Kids of Appetite

David Arnold has done it again! You may remember that I reveiwed his book, "Mosquitoland," in an earlier post...calling it my FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR. Well his follow-up, "Kids of Appetite," is every bit as wild and wonderful - full of quirky characters and Arnold's pointed insights. Centered around Victor Benucci and his mission to scatter his father's ashes in various locations in NJ (not all of which are easily discernable by Vic and his adopted band of friends) based on instructions found in the urn holding the ashes. It's a story of family and friendship and love and a supreme quest...oh, and of "simultaneous extreme opposites" and a mothballed submarine and one click or two. If you're a fan of unusual and entertaining protagonists and storytelling (as am I, with personally-treasured fiction by Tom Robbins, Carl Hiaasen and Christopher Moore being the only books to survive a variety of moves over the years), then David Arnold is for you. Start with "Mosquitoland," but check out "Kids of Appetite," as well.