Doughnut - Impact's Book Review...

Doughnut

Written by Tom Holt

Published by Orbit Books      

Priced: £ 7.99

Out Now

Life has not been kind to Theo Bernstein. His only brother is dead and his sister is a maniacal drug addict. The thrice divorced, once promising physicist seems to be responsible for the destruction of the VVLHC, or Very Very Large Hadron Collider due to a misplaced decimal point. His right arm is invisible due to the explosion and he’s lost his career, his money, and even his home. His career shattered, he gets a job shoveling intestines into a cart at a slaughterhouse. He soon discovers that he is the heir to his old friend and mentor, Professor Pieter von Goyen. A letter from von Goyen’s attorneys inform him that he has inherited a few thousand American dollars and the contents of a safety deposit box. The box’s contents are sparse and strange.

Theo quickly discovers that there is more to the objects in the safety deposit box-an apple, a compact, a bottle, and an envelope-than seem apparent at first. His new job at a hotel with strange employees and two “guests” slowly reveals an ulterior motive. Soon, he finds himself immersed in multiple universes; he discovers that he must somehow save humanity and learn to adapt to bizarre laws of physics, thanks to his old professor.

I am surprised that I haven’t run across any of Holt’s book before; his humor is right up my alley. His writing is absurd, witty, and wonderfully strange. A potential reader need not be versed in the laws of physics, in fact it may be better if one isn’t. The subject is turned upside-down in this novel about a down-on-his-luck physicist who just keeps getting slapped around by the universe(s).  The plot is convoluted and odd, what with the main character jumping in and out of other worlds, and the time aspect is a bit confusing, but Holt is worth the time. I look forward to picking up of few of his other books.

Holt is a prolific writer with an admirable amount of successful novels under his belt. I have seen other reviews that suggest that this one is not as good as some of his earlier novels, but I liked it just fine. Granted, if you are looking for an easy to follow, straight-forwardly plotted novel, this book isn’t for you. For the rest of us who enjoy a little chaos and strangeness, it works just fine. I had a hard time putting this one down...