6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightfully odd, May 20, 2010
This review is from: No Hope for Gomez! (Paperback)
"It was like suddenly getting a glimpse of a giant invisible hand turning the world. You were not supposed to see those kind of things. You were not supposed to notice the machinery at work." - Gomez Porter
Cleverly presented as a series of blog entries, author Graham Parke's debut novel, No Hope For Gomez!, chronicles the experiences of Gomez Porter. Being rather unsuccessful at running the antiques store he inherited from his parents, primarily because he knows absolutely nothing about antiques, Gomez decides to earn some extra cash by participating in an experimental drug trial.
As part of the trial, Gomez is instructed to keep a detailed blog of his daily activities and experiences, especially anything strange he notices. One thing in particular that Gomez notices, though he doesn't find it at all strange, is how attracted he is to Dr. Hargrove, the scientist running the drug trial. In fact, he develops a mad crush on her and decides to devote all his time to winning her affection.
Dr. Hargrove, however, is already being stalked by someone so Gomez becomes her stalker's stalker in order to determine the stalker's identity and prove himself to Hargrove. Which he does, and an incredibly awkward romance ensues.
Things take a turn for the strange, if not downright disturbing, when one of Gomez's fellow drug trial participants turns up dead, and shortly thereafter the detective investigating the case goes missing. Dr. Hargrove assures Gomez that the drugs being used in the trial had nothing to do with the death, but when yet another participant dies Gomez believes he has no choice but to go off the grid and investigate for himself in order to get to the bottom of things.
Interspersed throughout Gomez's romance and investigation are the laugh-out-loud funny interactions he has with his decidedly left-of-center downstairs neighbor, Warren, an aspiring novelist, Hicks, the antiques store's sole employee, who has a "pathological fear of all things unpunctual" (At one point Gomez becomes so frustrated with Hicks' bizarre behavior that he puts him up for auction on eBay.), and the parade of oddball customers who frequent the antiques store.
Since it is known that Gomez is participating in an experimental drug trial, the reader is often left to wonder whether what is being relayed in his blog entries is real or the product of some drug-induced hallucination. After all, he can't possibly have actually heard Warren stir-frying hamsters in an enameled wok... can he? And surely no one really came into his antiques store wearing a three-piece suit accessorized with sandals and a sombrero covered in "I love pasteurized milk!" stickers, right?
No Hope For Gomez! is one of the most delightfully odd books I've ever had the pleasure to read. It's part humor, part mystery, part romance and entirely original. It was, in fact, like getting sucked down the rabbit hole into Gomezland, and what a wonderful world to visit it was! I won't spoil the book's ending by telling you whether or not there's ultimately hope for Gomez, but I can tell you that I most definitely hope for more books from Parke in the future.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hilariously quirky mystery!, May 18, 2010
This review is from: No Hope for Gomez! (Paperback)
Interesting. That's the first thing that pops to mind when I try to describe this book. Definitely a different kind of book than I've ever read. But definitely one that held my interest through out the story.
This story should be perfect for us bloggers! Each chapter is written in the style of blog entries. Too cute! But what held me the most was the humor and twist of mystery that Parke adds. Wow! Parke is a talented author who really knows how to create a quirky page turning story that will keep you laughing until the end.
Gomez's character was HILARIOUS! He really had me rolling with laughter throughout! I was intrigued from the interesting start all the way to the quirky ending. There was some language but nothing like alot of the books out there today. It's mild compared to them. There was also some undetailed (thank goodness!) mentions of sex, but again, nothing like some of the books out there. Overall, I enjoyed this crazy, funny, book about antique dealers, experimental drugs, mystery and love.
A 4 star praise to Mr. Graham Parke for a hilariously mysterious comedy!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bridget's Review, May 17, 2010
This review is from: No Hope for Gomez! (Paperback)
Gomez has become an experimental lab rat. He is required to blog about any sudden changes in the way he feels. Gomez had no idea just how crazy this drug would make him. He shares his predicament with on the world wide web for all to read.
He begins to wonder if taking part in this trial was a good idea. He gets his answer when one of the other people taking part winds up dead. Unable to decipher between reality and the feelings brought on by the drugs, Gomez is facing a huge turning point in his life. Will he have the strength and will to survive or will he give up?
This book is different than any other book I have read. The way the author speaks through his characters and builds up suspense is really intriguing. When you read this you will want to be able to read it all in one sitting because you won't be able to put it down.
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