I'm a little concerned about Dave Barry. I've long been a fan of his quirky, albeit predictable, humor: throw some asparagus into the toilet! set the cat's farts on fire! (and such), and have read approximately 33/42 of his books (approximately). But now I'm concerned.
I remember back in Big Trouble, Dave had these frogs whose skin, when touched, transmitted some hallucinogen (I think - I read that a while ago and may have been hallucinating myself). Now, in his new novel, Insane City, the main character is ... marijuana. Oddly, though, only one character (a very sweet, lovable girl) every lights up a doobie - mostly, the characters indulge in pot brownies. And the drug use turns crusty old men into avuncular buddy-types, and forges friendships across the usual socio-economic borders (yes! I went to college) that prohibit the superwealthy from even meeting, let alone sharing hashish with, Joe Six-Pack. Or is it Joe Dime-Bag?
So what is Dave getting at here? We all need to loosen up and pot is the way? At least in edible form? (He does gently wag a finger at inhaling, at least more than ten times a day.) I don't know, and I don't think Dave knows, either.
In any case, Insane City was a fun read that will keep you turning pages right to the totally formulaic cheesy romantic ending (Dave? Dave? I wouldn't do that if I were you), and the sitcom-friendly "everything worked out in the end" wrap-up (even the Haitian refugees get married and start on the path towards citizenship! not kidding!). Hey, we all need a break from Faulkner now and then.
