Ouch, my heart

Here's my long-awaited review for Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I just finished a little under an hour ago, and let's just say I'm still tearing up a bit.

(Photo from www.amazon.com)

Description:
"All sixteen-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school-and life in general-with a minimum amount of effort. It's not a lot to ask. But that's before he's given 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 for it. With the help of Gonzo, a death obsessed, video-gaming dwarf, and a yard gnome who might just be the Viking god Balder, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America of smoothie-drinking happiness cults, parallel-universe-hopping physicists, mythic New Orleans jazz musicians, whacked-out television game shows, snow-globe vigilantes, and disenfranchised, fame-hungry teens into the heart of what matters most. From New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray comes a dark comedic journey that poses the questions: Why are we here? What is real? What makes microwave popcorn so good? Why must we die? And how do we really learn to live?"

My Thoughts (Mild spoilers alert):
I certainly wasn't expecting to have my heart strings tugged so painfully. Cameron's not the most likable character at the beginning, with his stubborn pessimism and questionable attitude, but he and his quirky buddies gradually began to grow on me. The description makes this novel sound mostly like a wacky journey (and that does ring very true) but there's also many interesting, almost philosophic quotes that are sprinkled throughout. Example:
"'...I mean, suppose you take your anger and you channel it into a painting. Pretty soon, you don't care about getting back at that idiot who pissed you off anymore because you're totally into your painting. And then maybe that painting hangs in a gallery someday and it inspires other people to find their thing, whatever it is. You've influenced the world not because you wanted to hug it and cuddle it and call it sweet thing but because one day you wanted to beat the crap out of somebody but you didn't. You made a painting instead. And you couldn't have made that painting without that feeling, without anything to push off against. We human beings can't evolve without the pain.'"
Cameron's journey is definitely a crazy one, mostly outlined in the above description, but there's also this one particular mystery laced throughout, one that isn't answered until the ending. I won't spoil it for you, but it's the main reason I was crying by the ending of the book. This book is very adventurous and funny, but also emotional and deep, elements I hadn't predicted before reading.

Overall Rating:
Going Bovine is a fast-paced read that almost reminds me of John Green's writing style, in a way. If you want a book that can make you laugh, cry, and think excessively, then you've come to the right place. But a warning: it's not the most appropriate book, with language, alcohol, drug, and sexual references. It is, however, a memorable one, and I'll be sure to read more of Libba Bray's books in the future. Once I stop internally crying.
I rate this book four out of five yard gnomes.