You know how sometimes, when you read a certain genre of books - or books by a certain author - you have to prepare yourself, kind of gear up? Like, when I read Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, I have to get into "light-hearted, goofy, simple mode." With other authors, I have to transform into "lyrical, descriptive, imagery mode." I like those books and enjoy reading them. However, my favorite type of book is one where I can just read it without preparation. Just open the book and go, and not have to adjust my senses. "Night of the Avenging Blowfish: A Novel of Covert Operations, Love, and Luncheon Meat" by John Welter is that kind of book for me. I really enjoyed the writer's style: his witty dialogue (love the one-liners delivered by Doyle and the other agents), the bizarre plots (the spookball game, the SPAM incident, even Doyle's 60 second nervous breakdown) and his very human main character. The thing I like most about this novel is that it's not just a comedy. It's also a romance. A commentary on American politics. A look at how humans interact, how they internalize things, how they feel. Sure, the plot might be a little loose - maybe things could have been developed more, but I really like what Welter did with this story. I laughed (a lot), I cried (a little), I cared for Doyle. Two thumbs up from MM!
Question for thought (if you've read this)...at the end, when Doyle passes out, what do you think that meant? Was it literal or perhaps a metaphor?
- Posted @ 2/5/2005 11:43:36 AM |
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