Thrilled about his latest book deal, writer and family man Aaron Abrams wastes no time getting home to tell his wife about the exciting news. Aaron's excitement quickly changes; from curiosity to outright shock when he finds his wife and his brother "in the act". Keeping a level head about the whole fiasco, Aaron quickly grabs his faithful canine pal, Churchill, a few necessities and climbs into his car; destination - anywhere but here! Thankful for the research and interviews necessary for his upcoming book, Aaron goes on a road trip to end all road trips.

No Mad made for an interesting read. I was taken on an adventure-filled journey alongside Aaron and his golden retriever, Churchill. On his way to interview old school alumni for his book, Aaron is treated to several mini history lessons and runs into some colourful characters who derive pleasure from recreational drug use, sex and Aaron's celebrity. The first half of No Mad was so off-beat and humorous that I instantly became a fan. Unfortunately, about half way through the story, something was lost; the sarcasm, the creative narrative and the "laugh out loud" moments become less frequent and my attention began to wander. I missed the wit and raucous humour that was packed into the first part of the story and I would love to have read more of its variety. The combination of music, drugs, promiscuity and the ever present game of jinx was fun to read about at first, but it lost some of its charm and the story petered out near the end. The scenery is beautifully written with picturesque locations with lush landscapes (Helen's Heaven) kept me entertained when some of the more repetitive and tedious parts of the dialog weighed the story down.

Despite some issues that I had with the story, it is well worth the read. You can't help but feel for Aaron and his plight. There are points in the story where you will laugh till it hurts, be brought close to tears and find yourself rooting for Aaron's success and applauding him for keeping it real, even under some of the most unbelievable and outrageous of circumstances.


No Mad by Sam Moffie
Non-Linear Fiction
BookSurge; 1st Edition (February 24th, 2009)
ISBN 978-1439204610
Paperback
336 pages