Book Review: Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Title: Going Bovine

Author: Libba Bray

Publisher: Ember

Publication date: September, 2010

Hardcover: 496 pages

Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone

How I got this book: Bought



Why I chose this book: I’ve actually had this book sitting on my shelf for a few years, just waiting to be read.  I finally decided I couldn’t put it off any longer, and picked it up.

Synopsis:

Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

Review:

I have mixed feelings on this book.  On the one hand, I never put it down, because I wanted to see what was going to happen next.  On the other, I never felt like I was fully satisfied with what I was getting.  I wanted more, I wanted to see more of an explanation, more reasoning, just more…

I do have to admit that Bray’s writing is very good.  It’s witty and humorous and all around good.  It makes it easy to page through what’s going on in the story and liking what your reading.  One of the biggest challenges I see with people writing for teens is that they come across like they’re older, trying to figure out how teens think, instead of coming across as the teenager they’re book actually portrays.  I don’t think Bray has a problem with this at all.

I really liked the protagonist, Cameron.  I could sympathize with him throughout the entire story.  I wanted his parents to see he was hurting, and I wanted his sister to not date a jerk, and I wanted him to find meaning in his life and start living it.  All of the character’s in the novel had depth, which really made for a good read.

So, yes, this was a good book.  Not amazing, but good.  I would recommend it to people who are into more abstract writing.