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Fill the Grand Canyon and Live Forever
Social networks can be used for a number of things such as finding out what friends and family members are up to, trying to get girls to take their clothes off on camera, raising awareness, and organizing protests, revolutions, and relief efforts. But what if one man decided to use a social network for one of the most idiotic causes in human history? Join the hopeless and brain damaged Andy Boring in his quest to FILL THE GRAND CANYON AND LIVE FOREVER!!!!
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 30, 2012
4 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Andersen Prunty
51 books670 followersAndersen Prunty lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He writes novels and short stories. Visit him at notandersenprunty.com, where he posts a free story every Friday.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 20, 2014
The world is an absurd mess and we’re all just trying to make our mark. We suffer at the hands of the people we trust and we are constantly the victims of vicissitude, forever hurtling towards some sort of inevitable and (usually) obfuscated conclusion: This is my life. My story. My mission statement. I will fill in the Grand Canyon. I will do something bold. Something original. Something completely unnecessary. And live forever.
The main character, Andy Boring, is a ragdoll of sorts: A sex toy for sociopathic women. A punching bag for strangers and friends alike. A bitch for his boss. A failed novelist, by trade. Often, it’s like he exists merely to be made fun of or used. But, even so, he remains almost dumbly optimistic in his abject misery. He takes the world for what it is, never pining, never hoping, never looking towards the horizon. Are those the traits of a well-balanced person? Probably not. But the world Andy Boring inhabits isn’t a well-balanced world. Sometimes the best you can do is just try to survive the drudgery and see what happens next.
Prunty has a way with words. The sentences are short, stark, spoken in unadorned English. But it’s the juxtaposition of certain phrases, the aligning of certain (often contradictory) ideas that really make the prose pop. There is some discomfort in it, the writing style, which serves the story extraordinarily well. Because the story is about discomfort. It’s a version of reality that somewhat resembles our own, but all the colors are off. It’s just tweaked to the point where the world hovers in that grayspace between wakefulness and a nightmare. And the storytelling itself is perfectly in line with that.
The story really comes into focus as we head into the ending chapters. The final few pages are equal parts resonant and haunting. And what seemed like a game of human pinball in the beginning finally reaches its unavoidable conclusion: the point where everything is illuminated, however ugly that may be. Andy learns something from having to live his shitty, boring life. And, luckily for me, because of him, I get to learn something too.
The main character, Andy Boring, is a ragdoll of sorts: A sex toy for sociopathic women. A punching bag for strangers and friends alike. A bitch for his boss. A failed novelist, by trade. Often, it’s like he exists merely to be made fun of or used. But, even so, he remains almost dumbly optimistic in his abject misery. He takes the world for what it is, never pining, never hoping, never looking towards the horizon. Are those the traits of a well-balanced person? Probably not. But the world Andy Boring inhabits isn’t a well-balanced world. Sometimes the best you can do is just try to survive the drudgery and see what happens next.
Prunty has a way with words. The sentences are short, stark, spoken in unadorned English. But it’s the juxtaposition of certain phrases, the aligning of certain (often contradictory) ideas that really make the prose pop. There is some discomfort in it, the writing style, which serves the story extraordinarily well. Because the story is about discomfort. It’s a version of reality that somewhat resembles our own, but all the colors are off. It’s just tweaked to the point where the world hovers in that grayspace between wakefulness and a nightmare. And the storytelling itself is perfectly in line with that.
The story really comes into focus as we head into the ending chapters. The final few pages are equal parts resonant and haunting. And what seemed like a game of human pinball in the beginning finally reaches its unavoidable conclusion: the point where everything is illuminated, however ugly that may be. Andy learns something from having to live his shitty, boring life. And, luckily for me, because of him, I get to learn something too.
March 4, 2018
It has been a long time since I read this, but I remember it was the first book of this type I had ever read. It was very stream of consciousness, like a strange dream that is very atmospheric and sticks with you.
I had read other work by the author, so I was also impressed because this was such a strong departure from the horror style Prunty had employed in other books. So it gave me an appreciation for his range.
The protagonist is my favorite type of protagonist: a little awkward, mildly ambitious but still experimenting with where to channel those ambitions, surrounded by strange characters, and strange himself.
I found it to be a parody of sorts, an homage to, but also mockery of, those 80s film protagonists who are down on their luck but just want to so that “one thing” to prove themselves, like Layne from Better off Dead who just wants to ski the K12.
