24. Big Trouble

24. Big Trouble by Dave Barry (7/22/2011 - 7/24/2011)

Ah, Dave Barry. This is his insane and delightful first attempt into the realm of fiction, and I have always loved it.  (I will always love it and will always in particular love my copy of this novel -- more later!)

The plot consists of roughly 500 misunderstandings that quickly spiral out of control between about 10 or so characters. To be quite honest, I'm not 100% sure how to describe this book.  Two hitmen are after a guy who is stealing money from his company, that guy's wife and step-daughter are respectively into another guy and his son, there's a homeless guy who lives in the first guy's backyard, two cops get involved in a very confusing way, and they all end up at an airport trying to stop two idiots from carrying a bomb -- that they turned on as they went through airport security to prove it wasn't a bomb -- from getting on a plane.  And that doesn't even begin to cover all the insanity in this book. It is an absolutely delightful read because it is so random and hilarious, provided you are okay with the fact that the book doesn't have much of a plot.  I'm having a hard time describing this and I know it, but this is one of those books where, if you already know and love Dave Barry, you can't possibly not like it.

Side Note:  If you are for some reason wondering about the movie that was made out of this novel, take my word for it: do not waste your time! Since so much of what makes Barry's novel hilarious comes from his descriptions, the story simply does not translate onto the screen.  It's unfortunate, really, since this book is so fantastically weird that one would think it'd make for a hilarious movie, but it just doesn't work. 

Now, my copy of this book: I was super lucky and Dave Barry visited a library near me on Aug. 13, 2011, so I got to meet him!!! This was one of those moments that will be a highlight of my entire life (along with my wedding :)).  He and Ridley Pearson, who write children's books together, were on a book tour and since Pearson lives in St. Louis, they started with the Headquarters of the St. Louis County Library system.  There were a lot of awesome things about this night, but the best part for me was when I was running around going, "I'm gonna meet DAVE BARRY!" and Dave Barry himself looked at me being crazy and turned to my fiancee and said, "She's very excitable, isn't she?"  And then he introduced himself and shook my hand and signed my copy of Big Trouble!! It now proudly says, "Stay out of trouble! - Dave Barry" and it's easily the coolest book I have ever or will ever own.

Yay! I met one of my favorite authors!! Now, to hunt down Stephen King...