I just put Going Bovine by Libba Bray down and now I’m sitting here at my computer looking at the star rating system and wondering how in the world I’m going to rate this book.
This is the completely bizarre story of Cameron, a boy who is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (otherwise known as the human form of Mad Cow Disease). The cover to this book features a walking cow with a garden gnome tucked under its arm. And that, my friends, is the most normal part of this book.
We’re introduced to a fairly typical, boring kid who is always on the outskirts of things. His family life is what families tend to be like today – the popular sister, the slightly dingy mom and the unfaithful dad. So what sets this boys life apart from everything else is the emergence of a disease that, essentially, causes him to go bat crazy.
The ride is a wild one. Bray sticks everything in there, from Daytona spring break vacations, to garden gnomes, to small people. There’s Disneyworld and that every annoying “Small World” song. There’s threats of terrorism, there’s cults and there’s alternate reality theories. And trust me, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Did I enjoy myself? Well.. yes and no. I think I can safely say that this was the most odd book I’ve ever read. One thing is definite though, it’s too long. I was really having to force myself to read after about 350 pages or so.. which is a shame, because the end of the book really is the best part. I did laugh and I may have even cried a little bit. In the mixed up jumble of craziness there were a few things said that really touched me.
If you do plan on picking up this book to read though, let me tell you.. in the words of Gonzo the dwarf: “Dude, this is a stoner conversation, and we are not even high.”.
