The Bodyguard by Donald Barthelme

And I will always looooove yoooou! - Whitney Houston 

You might think that a short story written almost entirely as a series of questions would be doomed to fail but Donald Barthelme, the king of playful literary experimentation, actually pulls it off with great aplomb. The Bodyguard is silly, amusing, politically irreverent and has just the right amount of ambiguous intrigue without becoming overbearing with all the questions, which is quite impressive.

If for nothing else, the author's technical approach is memorable, accomplishing a difficult task that consistently and playfully amuses. This repetition of ongoing questions highlights Barthelme's view that identity is never static and always evolving as an ongoing process. The narrative is self-consciously absurd and yet the subject matter is rooted in the criticism of modern life and human identity through the shifting roles adopted by the titular bodyguard. As an explicit rejection of narrative conventionally, Barthelme is more concerned with presenting a playful philosophical meditation on identity, subjectivity and purpose in a conforming society that has become absurdly meaningless. 

Would I consider this to be one of Barthelme's best works? Probably not. But you're probably bound to appreciate it more if you happen to be familiar with the author's work.