Unlike Anything I've Read Before, And Not Just Because of the Giant Grasshoppers

Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew Smith

This book received a lot of buzz in the months leading up to its publication, and with good reason. There were heaps of shiny, complimentary advance reviews and pictures on the front of Indie list, and I must say that the novel doesn't disappoint in the slightest.

After reading Winger, Andrew Smith quickly became an author that I wanted to watch. I thought that he had written a brilliant piece that was able to transition from a light hearted, amusing tale to something meaningful and thought provoking. So, when this one came out, I was curious and excited to read it.

The premise is a bit odd: Austin and his best friend Robby accidentally bring about the end of humanity by unleashing an army of giant praying mantises upon their small town. However, the book is so much more than that and it is absolutely unlike anything else I have ever read, and not just because of the human sized grasshoppers.

The story is funny, multilayered, interesting and surprising, and the end is absolutely fantastically executed.

Some highlights from my point of view:

Austin is constantly questioning his sexuality and Smith doesn't hold back from realistically describing the horniness of a teenage boy.

Despite being about giant grasshoppers, this book feels almost more realistic than anything else I've read. It doesn't feel like sci-fi, fantasy or dystopia but like realistic fiction.

The way that it's written ties all of these little tiny pieces together into a massive web and shows the consequences and interconnections between each piece brilliantly. This aspect is slightly mind blowingly brilliant.

You will laugh out loud at moments like Austin getting in trouble for writing an essay about Catholic boys masturbating in The Chocolate War.

This is one of the most unique and entertaining novels that I've read in a long time, and Smith has created something that is incomparable in my book. The writing style, characters, and plot are incredibly written and this is a novel that has stuck in my mind and which I am constantly recommending to readers. A true delight to read.