Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Title: Going Bovine
Author: Libba Bray
Ships launched: 612
Pages: 480
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2009
Genre: Young Adult, Dark Comedy
Synopsis:
All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

        Be prepared to take a trip down the rabbit hole. Going Bovine is by far one of the most er... weirdly interesting books I have ever picked up. The story begins with slacker Cameron drifting through life, continually disappointing people. Then he discovers he has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease(basically mad cow) and since there is no cure he is doomed to die young. Along comes Dulcie, who sends Cameron to find Dr. X and save the world. 

        I've read some of Libba Bray's other books and in Going Bovine she ventures into a completely different subject area. The book itself is amusing but carries a dark undertone that keeps readers glued to the page. Cameron is snarky and sarcastic with normal teenage problems that make him extremely relatable. His one rule is that no expectations=no disappointments. The unconventional quest he takes is filled with original characters like Gonzo the hypochondriac dwarf, Balder and other...fairly interesting characters. 

     The plot is filled with twists and turns and weird adventures I did not expect. Somewhere in the story I got a little lost in the plot and became puzzled but I finished the book. Bray's eccentric writing style created strong characters and an unusual story. Although the book is filled with craziness, I would definitely recommend it to the average sane teenager.  

    +10- interesting plot.

    +5- developed characters.

    -3 Plot is a little hard to follow.