by P.F. Kluge
If a writer’s most important task is to get into the mind of their characters, then P.F. Kluge’s Biggest Elvis is an unequivocal success. Written as a series of journal entries by an array of characters, it is a rare combination of entertainment and enlightenment.
The story is set in Olangapo in the Philippines, site of an American naval base and host to myriad bars and clubs. One of the nightclub acts is a trio of Elvis impersonators: cute and tender “Baby Elvis,” “Dude Elvis,” who plays The King during his snarling movie star years and “Biggest Elvis,” the bloated, besequined Vegas version. The three Elvises form relationships with local girls, most of whom make their living servicing the fleet, and who are symbolic of the novel’s main theme – American colonial dominance and the dependency and resentment which it breeds.
The title character is a hapless English professor who sees his role as a resurrected Elvis a religious light. Is it merely a case of another swollen ego or will he be cast as humanity’s saviour? It’s well worth the time to find out.
The Man Who Came to Rent 