Repo Shark by Cody Goodfellow


This is one wild and crazy book. I enjoyed it and felt the conclusion was particularly strong, but it is not for the weak of heart or stomach. If you are easily offended by strong language, slurs of any kind, absurd situations, or general grossness, you might want to skip it. If you like vivid characterization, imaginative plotting, and stream-of-consciousness narrative, maybe give it a try. It is quite funny, if you appreciate slapstick comedy and bawdy humor.
Primarily told in extreme close-up! third person, Repo Shark follows a stupid, yet sweet, young South African from Las Vegas on a job to Hawaii to repossess a fabulously expensive motorcycle. If there is an bad decision to be made in regards to this trip, Zef makes it, landing in deeper and deeper sh*t with more and more increasingly dangerous people, all the while getting further and further from his goal. The pacing is a break-neck speed collage of chase scenes and beatdowns.
The locations in Hawaii are rich characters in themselves, and the book effectively contrasts the natural areas with the expensive tourist traps as well as the seamier side of every town. There is a lot to think about regarding how a tropical paradise fares once it becomes accessible to everyone.
In contrast to Zef’s madcap adventures, the supernatural elements unfurl slowly, patiently and insidiously stalking our antihero. The resolution is amazing. I found it a perfect resolution to quite an impossible predicament.
I couldn’t get this book through my local library or the inter-library loan system. I purchased an electronic copy.

Post Update: star rating removed, December 5, 2019, to conform to site policy of not using star ratings.





View all my reviews