I read A LOT. Not as much as some, but much more than most people. This book is without a doubt one of the funniest books I have read in years, or maybe ever.

We start with the main character, Matthew, crying “for the first time in eleven years” as his girlfriend has left him, his father had a heart attack and died, and he’s completely broke. But within the first few pages, his parents are hilariously bickering on his father’s death bed. Later, as we meet the world’s most interesting cast of characters, the laughter continues!

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Meet Mahatma Randy. Randy is a marijuana salesman. He was born in Utah and raised a Mormon, so there’s obviously a story there. No one knows what that story is, but he has stopped wearing underwear entirely so they figure it must be bad.”

“It’s like nothing’s ever happened in the entire history of Canada that didn’t involve a beaver.”

“A freelance pharmacist, a reptile dealer, and a penis peddler walk into a bar. They are accompanied by a linguist, who feels like the correct answer to a One of These Things is Not Like the Others quiz on Sesame Street.”

There were at least two points in the story I was crying laughing, one involving physically moving a body.

The author has created such an interesting world with fun characters — a ‘family isn’t always blood’ vibe. The two main characters go through such incredible character development and it is truly a joy to read about it! The pacing is perfect — always interesting even when nothing is really happening — because we are learning more about these characters and their motivations. It is so easy to love (most of) these people! I will no doubt recommend this book to everyone I know who reads.