Customer Reviews

Show of Hands: A Novel

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I found the book to move slow, but it was interesting enough that I wanted to finish it. During the middle of the book, I found I was scanning pages to keep moving.

A desperate auto dealer holds a contest to generate business. The rules are simple: Whoever can keep one hand on a Land Rover the longest wins the car. The contest draws a mass of people desperate to win the vehicle. However, it gathers little media attention and gains no new business. We mainly follow two characters: Tom, an arrogant know-it-all who feels the world owes him his due and Jess, an insecure single mother of a physically disabled child. It is interesting to note all the diverse reasons people give for participating in the contest. The quiet desperation that underlies most people's lives is highlighted, as well as the cheats who will do anything to win. I came to really enjoy the characters and their interaction. Even though Tom is a real jerk, the author provides reasons for us to understand his frustration - and why he is so often misunderstood. As much fun as this was on one level, it was also, in its own peculiar way, a love story