Saturday, January 28, 2012

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber-ESSENTIAL




Schreiber, Joe.  Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick,190 pages, Houghton Mifflin, 2011, $16.99.
Language-PG (2 swears), Mature Content-PG-13, Violence-PG-13  

Perry has a lot of stress in his life. He has a complicated relationship with his father, but he needs  a college letter of recommendation from a partner in his father's firm. His mother wants him to take their foreign exchange student, Gobija Zaksauskas, to the prom, but his band has their first paying gig in New York City on the same night.  He wants to say no to everyone, but he can't. When Gobi comes down the stairs dressed for prom wearing a 'baggy shapeless mountain of linen', a headscarf and a bag made from animal hide, Perry's father hands him the keys to his red Jaguar to ease his pain. Perry thinks that the evening is going to be a disaster-only he has no idea how bad it could get before dawn. What happens next involves a crazy night in Manhattan,  hit men, mobsters, explosions, and a jump from the forty-seventh floor. Through it all, Perry learns a lot more than he ever wanted to know about himself, his family, Gobi, concealed weapons and the underworld. Essentially kidnapped at gunpoint by his prom date, Perry is a very unwilling participant in what turns out to be the most important night of his life. This book is hilarious in an over-the-top, high octane sort of way. From the first explosion to the last, you'll be handcuffed to every page. HS-ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Gretchen 

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