The cover I judged, bought and loved.
Ok. I confess. I was wandering Barnes & Noble when I stumbled upon the virbantly decorated cover of Ron Currie Jr.'s novel Everything Matters! and at first I thought I'd missed the memo that Jonthan Safron Foer had published a fourth book--as it unquestionably resembles both Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. (If you don't know what I am talking about- get to a bookstore or do whatever you do with that Kindle thing and read them!) And while the novel wasn't what I thought- it ended up being better. Everything Matters! is hands down one of the best, most heartbreaking, original and unforgettable novels I have ever read.
We meet the story's protragonist in Utero where the zygote who will soon join the world as John "Junior" Theibodeau is told by an omniscient voice that a comet will hit the Earth and destroy it when he is 36, but also that it is very important that he lives and decides what matters. What follows is Junior's life up to that inevitable end. And while this premise is entirely dark, the novel isn't. Despite Junior's lapses with what he calls soul-dread and the burdensome truths the Voice imparts upon him throughout his life, she joins him, chiming in with impartial information and advice, the novel thoughtfully explores the human condition with humor, keen observation and a lot of compassion. Not a bad way to explore the interminable question that is- does anything we do actually matter?
The author Ron Currie Jr. looking unassuming--you'd never suspect his literary arsenal
A more recent cover that is also swell.
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