Reviewed by: Pete Barber
Genre: Travel/Humor
Approximate word count: 60,000-65,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Michael Delwiche is a screenwriter living in the UK. The
Liar’s Guide to South America is his first novel. He has a second novel (Wait
Until The Robots) due out later this year.
Description:
Andrew
Mozart is twenty years old, naïve, shy, financially self-sufficient (thanks to
a life insurance policy that paid out when his father died) and in love with
Sarah, a work colleague. When Sarah leaves for a trip to South America before
Andrew has declared his love, he elects to follow her. The book recounts his
journey.
Appraisal:
After Sarah
has left on her trip, Andrew checks her computer terminal at work and finds her
email program still open. He peeks at her inbox and her sent folder and finds
out where she is staying. Then he flies to Brazil to try and meet her.
Such a
simple premise, but what a great read.
I got
through the story in three sittings—never wanted to put it down. Andrew’s naive
attempts at backpacking and staying in hostels and trying to fit in among
others far more travel savvy than himself makes for a fun journey. His trip was
built on a deception, and the longer he continues to track Sarah, the more
wrapped up he becomes in the web of lies he has to spin.
His travel
decisions are based on what he believes he is understanding from Sarah’s emails
(which he continues to look at as he tries to track her down) and as we know,
emails don’t always mean what they appear to say. His lack of even a modicum of
travel-wisdom (this is his first time away from home) has him making dumb
decisions that lead him into one problem after another. But no matter how
unlikely the characters he meets and the situations he gets himself into, it
never seemed far-fetched to me, quite the opposite. At twenty, I’d probably
have done much the same — a scary thought!
Some
sections of the book are laugh-out-loud funny, and no matter that he’s a cheat
and a liar, I defy you to not like Andrew—I found myself rooting for him
throughout.
This gem of
a story is what self-publishing is all about. It’s well written, well
structured, clever, and wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of being
picked up by a mainstream publisher.
I recommend
you read it and see how Andrew sets off to South America to find Sarah, and, in
the end, finds himself.
Format/Typo Issues:
English
Spelling.
Rating: ***** Five stars
4 comments:
Lying, also called a lack of honesty, often makes for a good plot with lots of twists and turns. I'll buy this book, it LQQKS interesting.
As for the big NY publishers, they are overrated.
I agree, Walter. I'm trying to find a way to sneak this into my reading list. :)
A very inviting review. I've not read the book, but if it is as casual and breezy as the review, it's got to be a winner.
Thanks for the great review Pete! I'm so glad you kept rooting for Andrew, and you are spot on about the mainstream publishers - every one was scared that no one would like him!
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