Not quite sure how to take the start. It’s quite a mix of unique characters chucked in from the start, a bit of humour, wondering if it’s supposed to be serious or not.
It seems to be getting more bizarre by the minute. A psychiatric hospital called “white mouse”, containing major players of America, Presidents and their aids etc. Under new laws this new Islamic state can hold these people.
These people also have doubles in case of an invasion and to prevent the real ones from getting imprisoned. A lot is quickly revealed in the first few pages, with unusual characters and depictions, but the more I read the more confusing it was.
It tends to dwindle out a bit when the presidents of two countries at war in 2016 meet. Long and tedious conversations drag the novel a bit. The writer creates a novel that is supposed to be full of weird humour, and many jokes, but it tends to get lost amongst of whatever else is going on.
The characters are a bit difficult to relate to, because they seem to jump around a lot. I assume that a man call Barney, a comedian and works with the President is the main character. He fills the novel with plenty of jokes, which at times can be funny, but there is one too many jokes chucked in there.
While reading the novel ‘random’ and ‘weird’ are the two words that frequently come to mind. But this could be what the author wanted, a book like nothing I have ever read before.
I wanted something really exciting to happen, and although there is a war going on, there’s no reality to it. No real grit, and what makes it even more unusual is the celebrities that are included in the novel are sort of hired guns, but the initials of their names are changed; Teagal, instead of Steven Seagal etc.
It jumps to and fro without any proper interlude; the writing style could be improved on by using more imaginative phrasing.
I would say that the novel is a bit too long for whatever genre it is trying to fit into. For those that like reading slightly cliché jokes, this novel is for them. Certainly a more light-hearted approach to things which some readers may enjoy.
Some unexpected events occur. I wasn’t really sure who was supposed to be ‘good’ and who is ‘bad’.
I don’t really know what to make of the ending. Everything seems to happen all at once, but yet nothing really happened. It’s hard to sum up a novel quite like that. A bit crazy.
2 ½ stars
Writing, Health, and CBD 