Vernon God Little
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- £6.49
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2003
WINNER OF THE WHITBREAD FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2003
'Startling . . . explosive and extravagantly satisfying.' Guardian
'Dangerous, smart, ridiculous and very funny.' New York Times
Meet fifteen-year-old Vernon Gregory Little. Desperate times call for the most unlikely of heroes.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The fiction debut by reformed wild child DBC Pierre is written in a gonzo and gleefully foul-mouthed vernacular. It’s the satirical story of a shifty Texas teen who’s implicated in a deadly school shooting and embarks on a fouled-up journey to cross the border into Mexico. Darkly hilarious and jarringly entertaining, this twisted send-up of American culture is a one-of-a-kind read. Vernon God Little received the 2003 Man Booker Prize.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Perry takes a freewheeling, irreverent look at teenage Sturm und Drang in his erratic, sometimes darkly comic debut novel about a Texas boy running from the law in the wake of a gory school shooting. Vernon Gregory Little is the 15-year-old protagonist, a nasty, sarcastic teenager accused of being an accessory to the murders committed by his friend Jesus Navarro in tiny Martirio, "the barbecue sauce capital of Texas." Vernon manages to make bail and avoid the media horde that descends on the town after the killings, but he's unable to get to the other gun his father's which he knows will tie him to the crime, despite his innocence. His flight path takes him first to Houston, where he unsuccessfully tries to hook up with gorgeous former schoolmate Taylor Figueroa; the crafty beauty, promised a media job by the evil Lally, who's also duped Vernon's mom, follows him to Mexico and efficiently betrays him. Most of the plotting feels like an excuse for Vernon's endless, sharply snide riffs on his small town and the unique excesses of America that helped spawn the killings. Unfortunately, Vernon's voice grows tiresome, his excesses make him rather unlikable and the over-the-top, gross-out humor is hit-or-miss. Perry's wild energy offers entertaining satire as well as cringe-provoking scenes, and though he can write with incisive wit, this is a bumpy ride.