Kate Says: "Reading Is Fun!"

Eugene "Huge" Smalls is my new favorite fictional character. He's a "problem" child who has a very active imagination, loves to read mysteries by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett and has a potty mouth that would rival Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade's to be sure. Oh yeah, did I mention his partner in crime is a stuffed green frog named Thrash and he gets around town on his Cruiser that he made from old bicycle parts he found? Well he does.

I loved how this story was told from Huge's perspective, inner thoughts and how it was a mystery juxtaposed as a coming of age story that many adults, like myself, who grew up in the 80's can relate to.

I didn't really have any ideas on what this story would be like when I first started reading it and when I came to the end I was sad it was over.

James W. Fuerst is a novelist I will be looking forward to reading more from and I'm excited to discuss this one with bookclub on August 11.