Fontoon

"A comic tour-de-force!"

-- David Whetstone, The Journal

"Fontoon is absurd, harsh, silly, incisive, intelligent and grotesque. It's funny and astute and it deserves a wide audience.
It's a comic novel with a cross-Atlantic pedigree (Schoneboom's an American in Britain), and it reads that way. There are obvious hints of Flann O'Brien in its deadpan approach to its deranged premise, but there's also plenty of that 60s/70s US satirical mode there too - think Terry Southern and Stanley Elkin. It could come off as whimsical but it's too brutal for that.

Plot description fails to do justice to the sheer level of invention and the multitude of inspired ideas and digressions that fill the novel. The writing is vivid, and there's a generous spirit hidden under its wild exterior."

-- H. Anthony Hildebrand, Writer and Noisemaker

"Fontoon is quite a character. Possessing a Munchausen-like will to daydream and impress people, this lighthouse keeper at Wossafocken Point finds his way to become an influential broadcast personality. Isn't it natural that he would make enemies? There is a great deal of poetry. Some of it is in Chinese. I live in New York City. Parts of this real world are recognisable in the world of the novel, but you know what? the fictional version is much more interesting and profound."

-- Ed Malin, Playwright

"Hilarious. Absurd. Surreal. Comedy sci-fi? Imagine the delightfully clever Goon Show as written by a poetically precise Douglas Adams, all at once mocking and revering the egos and stereotypes exactingly analysed while performing a scissor-sharp bit of social commentary to boot. This book will lift your wibblies."

-- Jaz-Michael King

"What a genuine, unexpected delight this book is. The author's creativity, keen intelligence, and sense of humor (and, sense of the absurd) shine through. His ability to convey his characters' thoughts and reactions (which are often the exact opposite from what they say aloud) are unusually insightful. His powerful life observations and take on human foibles are presented in charming, funny stories and characters. I love any book that makes me laugh out loud, and this one often did. Highly recommended for Schoneboom's original, funny, insightful take on life."

-- Sandy Underwood