LOTTERY by Patricia Wood

I should have told you about this book two months ago when I read it! Why am I so behind????

I think you should read this. I don't care who you are- read this special gem of a book. It's a great concept, well written, will make you laugh out loud and weep like you don't care who's watching, and most of all, will make you really care about the characters in the story!






The official blurb: "Perry’s IQ is only 76, but he’s not stupid. His grandmother taught him everything he needs to know to survive: She taught him to write things down so he won’t forget them. She taught him to play the lottery every week. And, most important, she taught him whom to trust. When Gram dies, Perry is left orphaned and bereft at the age of thirty-one. Then his weekly Washington State Lottery ticket wins him 12 million dollars, and he finds he has more family than he knows what to do with..."

The triumphant accomplishment here is the VOICE. You are getting this story through the experience of Perry L Crandall, and you will never doubt him for a second. The author, Patricia Wood, is a 50 year old woman who lives on a boat in Hawaii, has been in the army, is a PhD student, professional horsewoman, and generally sharp perky person! Imagine how she got so perfectly into the skin of this character, who insists that he is not retarded. He's slow, but not retarded. There is a difference, and by the end of this book, you'll know it.

It ends up being a study in human behaviour- both the best and the worst. I gobbled it up and couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

Here's the blog

And here's the website!