To accurately describe The Learners by Chip Kidd, only one word is needed: unique. From the book jacket to the characters, the novel is filled with random references, crazy personalities and, within light and dark humor, the facts of reality.

Set in 1961 in Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, the book follows the life of Happy, a young graphic designer, over a span of roughly six months. The beginning of the book is somewhat confusing because the author starts off from the middle of the story before backtracking a few months and retelling the story from the beginning. The basic plot centers around Happy’s ability to land a job at Spear, Rakoff & Ware, an advertising agency. Throughout the novel, he narrates the strange people he meets, the sobering experience of a friend’s death and what seems to be insanity.

Nearly everyone in the book has a nickname. Happy’s real name is never revealed. Some of his co-workers are named Tip, Sketchy (Sketch), Meem and Poopy. Tip and Sketch, the two designers that Happy gets to know the best, also have different ways of expressing their humor. Tip is eccentric and loves serious and playful phrases. Other characters aside, Happy also has a way of stating things with a matter-of-fact manner that makes some of his statements unclear. He also has a strange habit of describing what people are wearing in full detail.

As the book progresses, two significant events take place and drive him towards depression and insanity. After the “accidental” death of a friend, Happy finds himself hearing the voice of his dead friend in his head. His friend’s voice is what drives him to participate in “the study of memory and learning,” which later turns out to be Milgram’s “obedience project.” It is with his participation in the experiment that causes Happy to take a turn for the worse. He begins to question humanity, specifically the idea of human cruelty, and to reevaluate himself.

Kidd also uses his own life experiences and lessons about typography and intermissions about content. These small blurbs are not only entertaining to read, but also convey simple messages not only about the topic they’re addressing, but also about the subtler themes in life.

The characters are unlike those in any other books, and are enjoyable to read about. However, some minor things detract from the overall greatness of the book. Although witty, many references were difficult to comprehend. In addition, the beginning is slow to develop. Kidd spends a large portion of the book describing Happy’s new job and the setting, and it becomes repetitive. However, the plot does pick up halfway through and fully develops.

The ending of the book fits with the rest of the story and also stands out because of the formatting and spelling. Overall, it is a surprisingly good book full of strange humor, but mixed in with more serious subjects like the impact of death and forgiveness.