Review by Booklist Review
Acclaimed British author Marek's collection of short stories is something to shout about. The 14 stories deal with the ordinary person's reaction to extraordinary situations. And for extraordinary, read bizarre, fantastic, and surreal. In Testicular Cancer vs. the Behemoth, Austin discovers that his cancer has metastasized and is going to kill him. At the same time, a Godzilla-like creature is attacking the city, people are fleeing, buildings are crumbling, but Austin only feels the ache in his groin. In Belly Full of Rain, Doris and Brendan find out that there are 37 fetuses inside her womb, and there is a wacky doctor who says he can bring them all to term. Maybe the most bizarre is Meaty's Boys. A section of the city is fenced off to house those infected with a zombielike disease. Meaty runs the restaurant that serves the meat the boys bring back. When one of the boys dies, Reed is drafted to ride along and discovers how the boys get the meat. These stories are powerful, and although the situations are unreal, the portrayals of the emotions and humanity are very real.--Dickie, Elizabeth Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
