The Goddamn Bus of Happiness

Book Report: The Goddamn Bus of Happiness

By Stephen Laszczuk

‘The novel traces the life of the main character, Mico, and his relationship with his best mate, Couper, who works in a funeral home and often scatters the excess remains along his driveway. His girlfriend Nina, stuck in an inane job at a service station, adds balance to their mad world. A narrative embedded in the subculture of street life, The Goddam Bus of Happiness reveals how three young people must address certain truths about themselves which they continuously try to avoid.

Their journey begins when Mico discovers that his sixteen year-old sister, Janey, is not as naïve as he had thought. While Janey is running away from home and in with Couper, Mico finds himself entrenched in a life consumed by beer and hazy hangovers. When Couper looses his job, he asks Mico to help him rob the funeral home. Alas, having money has tragic consequences and leads to a wake-up call of just how important life really is. The Goddamn Bus of Happiness is full of intense raw energy as the characters search to get their lives back on track, out of the gutter and back on board that ‘goddamn bus of happiness’.

LOVED this book!

First paragraph:

‘A freak deep breath swells my lungs like post-accident airbags. The dull ache in my chest sharpens to an invisible stab. I wince and swallow foul residue. Stare through an all-too-familiar haze at my parent’s front yard. Their garden gnome is still smiling, though now he’s missing an arm.’

Laszczuk had my attention from first glance. I mean, who can resist a title like that? I do love a sense of humor, and this book is full of it. The chapters are titled and in the beginning, reading almost as a collection of connected short stories. But as it picks up speed, this Bus becomes unstoppable.

Not that’s you’d want it to, of course.

Mico, the protag, is a jobless twenty eight year old who spends his days sleeping or at the local bars with Couper, his best friend. But Mico is much more than the loser he appears to be. He’s empathetic, as when he worries for his girlfriend’s chronic stomach pains, and loyal, as when he stands for his little sister when it discovered that she is the object of a local pervert’s attention. This book is the story of Mico’s self-discovery, of a character discovering what really matters, and it is just as moving as it is hilarious and raunchy. The boughts of introspection resonate loudly:

‘ The way I see it, there’s only so many fates to go around. There’s a few good ones and a few bad ones and either you get dealt one you don’t. Some people end up as rock stars, successful crayfisherman or teachers who are remembered by their students for decades. Other people end up drowning in their own soup, being trampled by runaway bull elephants or murdered by serial killers. The rest of us remain eternally unnoticed, like extras in a movie, until we waste away. Sure, I’d rather remain unnoticed than have my skull crushed by rampaging pachyderm, but that’s not the point. The point is that I don’t think I have a choice.’

Mico’s voice and his story are fresh and unique, and the entire cast of characters is real and unforgettable. ‘Bus’ is a story of both loss and discovery, and ultimately, of growth. The very personal experiences Mico goes through are fascinating but have deeper undertones, and the reader is able to take away a little something from each chapter. This is another one of the handful of books I would rescue from my burning house.

Five out of Five stars for personal, spunky narrative and character growth