Insane City

November 5, 2012
In Barry's very funny new novel, the destination wedding of a slacker protagonist and his beautiful lawyer fiancée goes haywire. Though Seth Weinstein tries to live up to Tina Clark's expectations, he's immediately thwarted. He's lost his suitcase, wedding ring, and Groom Posse before arriving, drunk, at the Miami hotel where he's to be married. His newly found companion, the fourth runnerup in the Miss Hot Amateur Bod competition, enlists her friend, who keeps a python as a pet, to help find the ring. The stripper that Seth didn't ask for greets him in his suite demanding payment. Seth goes in search of an ATM and returns, the next morning, with a nearly drowned Haitian woman and her children. The stripper's tab keeps climbing, and her pimp is unlikely to make a deal. Barry adds to the mix Tina's disapproving, social-climbing, billionaire parents and Seth's clueless mom and dad, complete with medicinal marijuana and matching tracksuits. Seth must also contend with an amorous orangutan and his soon-to-be-wife's family's bodyguards, one of whom has a grudge. None of the mayhem gets the better of Barry, whose sly observations, well-delineated characters, and intricate plotting mesh perfectly, even as the story reaches a frenetic dénouement aboard a pirate ship. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.

Starred review from May 15, 2013

Seth Weinstein and his Groom Posse arrive in Miami, FL, for his destination wedding to Tina Clark--the beautiful, wealthy sophisticate who is decidedly out of his league. Soon, Seth and his buddies are off on a series of misadventures that include a refugee Haitian mother and her two small children, a bouncer and his albino python, a supersize stripper and her even larger pimp, an orangutan named Trevor, and Cindy, who came in fourth in a hot body contest. Each mishap creates further complications that threaten to sabotage Seth's wedding. Laugh out loud dialog coupled with insane misadventures will leave the listener reeling with mirth. Some buffoons blossom into capable individuals, losers become heroes, and villains are defeated. Despite many catastrophes, a satisfactory conclusion is achieved. Barry does an excellent job of narrating his own material and portraying the various characterizations. VERDICT This is a thoroughly enjoyable audiobook. Highly recommended for Barry's fans and anyone who wants to be regaled by their own laughter. It's almost impossible not to listen straight through to the end once the audio starts. [The Putnam hc was a New York Times best seller.--Ed.]--Gloria Maxwell, Metropolitan Community Coll.-Penn Valley Lib., Kansas City, MO

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