In this book, our protagonist wants to fill the grand canyon, a massive, but potentially superficial endeavor. It is so beautifully nihilistic, and yet you can’t help but root for the dude. He’s found purpose and I think that in itself is pretty goddamn impressive.
The story has elements of absurdism, and that was also refreshing.
This is a great book, but I recommend checking out a bit of horror from Prunty first, so you can read this with a full appreciation for his range.
I had read other work by the author, so I was also impressed because this was such a strong departure from the horror style Prunty had employed in other books. So it gave me an appreciation for his range.
The protagonist is my favorite type of protagonist: a little awkward, mildly ambitious but still experimenting with where to channel those ambitions, surrounded by strange characters, and strange himself.
I found it to be a parody of sorts, an homage to, but also mockery of, those 80s film protagonists who are down on their luck but just want to so that “one thing” to prove themselves, like Layne from Better off Dead who just wants to ski the K12.
In this book, our protagonist wants to fill the grand canyon, a massive, but potentially superficial endeavor. It is so beautifully nihilistic, and yet you can’t help but root for the dude. He’s found purpose and I think that in itself is pretty goddamn impressive.
The story has elements of absurdism, and that was also refreshing.
This is a great book, but I recommend checking out a bit of horror from Prunty first, so you can read this with a full appreciation for his range.
December 15, 2022
Andy Boring is me. Andy Boring is you. Andy Boring is all of us. His life ... is not mine, yours, ours.
But somehow it's not that remote.
Buddy, Estelle, Persephone, they're not our relatives, they're his, but if it were not their weirdness the somehow look like they could be.
Andy has a sucking life. He's got no one but his girlfriend, a job he doesn't care about, a dighole as a house, etc. But his life was stable and simple, until his girlfriend leaves him. And then everything falls apart.
His life, his relatives, his sanity, his purposes,... Everything collapses and he begins to live a mess of a life. And you're a witness.
This is the story of a breakup. This is the story of life emptyness without purpose. This is the story of scare of the unknown, of letting go. This is the story of being oneself while being someone.
It took me a while to grasp what I read, and I'm clearly unsure I did get it right. This story is worth an in-depth essai I'm not gonna try to write here. But it makes some sense afterall, as for I perceive it now.
Probably Andy should try and explain us what we have to get and what was the point of his telling us this story. And help us make him live forever!
But somehow it's not that remote.
Buddy, Estelle, Persephone, they're not our relatives, they're his, but if it were not their weirdness the somehow look like they could be.
Andy has a sucking life. He's got no one but his girlfriend, a job he doesn't care about, a dighole as a house, etc. But his life was stable and simple, until his girlfriend leaves him. And then everything falls apart.
His life, his relatives, his sanity, his purposes,... Everything collapses and he begins to live a mess of a life. And you're a witness.
This is the story of a breakup. This is the story of life emptyness without purpose. This is the story of scare of the unknown, of letting go. This is the story of being oneself while being someone.
It took me a while to grasp what I read, and I'm clearly unsure I did get it right. This story is worth an in-depth essai I'm not gonna try to write here. But it makes some sense afterall, as for I perceive it now.
Probably Andy should try and explain us what we have to get and what was the point of his telling us this story. And help us make him live forever!
June 12, 2020
There's only one word that I can use to explain this book and that word is "strange." I originally picked up this book because I loved the title and the plot description but there was so much in this book that I wasn't prepared for and that only made me enjoy it more. The characters in the book feel like characters inside a Chuck Palahniuk book. I really liked the message that was in the book about socio-economic classes and how the rich are treated better. It was a very interesting book that seemed like a really bizarre dream but I really enjoyed it and I'm excited to read more from Andersen Prunty.
May 6, 2020
I don't think any two people could pick this up and read the same thing.
'Fill the Grand Canyon and Live Forever' is one of the strangest books I've ever come across, and I don't think I'll ever get it out of my head.
The bizarre setting mirrors our own world in a lot of ways while also feeling very foreign almost to the point of dystopia. Is this the world for everyone or is this just the world for the unreliable narrator?
If a boss says that a customer paid with gold and they're building an elevator to the new space hotels, or a doctor says that a man's X-rays came back with blackness where bones should be, the audience has no instruction on how to take it. It could be a hallucination brought on by Andy's brain tumor. But then again, Andy isn't sure he has a brain tumor. He can't remember if he married his wife. He doesn't understand what ties him to the people left in his life, or their relationships to one another. Since we see things only through his eyes, there's no way to know what's real around him, and he doesn't seek too many answers.
