Book 17- Drink Play Fuck

I laughed and laughed. I think Drink Play F#@k: One Man's Search for Anything Across Ireland, Las Vegas, and Thailand is a hilarious fictional parody of the Eat Pray Love memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I loved the fictional spin of man getting a divorce so his method of coping is to drink himself into oblivion in Dublin, gamble himself into a stupor in Vegas, and get laid in Thailand. As he does this, he finds his own versions of gurus- three separate men he meets at airports- who teach him the importance of drinking in Dublin, how to win and lose and play golf in Vegas, and... well the guru from Thailand didn't work out so well, but he managed all on his own.

This book was a fun look of what to do with a year of life after divorce and while I know this is a fictional account as opposed to Gilbert's alleged real life foray, the fictional Bob Sullivan created by author Andrew Gottlieb was a lot more fun!

I adored the voice of Bob, who suspiciously sounds like the ex- Mr. Gilbert, who frequently comments that his ex-wife was shacked up with "some guy named David." I thought the similar covers were a scream. In Gilbert's book, the title is spelled out in pasta (eat), prayer beads (pray) and flower petals (love) while Gottlieb's account is spelled out in beer bottle caps, poker chips and condoms; I'll let you figure out which item spelled each word!

The final thing I appreciate about this character of Bob was his heart. I thought this could be a cruel and harsh attack on Gilbert and her book (and I wouldn't have cared) but it's very gentle in spirit. I thought Bob could be a "man whore" but he wasn't. I thought he would viciously rip is ex-wife apart, and all women, but he didn't. He was surprisingly kind and sensitive.

This was a fun read, very delightful, and I appreciate it so much more, I'm sure, than if I had skipped Gilbert and went straight for the fun. Props to a creative Gottleib for his mastery of Gilbert's work through his own fun.

And hey, I couldn't help but love a book with "fuck" in the title!