Part literary game, part grotesque coming-of-age tale, this "autobiographical novel" is likely to amuse some readers and put off others. To begin with, Van Der Jagt is a pseudonym; the book's real author is Arnon Grunberg, a prolific young Dutch author whose talent is matched - or possibly exceeded - by his desire to provoke the Dutch literary establishment. Submitted under the false name, the book won the Anton Wachter prize for a debut novel; the honor was revoked when it was discovered that Grunberg, who won the same prize for his bestseller Blue Mondays, was the author. The book's protagonist is Viennese teenager Marek, a studious type prone to dour remarks. He struggles under the burdens of an overbearing mother, a distant father and a perilously small penis ("three-quarters of a pinky, when viewed charitably and with an open mind"). Despite this, he repeatedly tries his luck with women of chronic low self-esteem. These include a middle-aged accordion player, the less pretty of two tourists from Luxembourg and the neglected mother of a boy in a wheelchair. The translation (done by Sam Garrett, Grunberg's longtime translator, working under a pseudonym) successfully renders the mix of high-brow and low-brow that comprises Marek's voice. Whether readers find the book - and the ploy - amusing will depend on their tolerance for Marek/Grunberg's archly tongue-in-cheek humor. Agent, Ira Silverberg.