I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This novel was billed as a post-apocalypse sci-fi novel, but sci-fi fans would be disappointed in it, I think. I was. Enger is quite the wordsmith and very imaginative. He was probably some creative writing teacher’s star pupil. But the plot has too many holes and eye-rolling implausibilities for my taste. One minor example that grated for much of the book is when the main character flees the U.S. to go Canada and when he gets there, can’t spend his money since they won’t accept U.S. So he barters away some prized possessions, but when he returns to the U.S., he has no U.S. money and the bartering continues. What happened to his money? His continued physical and emotional impoverishment is an important continuing theme, but not necessary if he has money. It kept me busy while I waited in the clinic waiting room, but that’s about all I can recommend it for.