I was compelled to pick up this book after having been blown away by the film adaptation starring Daniel Craig. I went to see that movie in July 2004 and thought it was simply marvelous. What I was not expecting was that the book - ordered on a whim from AMAZON - would in several ways top the theatrical experience for pure enjoyment. First off, though the movie has it's moments, I never expecting the book to be so darn funny. When adapting his novel into a screenplay, author J.J. Connelly had to strip the narrative down to it's bare bones, but in the novel, the heady mixture of British slang and black humor plays like gangbusters. One of my favorite books of the decade, I post this thread as it now seems that the long awaited sequel's release is imminent
If you've never thought to pick this up, please take a moment to reconsider. It took me about 40 pages before I had the unusual vernacular of Connelly's world down, but once I was able to figure out what his characters were on about, reading through the novel became a very rewarding experience
After you've torn through LAYERCAKE (it's a quick read), you can move onto VIVA LA MADNESS, the soon to be released follow up. The only returning characters are XXXX and Morty (portrayed by the captain of the Bantu Wind in the film), and the book chronicles their quest to deal drugs in the Caribbean
Has anyone else read this one?
