This is my feelgood read of the year. A delightful tale of Perry - who is not retarded, just slow, as he tells everyone - and his lottery win. The story never ducks the hard bits, but Perry still comes out smiling.
Extract
My words today are pass, passable and passage. I type them into my new computer. I started my new book in Word. I like that. Word. That pretty much tells you what it is. Word for my words.
Pass. The first definition I read makes me sad. It is right on my computer. Like Gram and Gramp. It means die. To pass on. I had to shut down my Mac, that is what I call my computer. I look for my Gram remembers book so I can think about her again.
The lottery reminds me of Gram.
When we would buy tickets she would say, “You know Perry, life’s all just some big goddammed lottery. Some of us have brains, some of us don’t. Some people draw cancer. Others win car accidents and plane crashes. It’s just a big lottery. A goddammed lottery.”
Parallels
Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
