We Go Liquid

by Christian TeBordo

A boy receives an email from his mother offering free movie tickets shortly after her death. He recognizes it for spam, but wishes she'd really sent it. He responds, and is soon barraged with offers for male enhancements drugs, home appliances, mortgages, and everything else he. Soon, he and his father are swallowing all manner of black market pharmaceuticals, somehow growing closer together as they fall apart, each in his own way.

Genres: Fiction

197 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2007

About the author

Christian TeBordo was born in Albany, New York. His first collection of short stories The Awful Possibilities, is forthcoming from featherproof books in April 2010. He has published three novels, most recently We Go Liquid, and his work has been published in 3rd Bed, Ninth Letter, Torpedo, and Sleeping Fish, among others. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, the choreographer Kathryn TeBordo, who plays and sings in the indie rock bands The Failed Alliance and Tinmouth.

Reviews

[Rodney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming of age - yes.
Dreamy - check.
Creepy - uh huh.
Weird - hell yes.
As a coping mechanism, our 12 year old protagonist reinterprets the e-mails of scam artists to be messages from his late mother. After the "free movie tickets," he borrows his father's credit card to buy male enhancement pills. Upon discovering the drugs, his father buys into the idea as well, leaving his credit card for the son to purchase a plethora of pills and oddities from the dearly departed when he goes to his job. While this works to close the gap that has been growing between them, they are both headed toward destruction and are clueless. Their behaviors of both characters get very strange at this point. The matter of fact way that all of this is written set the book apart for me. Another plus is the way the interactions with the opposite sex are written to genuinely translate an adolescent experiencing their first crush.
We Go Liquid is one I will not forget, as it merged many styles and concepts I look for and enjoy.

[Zach Zoeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of Palahniuk in all the good ways. My first sit down with this book, I gobbled up over half of it. It’s a quick buckshot to the chest, psychotropic and sad. Maybe wish it was longer; maybe wish the third act felt more in mesh with the first two (though maybe I’m just saying that cos the third act was a tougher pill). All in all, this was a really dope read. Thankful to TeBordo for sending me a copy.

[J.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me way too long to get to reading this book, especially considering how much I enjoyed it. TeBordo's more recent work is not nearly as linear as We Go Liquid, so it was particularly nice to read it knowing what his future novels and collections look like. Impetus is gone (sigh) but if you can track down a copy of this, it is worth the time.

[Lilyanne Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting short read.

[Lee Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. TeBordo, a Philly friend, wrote this book in 2005. It's really consistently dramatized and readable, narrated by a 12-year-old boy so it has a sort of YA feel, especially since the language is controlled and spare-ish, method-acting the voice of a boy who receives spam e-mails from his dead mother that he believes might actually be from beyond the grave. As he starts responding to these e-mails, the book really admirably sticks to its guns, stays focused, makes sense (up until a point) in terms of its patiently skewed progression, as the boy and his father try to cut through the crap of life. A slant portrait of the artist as a disturbed young griever. It should be made into a movie by the folks who made Napoleon Dynamite. Copies are available for a penny plus shipping -- get one and use the appropriate app on your intelligent telephone to make it into a .mov posthaste.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all time fav

[JAB · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Richie Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the structure the book was written in. I do feel the ending could have been stronger and the narrator could have been more specific in many ways. All and all an okay book. Cool for something to read if you like anonymous figures.

[Kathryn]

It's still on my to read list because I can never get past page 13 without seeing my eyes fall out onto the floor in a watery watery mess. It makes me cry.

[Patrick Wensink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stark and beautiful story about a boy who gets spam email from his dead mother. I really enjoyed this read.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that this wasnt an easy enough read; but i honestly cannot tell you what the story is about. This was a strange and rather pointless read.

[Oriana]

yup, recommended by Adam Levin. I'd better get going!

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book...

[Cindy Parrish · Rating 3 out of 5]

strangely disturbing