|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Cautiously opening the book with a cover that made my eyeballs swirl around in circles, I hoped to find something resembling a standard mystery in between its pages. Upon reading the Acknowledgements, which paid tribute to Ranger Howell and Oswald the Rabbit, Commander Retro and Dr. Strangedog and Cap¼n Tugg and Fantail the Parrot, my sense of apprehension grew. What kind of weird book was this? What was I letting myself in for? Well, what I was letting myself in for was a helluva lot of fun, good writing and a convoluted conspiracy tale involving a taxidermist by the name of Garth Carson. In addition to the actual preparation of dead animals, Garth rents his specimens to TV shows, movies and the like. While riding in his ¼66 Lincoln convertible doing some prospecting at junk shops, Garth makes a stop that changes his life. There in a display case is the find of a lifetime, a specimen that speaks to him, that brings him back to the days of his youth and the hours spent watching the General Buster show. Yes, folks, right there before his eyes is Pipsqueak the Nutty Nut, a squirrel puppet that was the star of the show. Garth cannot believe his luck, as well he shouldn¼t. Because before he can say „pistachio¾, a man ends up dead before his eyes, and a woman who looks like Ellie May from Beverly Hillbillies has run off with the goods. The book begins at a manic pace and gently settles into its story, and what a story it is. Garth and his significant other, Angie, live in an apartment in New York City. At times, they share their quarters with a Soviet ÈmigrÈ by the name of Otto who serves as a loyal friend and pit bull. Garth really wants Pipsqueak back, but unbeknownst to him, the puppet is a central element in a plot to manage people¼s minds. As it turns out, there¼s something in Pipsqueak¼s cranium other than a brain-ium, something that leads to several deaths. Out of the blue, Garth¼s younger brother, Nicholas turns up. Even as a child, Nicholas was the kind of kid that was always cutting a deal. They¼ve been estranged for many years, so Garth finds it odd that Nicholas would show up now. As it turns out, he has an interest in Pipsqueak too, and they work more or less together. Wiprud has done a wonderful job of pulling together a lot of wacky situations and some great characters. I loved Otto, the Soviet ÈmigrÈ; his fractured language made me laugh, particularly as he sang „Paradise by the Dashboard Light¾ by Meatloaf. Garth ends up with Meat¼s guitar, and it turns out to be a kind of good-luck talisman. Let¼s see, there are also a bunch of „retro¾ nuts who dress like they are in the ¼50s, a sonopuncturist who doesn¼t puncture but uses tuning forks instead of needles and a group of conspirators in plaid Cummerbunds who use sound to perform mass brainwashing. Imagine trying to write a cohesive plot summary involving all of these elements! You¼ll have to trust me when I say that Wiprud succeeded in making all the pieces fit together in a cohesive way. I¼m rather alarmed to admit that the book made sense to me since this makes me wonder if possibly I¼m as demented as the author. Wiprud has a tremendously vivid imagination and has created a book that is well written, fast paced and very enjoyable. And just a tad quirky.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, August 2002
This book has more than one review. Click here to show all.
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
