150- Gods Behaving Badly: A Novel by Marie Phillips
Likes/Dislikes: Fabulous cover.
I’m not sure if I’m horrible for counting this as a point in this book’s favor, but it made me giggle at a rape joke. Granted, it’s a rape joke that exposes the bad-ness of rape, but that’s a first in a while. The passage is too long to type out, but it’s page 105. Seriously. That and the eucalyptus tree totally did me in.
“Actually,” it said, “I think I would rather be mad.” Then, with hope in its voice: “Are you sure I haven’t gone mad?”
“I’m sure,” said Artemis. “You’re a tree. A eucalyptus. Subgenus of mallee. Variegated leaves.”
“Oh,” said the tree.
“Sorry,” said Artemis.
“But with variegated leaves?”
“Yes,” said Artemis. “Green and yellow.”
The tree seemed pleased. “Oh well, there’s that to be grateful for,” it said.
“That’s the spirit,” Artemis reassured it. (4)
I also really liked the Underworld, and little Christian Eros. But the ending felt incredibly anticlimactic.
You know, I was going to say that this book felt like it was written for people who took an Ovid class in college but wanted the stories to be dirtier– but the thing is, that the myths are already ridiculous on their own. I guess what Phillips does well is give modern referents. They aren’t particularly subtle ones (Artemis likes to run! Dionysus runs a bar!), but again, what I liked about this book was the silliness.
Not sure how I feel about the casting for the movie— it might just be me, but I imagined the gods somewhat…younger. Though, really, any movie featuring Alicia Silverstone will have my backing.
Everything I've Read This Year 
Posted on 29 August 11
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