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Reader Reviews 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: The Joys of Being Invisible, November 16, 2001 Reviewer: sweetmolly from RICHMOND, VA USA Freddie Urban Noone, contrary to his initials, is not having fun. During a normal business day, which for Freddie is robbery/burglary, he runs afoul of two young research doctors. They capture Freddie, and decide he will be their human volunteer for an experiment they are conducting for a tobacco research institute. The experiment inadvertently succeeds beyond any expectation, and Freddie is invisible-and escapes. Everyone: doctors, tobacco industry, and crooked cops want Freddie for all the wrong reasons. The author has given careful thought to all aspects of being invisible and uses them well. In a nutshell, invisibility has few advantages and many woes for the hapless victim. Freddie must either be naked (including shoeless) or done up like a scarecrow with a fright mask, gloves, and every inch of him covered. He must modestly distance himself from the public for at least two hours after dining while his food travels down his intestinal track. Freddy fortunately has a sunny disposition and a great deal of patience. He also is blessed with a cheery, beautiful, slightly skewed girlfriend who reminded me of Elaine in Seinfeld without the neuroses. The book has many humorous moments and some excellent insights, but it seems erratically paced. There are slow moments and repetitious action. I felt the author got a little weary of his own edifice. The ending was so abrupt; I actually looked for a few more pages. I don't know if it was Mr. Westlake's intent, but the last scene seems melancholy and wistful. The farce turned into a melodrama without a connecting passage. I was left vaguely unsatisfied.
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