#BlogTour The Awful Truth about the Sushing Prize by Marco Ocram

Thanks to Emma Weldon of damppebbles blog tours for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts

I approached this book with a good deal of skepticism. I’m not always a big fan of funny novels, and I couldn’t tell from the blurb if this book would make me laugh or cringe.

It made me laugh. And laugh often.

Marco Ocram, aka “The Writer”, is the main character in this novel. He’s penned a runaway global bestseller, The Awful Truth about the Herbert Quarry Affair. But he’s a blundering dunderhead when it comes to writing. And life in general. It’s no wonder his Bronx mom wants to marry him off to one of her friend’s daughters and have six kids. It’s a miracle he’s not still living in her basement.

He lives by the words of his former mentor, Herbert Quarry: write the first thing that comes into your head.

No editing, no re-writing, no second guessing or restructuring or any of those things that lesser writers rely on! Only those first thoughts.

Unfortunately, as most people know, our first thoughts aren’t always our best ones. Marco’s trap him in a murder mystery. However, they also allow for him to invent innovative time-of-death technology, devise various iphone apps, and plot outrageous twists that ignore physical limitations or factual details. (Don’t worry, Marco kindly points these out for us.)

And as improbable as it seems, Marco Ocram is instantly recognized wherever he goes. Among other things, he’s a pal of the Pope, Tom Cruise, and Beyonce. Prisoners have tattoos inspired by The Awful Truth about Herbert Quarry Affair on various body parts. Everyone wants him to sign their copy of the book, which apparently they carry with them at all times. He may also have ghostwritten all of Salman Rushdie’s books. And Harry Potter fans, prepare to be disappointed: JKR only copied them from Marco Ocram’s old wizard fantasy novels.

Um . . . yeah, whatever.

He’s also a scientific genius who is an expert on tau muons (some sort of subatomic thing-y that I think he’s making up). And everyone from the police to cab drivers to the Pope has to ask about those, too. Because, really, who doesn’t love a great discussion on tau muons?

This book is hilarious meta-fiction: fiction about fiction. The entire premise is a spoof on both the bumbling detective archetype and the corrupt police stereotype in crime fiction. Bad crime fiction, that is, the over-sensational type that owe their info to Hollywood. The author (the real one, not “The Writer”) is poking fun at the genre’s cliches even while ostensibly only poking fun of “the writer” character.

There are so many writer-humor jokes. Non-writers will catch them, I’m sure, and it’s a lot of fun snickering at the hapless but likable Marco as he writes his latest novel. I cheered for his police chief pal Cumo to solve the case and for Marco to write the solution.

The book’s voice is wry, even as the author winks at the reader. It’s fun to read. However, it can become tiring fast, so I read the book in small-ish doses rather than in one big gulp.

I recommend The Awful Truth about the Sushing Prize to anyone who loves funny mysteries, bumbling underdog heroes, or books that don’t take themselves too seriously.

It’s a welcome relief from the often unrelenting dark aspect of the mystery/suspense genre. Pack it for your next vacation, or simply curl up in your favorite chair and escape into the absurd world of Marco Ocram.

Check out the rest of the blog tour!

Don’t forget that there’s a giveway for a free book until March 27, 2020. All you have to do is like the post and you’ll enter to win a copy of Deep Dark Night by Steph Broadribb.