three of them have no good reason to be together, it works...at times. The three of them have a terrible falling out and find themselves alone for the first time, realizing exactly how much they rely on the others.  Our narrator travels the globe, making up lies about himself, in a bizarre effort to include truth in his own writing. But these three misfits still identify themselves through their relationships with each other.

The untrustworthy narrator lends a different element to this novel.  You may find yourself sympathizing with him at times, but more often than not you will wonder how exactly he plans to get anything out of his life.  This debut is very well done and I look forward to Jansma's next effort.