Going Bovine
by Libba Bray
Summary: (from goodreads.com)
Cameron Smith, 16, is slumming through high school, overshadowed by a sister “pre-majoring in perfection,” while working (ineptly) at the Buddha Burger. Then something happens to make him the focus of his family's attention: he contracts mad cow disease. What takes place after he is hospitalized is either that a gorgeous angel persuades him to search for a cure that will also save the world, or that he has a vivid hallucination brought on by the disease. Either way, what readers have is an absurdist comedy in which Cameron, Gonzo (a neurotic dwarf) and Balder (a Norse god cursed to appear as a yard gnome) go on a quixotic road trip during which they learn about string theory, wormholes and true love en route to Disney World.
Review:
Did you read that summary? Seriously, this book was out of this world. It takes a great writer to write a book that you literally are not sure at the end if everything WAS a hallucination or not. Or maybe I really just want it to be real. The adventures Cameron and Gonzo embark on are hilarious, definitely full of fantasy, and always quite strange. They meet a famous musician who is supposed to be dead, end up on Spring Break with a MTV like television show, and are fighting fire giants on and off all this time.
The only disappointment was when the book ended... I won't reveal any spoilers, but the ending really was not satisfying in any way to me. But, I will put that aside because this book was outstanding. A must-read for lovers of well.. realistic, fantastical fiction.
5/5 Roses
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this one is definitely on my to-read list. thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds crazy - albeit crazy good! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I haven't picked this one up yet. It just looks so...strange. Lol.
ReplyDeleteBut, I have read a few good reviews now, so I think I will have to check it out. : )
This has been on my TBR for a while. I keep staring at it in my library (it's on display right across from the circulation desk!)
ReplyDeleteFirst I love the cover and your review makes we want to run to the store and pick it up. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read it esp. after it won the Printz award. Great review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I really want to read this. Thanks for the warning about the ending :)
ReplyDeleteThis cover still makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteI have this one, and it's waiting to be read. I'm hoping to get to it soon.
ReplyDeleteI've heard mixed reviews about this one but they never left a good enough summary to really catch my interest enough to pick it up. I will now!
ReplyDeleteI'm so curious about Libba Bray. All of her books sound wonderful. :]
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. This one's in my TBR pile, but I might move it up now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a book I saw a lot when I first began blogging and have yet to get and read. It sounds absolutely hilarious, but ending are important and it is too bad that for you it did not work.
ReplyDelete