Parasites Like Us: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: phenomenal
Review: This is a phenomeal book--it's a classic dark comedy. Humor runs through this novel, even at its darkest moments--and there are a few laugh out loud moments. The book has a deeply philosophical bent to it. The characters are likeable, even the most annoying of the bunch, and the storyline is plausible, even if it stretches here and there. I do think the ending is a littl weak, but overall you are dealing with a great story: humor, philosophy, anthropology, and the apocalypse. You just can't go wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Witty prose with great characters and storyline
Review: This is the best book I've read this year. You've got: frozen South Dakota, a deputy sheriff with a chip on his shoulder and a pack of yappy Pomeranian pups at his feet, a university town, an anthropology graduate student trying to live his dissertation as a primitive man in the quad (but aren't those undergrad women leaving his hut in the mornings!?), an illegal archeological dig at the foot of the Thunderbird Casino (hence "Keno man"). Throw in a Corvette, a GTO, a custom van, and Dr. Hannah, a love smitten anthropologist who narrates these, the end days of North American civilization and you've got a great read. From the first chuck of the Clovis point spear at the 4-H prize pig, you'll be hooked. I found myself laughing out loud on public transportation. Adam Johnson's imagination is boundless.