The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters
Review by Kristen Manger
The Cheese Monkeys
by Chip Kidd
Harpercollins / Scrbner
$25.00 / $13.95
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Upcoming Sun Valley Writers’ Conference participant Chip Kidd is renowned for his graphic design, producing countless eye-catching book covers for Knopf/Random House. Adding icing to his cake of visual genius, Kidd bestows upon the literary world a novel just as colorful and inventive as his graphic work. The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters, follows the prototypical 18-year-old college freshman, whose suppressed talents burble out of him in a self-deprecating cynicism that rivals even the most conceitedly apathetic sixteen year-old, as he navigates the fluorescent hallways of “State University” in 1957 Pennsylvania.
The unnamed narrator says of his choice to major in Art, “I have always hated Art, and I had a hunch if any school would treat the subject with the proper disdain, it would be one that was run by the government.” His presumption holds until he enters Art 127, Introduction to Graphic Design, taught by Winter Sorbeck, whose personality is just as austere and unforgiving as his name conveys. From creating a text-less logo to reveal each their identities, to being dropped off in the middle of nowhere with only a piece of poster board and a marker entice possible rides back to campus, Sorbeck challenges each student to think outside the box, and outside of themselves.
The narrator finds not only a cohort, but also an inspiration, in his female counterpart, the edgy and impish Himillsy Dodd, upperclass Art major whose self-loathing balances her extraordinary artistic talents. Their scorn for art instruction is tempered by the naïve optimism of Maybelle Lee of Augusta, Georgia, who dutifully professes that with her Art degree she will, “‘apply her acquired knowledge and amassed skill in a conventionally useful and lucrative way’”. Kidd propels this ragtag triumvirate through two turbulent semesters of studio art, throwing in obstacles of adventure, lust, obsession, and depression.
With his biting wit and expert character development, Kidd illuminates the simultaneous fulfillment and frustration of the creative process, with specific focus on his own world of graphic design. A page-turner in the truest sense of the word, Kidd’s foray into fiction is as hilarious as it is provocative--a perfectly entertaining introduction to the diverse upcoming talent of this year’s Writers’ Conference.
PS, consider the hardcover edition. Kidd’s quirky design elements on the page edges, spine, and dust jacket are well worth the extra few dollars. Have fun!
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