booksiloved.com - Book reviews of books the reviewer really liked

A review of Like a Hole in the Head

by Jen Banbury

An absolutely delightful read!

Reviewed by: Lisa McCoy
About Lisa McCoy

Like a Hole in the Head I actually picked up this book at my local bookstore after watching an episode of Friends in which Monica was sitting on the couch reading it. All I can say is thank goodness I have this habit of paying attention to things like that! Like a Hole in the Head was an absolutely delightful read and immediately became one of my favorite books. The writing is witty, sharp, and fast-paced (I read this novel in one sitting), and the characters that rampage through this book are simply unforgettable.

Like a Hole in the Head tells the story of Jill, a hard-edged, Generation X sort of woman in search of a direction in life (whether she knows it or not) who works in a used bookstore. Jill is happy with the routine she has created for herself and everything is fine until a dwarf comes into the store one day and offers to sell Jill a book. Jill can’t believe her good fortune at first, because the book appears to be an autographed first edition of a Jack London book. However, Jill’s delight soon turns to dismay. Shortly after selling the book, the dwarf and a giant of a man return, demanding the book back…or else! What follows is a madcap ride from LA to Vegas and back again, with Jill doing everything she can to get the book back and avoid getting killed. Along the way, she is drugged, forced to be an extra in a movie, and hijacks a water delivery truck, among other things. Part Maltese Falcon, part Catcher in the Rye, and part It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, this book was simply fantastic from the first word to the last.

Although I couldn’t put it down, I was sorry when I reached the end of the book and hope that this author does more with this character. Jill is resourceful, sexy, smart, loves her booze, and above all, is endearingly human, a rare trait in many of today’s novels. I think this book would make a great movie, and if anyone ever turns it into one, I want to play Jill!

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Like a Hole in the Head

Copyright © by Lisa McCoy, 2003

Reviewed by Lisa McCoy:
--Like a Hole in the Head - by Jen Banbury









Home ------- All the Reviews