There's something tremendously powerful about forcing the reader to accept strange things at face value. Reading something like this, something nonsensical and dark and restless, is a good way to question your own perception of everything.
There are some topics that may not be suitable for everyone but if you think you have the stomach for it, I'd recommend it. It isn't a book to be enjoyed, exactly, but it's also not a book to be forgotten.
'Fill the Grand Canyon and Live Forever' is one of the strangest books I've ever come across, and I don't think I'll ever get it out of my head.
The bizarre setting mirrors our own world in a lot of ways while also feeling very foreign almost to the point of dystopia. Is this the world for everyone or is this just the world for the unreliable narrator?
If a boss says that a customer paid with gold and they're building an elevator to the new space hotels, or a doctor says that a man's X-rays came back with blackness where bones should be, the audience has no instruction on how to take it. It could be a hallucination brought on by Andy's brain tumor. But then again, Andy isn't sure he has a brain tumor. He can't remember if he married his wife. He doesn't understand what ties him to the people left in his life, or their relationships to one another. Since we see things only through his eyes, there's no way to know what's real around him, and he doesn't seek too many answers.
There's something tremendously powerful about forcing the reader to accept strange things at face value. Reading something like this, something nonsensical and dark and restless, is a good way to question your own perception of everything.
There are some topics that may not be suitable for everyone but if you think you have the stomach for it, I'd recommend it. It isn't a book to be enjoyed, exactly, but it's also not a book to be forgotten.
September 30, 2012
Andy Boring is just that and Andersen Prunty somehow makes this creampuff interesting. We all are Andy Boring (especially if you're male) from time to time, day to day. Prunty tackles once again the current state of affairs regarding the ever-growing class war of the have-alls and have-nothings. Boring is the Undead American Male who sheepishly gets by and fears rocking any boats (even if it could save his life) as he munches McNuggets. It takes a hazy breakup and Estelle, an octagenarian piece of filth, to tear him out of his anesthesia zone and do SOMETHING. That something is a rash of abject and criminal adventures that wakes Andy up in fits and spurts like an old alternator.
The book treads dangerously towards protest of matriarchical opression as all the women are depicted as violent sociopaths and the men, their victims, are clueless wimps. Prunty's too smart for that pointless slugfest as he gets to the root of this very real battle of the sexes by turning attentions straight to the patriarchical archons who are really running the show by playing a deadly game of Divide and Conquer while they laugh their honeyed rumps off. At you.
The solution presents itself as all of America's Slaves can come together in peace and chaos. And the only place the broken, divided, and fractured can meet eye-to-eye is at the Grand Canyon. This book proves that this guy really knows what's happening and I sleep better at night because of that. Brilliant.
The book treads dangerously towards protest of matriarchical opression as all the women are depicted as violent sociopaths and the men, their victims, are clueless wimps. Prunty's too smart for that pointless slugfest as he gets to the root of this very real battle of the sexes by turning attentions straight to the patriarchical archons who are really running the show by playing a deadly game of Divide and Conquer while they laugh their honeyed rumps off. At you.
The solution presents itself as all of America's Slaves can come together in peace and chaos. And the only place the broken, divided, and fractured can meet eye-to-eye is at the Grand Canyon. This book proves that this guy really knows what's happening and I sleep better at night because of that. Brilliant.
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May 29, 2012I wrote this. It's currently available as a free download for Kindle and most other things.
November 27, 2022
I was going into this one blind. Intrigued by the title and cover art, I snapped it up and jumped right in.
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. It felt like a fever dream on acid, and just didn’t make any kind of sense to MY mind.
It’s definitely bizarre, so fans of that genre should at least give it go!
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. It felt like a fever dream on acid, and just didn’t make any kind of sense to MY mind.
It’s definitely bizarre, so fans of that genre should at least give it go!
October 22, 2019
The manic telling of one mans dream to fill the Grand Canyon
Well narrated and completely outside the box highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
Well narrated and completely outside the box highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
October 8, 2025
WTF hab ich da gelesen?
October 25, 2014
Andersen Prunty is an excellent writer. Fill the Grand Canyon is a very different story than I'm used to reading. This book is bizarre, intense, hilarious, and sometimes confusing. It's also a fast, and incredibly fun read. Picture that dream you couldn't fully wrap your head around when you woke from. That's one reason this book is so good, because I already want to read it again.
