Cameron is a teenage boy that has a twin sister named Jenna and parents that are well educated and they seem to all co-exist in a big world of denial. Jenna being the perfect child that's popular and well rounded, Cameron being the slacker son that smokes pot and hangs out in the bathroom instead of going to class. Cameron suspects his dad is having an affair with his personal assistant and that his mom is contently oblivious, choosing to immerse herself in other areas of her life. That's his life in a nutshell, until...
One day Cameron starts having strange symptoms that range from pain and delerium to all out hallucinations. After visiting several doctors a specialist finally diagnoses him with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, aka Mad Cow disease in human form, and better yet... there is no cure. Cameron is hospitalized and thus begins the journey that is known as 'Going Bovine'. Between the hypoconriac dwarf friend, fire giant attacks and an indestructible garden gnome you are left to remember that this is a boy laying on his death bed in a hospital in horrible pain living a crazy life inside his crazy mind. We follow Cameron's mind as he believes he's on a journey to find Dr. X to save the galaxy, close the wormhole, oh yeah... and get the cure for Mad Cow disease that only Dr. X has.
In Going Bovine I found a thoroughly entertaining story that at times made me sad, remembering that Cameron is actually going to die, and other times made me soak in the creativity that Libba Bray has put out there. I initially got this book because I loved the Gemma Doyle trilogy. I had read all of the warnings that this was way different from 'Gemma' but I like different and I have a good sense of humor (a must if you are going to read this book). I found myself chuckling out loud at some parts and loved the wit that she injects into the lead character.
I'm not sure what this book is categorized as (YA or Adult fiction) but I wouldn't really recommend it for the YA age group. A lot of language, drug and alcohol use amongst the teens and a couple of sexual situations with no use of protection (which is noted in the book as being a completely stupid thing... but he's dying anyway so he doesn't care... not to mention the fact that it's all actually a hallucination).
This is a very different book and so unique from anything I have ever read. I really enjoyed it and tried to explain it to my husband while in the middle of reading it only to get a blank stare back, so I know it's not for everyone. Gemma and Bovine can in no way be compared and if you read them unknowingly you would have no clue it was even the same author. Read it on its own merits and know that it is as original and creative as the Gemma series while vastly different in topic and character.
