Jason Heller
Quirk Books, 2012
Oh wow. I knew this one was going to be a fun read when I got Eric Smith's email about the upcoming release. (You guys should follow him, btw - he's awesome. And if you're a blogger, you definitely want to be on his mailing list: promise the emails will make you smile!) I was not disappointed in the reading.
Picture, if you will, the United States in a frenzy of politics: the 2012 elections are looming closer and closer, and everyone is trying desperately to find the right candidate to go up against the sitting President. Imagine, with me, that one day a former President, who left office 100 years ago, reappears suddenly. Like, literally reappears. Alive and well. Rip van Winkle-style, with a Presidential twist. Yeah. Jason Heller went there. What happens next is a story that could only happen in the American political arena - but in a good way!
What I loved about Taft 2012 is how believable it is. Er, you know, aside from the fact Taft 'woke up' 100 years after he vanished. But the climate? The society? The way things played out? Totally. Believable. All you have to do is turn on the tv or check a news site online and it's easy to imagine the novel as reality. There are a lot of fun 'insider looks' too: tweets, agendas, etc. that help flesh out the story. And the sly comments about the world Taft wakes up in? I dare you not to recognize the connections. I think the very realness of the context is what makes this so enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, alternating between chuckling over the developing story and appreciating the masterful storytelling.
Book provided by publisher for review.
First, totally agree that Eric is awesome; he's the most effective book rep I know! (Effective insofar as I request a copy of pretty much every book he suggests.)
ReplyDeleteNext, really looking forward to reading this one! The premise is so intriguing, and I'm into anything that examines modern society in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Plus, with the elections coming up, politics is already on the brain. Should be an interesting fall!