Wrack + Ruin

Lee, Don. Wrack and Ruin. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008

My March Early Review book.Here’s the LibraryThing review:
Funny and witty. Sarcastic and insightful characters who are well developed but have a sense of mystery about them. Great one-liners. It’s hard to believe it takes place over one long Labor Day weekend because so many different things happen. The plot is complicated with many different fast moving subplots. Take this one to the beach because it’s fun.

I love it when the cover of a book takes me in, makes me wonder. My cover of Wrack and Ruinis of a oversized, plain white dinner plate cracked completely in half. On the plate, surviving the plate’s demise is a single brussel sprout, whole and healthy. Behind the gaping crack of the plate is, presumably, Lyndon’s oceanside brussel sprout farm.
Aside from plot, the characters fascinated me. Where did Lee come up with these people? There are more than I can mention, but here are some of my favorites:

• the pot smoking, dreadlocked, amputee surfer.
• the aging, kung fu expert, alcoholic Asian actress.
• the fiery, impulsive, twice divorced mayor of Lyndon’s town who dabbles in small business ownerships
• her equally fiery daughter who wants to be a musician & get laid before college
• the shiatsu woman who smells of chocolate ice cream
• the prissy, germaphobic, narrow-minded brother

Then, there are the funny catch-phrases that definitely caught my eye:

• “garden-variety curmudgeons” (p 3). I picture a whole bunch of plants with sour faces…
• “she was raising an asshole” (p 78). What mother says that?
• “I’m a little underemployed these days” (p 132). Hmmm…can that be a new check box between employed and unemployed on a survey?

All in all, this was a great book. I would like to read it again because there are details I’m sure I missed!