Preview of Larry's Party Summary:

There is nothing remarkable about the facts that make up his life, yet Larry manages to make his way through the maze of life to a kind of self-understanding. As Larry points out, "the whole thing about mazes is that they make perfect sense only when you look down on them from above." The pattern of life, its twists and unexpected turns, can only be seen as a whole when it is completed. With the perspective of years, Larry has gained experience and is more sure of himself, sure enough to invite both ex-wives to his first dinner party when they happen to be in town on the same weekend in the final chapter.

We are reminded throughout the novel how very average Larry Weller is. He is "an absolutely normal and typical human being," "statistically average," even "standard issue." When a suggestion he makes to a customer...