Bray, L. (2009). Going bovine. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN: 978-0-385-73397-7. 480 pp.
Cameron Smith is a sixteen-year-old who prides himself with being able to get through high school unnoticed and not having to worry about anyone or anything other than his own personal well-being. All of this changes when he gets diagnosed with mad cow disease. Dulcie, a punk angel, sends Cameron on a quest to find a cure for his disease with the help of his newly found friend Gonzo, a hypochondriacal teenager with dwarfism, and Balder, a garden gnome.
Critical Analysis
Bray takes the tragic situation of having a fatal disease and turns it into something heroic and magical, reminiscent of stories such as The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland. Cameron’s own personal angel, Dulcie, gives him the quest of finding Dr. X, who has the cure to his disease. Dr. X is also the key to saving the world from a mysterious dark energy. All this must be done in two weeks before Cameron dies of his illness. Cameron’s adventure is dangerous and difficult in that fire giants and an evil dark wizard are chasing him. His only help comes from an angel, a dwarf, a garden gnome, and a handful of well-loved musicians.
Although this plot may sound like a hard core fantasy novel, many of the adventures are exaggerated situations closer to real life with a few characters that add to the fantasy element. Readers deeply into fantasy may find that some of the adventures drag on a bit with the fantastical elements few and far between. The story may also get a little preachy with making statements about current society, such as the need for instant and constant satisfaction or the increasing fascination with instant fame. However, this story generates enough interest in Cameron’s success that should motivate readers to reach the very end. With all the necessary fantasy elements in place: a protagonist who grows from selfish to self-sacrificing, a journey that reveals everything that Cameron questions about himself and life, and a world that will be destroyed unless Cameron can save it, this book has a dreamlike quality that is a feast for the imagination.
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