I happened across this book in a used book store in Brooklyn, and I feel very lucky. Rarely do authors come up with original ideas. Rarely are stories both believeable and still interesting. This is one of them. The author is very vivid, poetic, and managed to keep what would usually be a very depressing subject light somehow. He's very good.

In _Nihilesthete_ by Richard Kalich, a sadistic caseworker in Harlem finds the perfect victim - a limbless, mentally-deficient man who can only communicate by mewing like a cat.

The caseworker, who delights in raising people's spirits then dashing them to pieces, learns that his victim is a lover of beauty. One cannot help but be caught up in a sense of doom while watching the caseworker elevate his victim's soul to seemingly impossible heights, all the while knowing that the final outcome will be cruel and heartrending.

The caseworker's descending spiral into insanity is an intense counterpoint to his victim's increasing triumph over the cruelty he experiences. Disturbing, yes... dark, yes... but highly recommended for cutting-edge fiction fans who enjoy peering into the depths that a person's soul can reach.