Swamplandia!

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell 318 pgs.

This book is getting a lot of buzz and based on my favorite line from the book, I think it is deserved. Oh yes, I'm going to lay that line on you...first let me tell you about the Bigtree kids. Their mother recently succumbed to cancer and it seems like she was the one holding it all together. Now oldest son Kiwi has some issues with his dad and finds out their theme park/alligator wrestling show and their property is so far in the hole, he is worried about the bills. He leaves their island home for the mainland and tries to figure out a way to save it all. Oldest sister Ossie is going through a "phase" that includes relationships (romantic ones) with ghosts and youngest Ava is trying to train and take over her mom's role as famous alligator wrestler. This book is funny and heart breaking and unforgettable. Oh yea, here is my favorite line: "His friends looked a little lost next to the tyrannosaurus drunks, old men whose tiny, atrophied arms curled whiskey sours against their Hawaiian shirts." How can you not love the idea of tyrannosaurus drunks?