Grieving Son + Mobster Landlord + Panda Suit + Pole Dancer + British Humor = Bear Necessity by James Gould-Bourn
If this seems like a unique mix of elements for a novel, it is! Danny and his 11-year-old son Will are grieving the death of their wife/mother a year after the tragic accident that ended her life. Will hasn't spoken a word since, and Danny's concerned about Will while struggling to keep up their home and his construction job.
When he's fired, Danny frantically searches for another job so they can pay their delinquent rent. As a last resort, he buys a smelly old panda suit and begins performing in a park for spare change.
There Danny meets Krystal, a pole dancer, who reluctantly agrees to teach him some steps to increase his income. He's still not earning enough to pay off their mobster landlord so Danny enters a street performer competition offering a huge cash prize to the winner.
This novel is a quick read with a range of emotions, from sorrow to slapstick humor. Most of the secondary characters are larger than life which adds to the quirky humor. At times, it felt like the author was trying too hard to be clever, but those instances were outnumbered by the times I genuinely laughed out loud at events or dialog.
If this seems like a unique mix of elements for a novel, it is! Danny and his 11-year-old son Will are grieving the death of their wife/mother a year after the tragic accident that ended her life. Will hasn't spoken a word since, and Danny's concerned about Will while struggling to keep up their home and his construction job.
When he's fired, Danny frantically searches for another job so they can pay their delinquent rent. As a last resort, he buys a smelly old panda suit and begins performing in a park for spare change.
There Danny meets Krystal, a pole dancer, who reluctantly agrees to teach him some steps to increase his income. He's still not earning enough to pay off their mobster landlord so Danny enters a street performer competition offering a huge cash prize to the winner.
This novel is a quick read with a range of emotions, from sorrow to slapstick humor. Most of the secondary characters are larger than life which adds to the quirky humor. At times, it felt like the author was trying too hard to be clever, but those instances were outnumbered by the times I genuinely laughed out loud at events or dialog.
