Vernon God Little
Vernon God Little
Author: DBC Pierre
Year: 2004
Publisher: Harvest Books
ISBN: 0156029987
**WARNING**: There might be allusions to the story below. Don’t read any further if that bothers you.
Someone (who, incidentally, had //not// read the book) described the book to me as “a cross between //Catcher in the rye// and //Terry Pratchett//”. The reading guide at the back of the book itself says the book may seem like a cross between //Catcher in the rye// and //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. As you can see, the common theme here is [[wp>The_Catcher_in_the_Rye|the catcher in the rye]], so you can imagine that this is sort of a coming of age book, and sort of a depressing book (depending on the type of person you are).
Its a Booker winner, so much has already been written about Vernon God Little. Its a sharp, witty satire on teenage, violence, American media and sexuality. The book is a narrative in first person (just like Salinger’s book) and the protagonist has a distinctive way of talking (again, just like in CITR). This is a story about a 15 year old boy — Vernon Gregory Little — who is a witness to a high school murder incident and how he gets entangled in the chaos that ensues afterwards. As events unfold, he flees to Mexico (and herein lies the semblance to Huckleberry Finn’s adventure). Its a book about his journey as he tries to figure out his fate.
Though I took a really long time to read it, its a short book. I found the book depressing in parts, but its usually pretty funny and sarcastic. I //was// a little disappointed by the ending though, which is surprising, because its actually a happy ending. But its a refreshing book, and definitely worth a read!
the terry pratchett reference is what caught my eye, sounds like a good read, will do so at the earliest. THough it may not be relevant..it isnt anything like adrian mole right? because I find that very depressing..
*@disha*: I wouldn’t put too much weight on that Terry Pratchett reference… its not at all sci-fi/fantasy, and the style of humor is very different from Pratchett’s. I haven’t read Adrian Mole so can’t comment on that.
here are a couple fantastic quotes from the book,
The jury foreman’s eyes twitch, then fall.
“Guilty”.
Even before he says it, I feel departments in the office of my life
start to close up shop; files are shredded, sensitivities are folded
into neatly marked boxes, lights and alarms are switched off. As the
husk of my body is guided from the court, I sense a single little man
sat at the bottom of my soul. He hunches over a card table under a
naked low-watt bulb, sipping flat beer from a plastic cup. I figure he
must be the janitor. I figure he must be me.
‘Vernon God Little’ by DBC Pierre
“Boy you really missed the boat. I’ll make it simple, so’s even fuckin
you can understand. Papa God growed us up till we could wear long
pants; then he licensed his name to dollar bills, left some car keys
on the table, and got the fuck outta town”. Water rushes to his
eye-holes. “Dont be lookin up at no sky for help. Look down here, at
us twisted dreamers”. He takes hold of my shoulders, spins me around,
and punches me towards the mirror on the wall. “You’re the God. Take
responsibility. Exercise your power”
‘Vernon God Little’ by DBC Pierre
i haven’t read it but i’m looking forward to it, i enjoyed this review http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2004-02/vgl.htm
“Vernon God Little” is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it! The brutal honesty inside the mind of a maturing boy and the way the book develops is amazing.
Vernon God Little is one of my favorite books. Thanks for all…
Not sure if it was a happy ending with him dying. It was a good book though, I agree
This is my favorite book of all time, but if you find adrian mole depressing this probably isn’t the book for you. in the first couple of chapters poor vernon is put in the middle of possibly one of life’s most horrible events and from that early point onward he becomes a magnet for for horrible events with out any shred of relief.
Relief for him at least, the reader on the other hand is treated to his funny-free point of view throughout which helps a bit. It’s still not the lightest choice though, it rated number one on a list of books people never got to the end of. I loved it though, so maybe that’s modern attention spans, who knows?