It seems fitting that the first week of the last month of the year I finish my goal of 52 books. I can’t believe I finished and with change to spare! And what a book on which to end! Going Bovine by Libba Bray caught my attention, not only because it’s on the Printz award list which I’m STILL working my way through (what did I get myself into?!?), but also because there’s a cow carrying a garden gnome. What’s not to like about that?
The book centers around Cameron who is suddenly diagnosed with a rare, incurable disease. I won’t give it away, but yes, cows do have something to do with it. The rest of the book is his journey to find the cure for the disease. Or is it? Bray does something I haven’t read that is to play with reality and take us on a psychedelic trip. Granted there’s no shroons or LSD involled, but she certainly does take the reader for a trip. Blending reality with the dream world, it’s hard to tell the one from the other by the end of the book. But I have to say that I enjoyed it.
Not only was the trip itself fun, but the way in which we get these hints that the dream world is merely a mirror for the real one. At least for me, I was engaged with the text looking for the metaphors and connections between the real and dream worlds. It’s almost like, while I’m reading it, I’m also staring at the world around me like a tourist.
And then there’s the characters. I didn’t really think I’d relate to Cameron or any of the others, but once again Bray demonstrates her writing acumen and gets us invested in the characters by novel’s end. I was sad to finish the novel, but it’s like being sad at the end of a vacation. You’ve enjoyed your time but you know you need to move on.
Even though it’s a young adult novel, I appreciated how “real” it felt. There’s swearing, but it’s done tastefully. Meaning there’s just enough f-bombs to make it feel like these teenagers might actually exist, but not so much that I start cringing. And the choices they make are frustrating, but then I remind myself they are teenagers and it’s all better. So if you’re looking for a book to “trip” with, I’d definitely pick up what Bray is dealing.