We follow Andy Boring, he's a writer with one publication under his belt, Dick Swap, which has been a financial drag. Andy doesn't go to the Grand Canyon with his friends, but he has a strange dream about the place. He makes a group to fill the Grand Canyon on MyFace, a social media site. The cracks in the Grand Canyon aren't the only ones he wants to fill, he's hoping to fill the gaps in his brain as well. With only nine friends, you'd guess the group couldn't possibly gather a following of much, but Andy's group quickly takes off and gathers more followers by the day.
Without spoiling much of the story, this novel is about a man with an affliction that can make the reader unsure what is really happening at any one time. From car break-ins, to finding a feral child in the backseat, every time you think this wander through Andy Boring's life is going to be dull, or calm down and answer yours or Andy's questions, Prunty flicks another bizarre chapter at you.
This book has been a trip, but a damn good one. If you enjoy this, I would recommend checking out ZEROSTRATA, THE DRIVER'S GUIDE TO HITTING PEDESTRIANS, and FUCKNESS all by Andersen Prunty. Character's sometimes make cameos in his other novels and stories, which makes for a nice treat a second or third time around.
We follow Andy Boring, he's a writer with one publication under his belt, Dick Swap, which has been a financial drag. Andy doesn't go to the Grand Canyon with his friends, but he has a strange dream about the place. He makes a group to fill the Grand Canyon on MyFace, a social media site. The cracks in the Grand Canyon aren't the only ones he wants to fill, he's hoping to fill the gaps in his brain as well. With only nine friends, you'd guess the group couldn't possibly gather a following of much, but Andy's group quickly takes off and gathers more followers by the day.
Without spoiling much of the story, this novel is about a man with an affliction that can make the reader unsure what is really happening at any one time. From car break-ins, to finding a feral child in the backseat, every time you think this wander through Andy Boring's life is going to be dull, or calm down and answer yours or Andy's questions, Prunty flicks another bizarre chapter at you.
This book has been a trip, but a damn good one. If you enjoy this, I would recommend checking out ZEROSTRATA, THE DRIVER'S GUIDE TO HITTING PEDESTRIANS, and FUCKNESS all by Andersen Prunty. Character's sometimes make cameos in his other novels and stories, which makes for a nice treat a second or third time around.
June 30, 2012
Andersen Prunty has done it again. Written a story that is equal parts hilarious, fun and rollicking and equal parts depressing, bleak and seriously just.. wtf? But above all, it's engaging.
What begins as a fairly traditional "oh, I'm so sad, my wife left me and I'm a loser" kind of romp soon descends into absolute madness and mayhem as Andy Boring goes through one of the most bizarre life-crises I have ever heard of. He has no friends, so he starts a "MyFace" page about filling the Grand Canyon, and it becomes a success (unlike his debut, and probably last ever, novel).
Meeting a range of characters that each have their own unique selling point, Boring is hurtling headlong towards a run-in with the Grand Canyon, in an effort to redeem himself (or perhaps just get his wife back? Or maybe just get his coats back...) and maybe even live forever.
I think Estelle, a psychopathic OAP more terrifying than any Patrick Bateman could ever hope to be, may be one of my favourite characters ever. Everything she does is just sick. I mean it. She is really a great character, and I think it's worth reading the book just to meet her let alone experience well crafted things like plot or prose (which are present and accounted for if you were wondering about the actual writing).
And with priceless "artwork" throughout (I believe they were all potential book covers submitted by friends of Prunty), this book is a steal at 77p!
What begins as a fairly traditional "oh, I'm so sad, my wife left me and I'm a loser" kind of romp soon descends into absolute madness and mayhem as Andy Boring goes through one of the most bizarre life-crises I have ever heard of. He has no friends, so he starts a "MyFace" page about filling the Grand Canyon, and it becomes a success (unlike his debut, and probably last ever, novel).
Meeting a range of characters that each have their own unique selling point, Boring is hurtling headlong towards a run-in with the Grand Canyon, in an effort to redeem himself (or perhaps just get his wife back? Or maybe just get his coats back...) and maybe even live forever.
I think Estelle, a psychopathic OAP more terrifying than any Patrick Bateman could ever hope to be, may be one of my favourite characters ever. Everything she does is just sick. I mean it. She is really a great character, and I think it's worth reading the book just to meet her let alone experience well crafted things like plot or prose (which are present and accounted for if you were wondering about the actual writing).
