Going Bovine

Going Bovine 

By Libba Bray
5/5 stars
Reviewer: Marina

Cameron Smith is an average slacker high school student who gets diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s disease (or more commonly thought of as mad cow) and is told there is no cure.  After talking with a punk rock angel, Cameron escapes the hospital with his dwarf roommate, Gonzo, and starts on a wild cross-country adventure to save the world and cure himself.  This adventure is peppered with visits from the punk rock angel, Dulcie, and “dreams” of being in the hospital bed still.  Bray masterfully weaves together a serious story about the big questions and issues in life with the kooky antics of trip riddled with hallucinations and an ancient Norse god turned lawn gnome.  Not only will this story have you questioning reality, thinking about your own mortality, and most likely crying your eyes out, but it will also have you laughing out loud at Cameron and Gonzo’s adventures.  The teenage characters in the novel are realistic in actions and speech, using slang and four-letter words in a natural and unforced manner.  Going Bovine is a fabulous combination of serious, thought-provoking, and laugh out loud humor.