And with priceless "artwork" throughout (I believe they were all potential book covers submitted by friends of Prunty), this book is a steal at 77p!
June 1, 2012
Now this is bizarro! Modern, edgy, crusty stuff. It's like punk rock, grunge metal and Frank Sinatra all in one messy little ball. Then add some Fear and Loathing, Seinfeld, and Twin Peaks (the movie), stir with a melon-baller—and there you have it. Maybe. Though this really stands on its own in its wonderful, strung-out, and deliciously madcap glory.
I like brownies, too.
Wild rides with geriatrics, wives (maybe) and their lovers with sores, a lost man, and of course the Grand Canyon. Why are you looking at me? Do you think I'm fat? I like it like that... so what was I talking about?
Oh yeah, this book. Yeah, er, hand me those flares, will you?
Thanks.
Prunty is one hell of a writer and he captures the genre perfectly. While this is his only work I 've read so far, it is terrific, and it has me looking for more wonderful works from this guy. First I have to move this busted-up cheerleader... there, OK. I have sparks for eyes.
Do I really need to say more? This is great stuff and I really enjoyed reading it. Fast-paced with cool pictures between the chapters, and no fillers. MacGruber! Where's my throat? Damn, this is good, so good I need to take a bath in rose petals and cashmere-coated peanuts.
I like brownies, too.
Wild rides with geriatrics, wives (maybe) and their lovers with sores, a lost man, and of course the Grand Canyon. Why are you looking at me? Do you think I'm fat? I like it like that... so what was I talking about?
Oh yeah, this book. Yeah, er, hand me those flares, will you?
Thanks.
Prunty is one hell of a writer and he captures the genre perfectly. While this is his only work I 've read so far, it is terrific, and it has me looking for more wonderful works from this guy. First I have to move this busted-up cheerleader... there, OK. I have sparks for eyes.
Do I really need to say more? This is great stuff and I really enjoyed reading it. Fast-paced with cool pictures between the chapters, and no fillers. MacGruber! Where's my throat? Damn, this is good, so good I need to take a bath in rose petals and cashmere-coated peanuts.
July 3, 2012
Update: 7/2/2012
I have given myself 24hrs to reflect on this book. I usually don't need any amount of time to reflect upon a book after I've read it, that is what makes this book special. I still don't know how to ultimately feel about this book. It is either an edgy piece of fiction done by an author who can really make you feel like you are in the mind of the mentally-afflicted subject, or he is not a good writer at all, and his lack of ability is being disguised as the mental issues of the tumor-addled subject.
Either way, I did find the concept itself funny and unique (even if a little more vulgar than I normally like), and will give the author another chance if one does present itself to me in the future.
I have given myself 24hrs to reflect on this book. I usually don't need any amount of time to reflect upon a book after I've read it, that is what makes this book special. I still don't know how to ultimately feel about this book. It is either an edgy piece of fiction done by an author who can really make you feel like you are in the mind of the mentally-afflicted subject, or he is not a good writer at all, and his lack of ability is being disguised as the mental issues of the tumor-addled subject.
Either way, I did find the concept itself funny and unique (even if a little more vulgar than I normally like), and will give the author another chance if one does present itself to me in the future.
August 9, 2012
What would you fill the Grand Canyon with?
A MyFace page of Andy Boring does not have many real friends. After creating a fan page called Fill The Grand Canyon many people join the page. His best friend Buddy is dying from cancer or something deadly. Its a bizarro tale for Anderson.
Anderson is back with this crazy story about a man hoping for a book sale and the strange events that follow. Sex, Drugs and Rocking Bizarro.
A MyFace page of Andy Boring does not have many real friends. After creating a fan page called Fill The Grand Canyon many people join the page. His best friend Buddy is dying from cancer or something deadly. Its a bizarro tale for Anderson.
Anderson is back with this crazy story about a man hoping for a book sale and the strange events that follow. Sex, Drugs and Rocking Bizarro.
November 3, 2014
Mr. Prunty has done it again! I read this book straight through and never wanted it to end. For a book so short in length I felt the characters were very well-defined and the idea of filling the Grand Canyon was just absurd enough to keep me reading. This book says a lot about our dependency on how others view us on social media and how it affects our constant need for approval. I can't stop thinking about all those coats. 5 stars all day.
January 1, 2016
4.5 stars just for being so damn bizarre. And the fact that there is a book by Andy Boring (the main character) called "sick swap" on amazon? You know I'll have to read it.
Prunty is not for the faint of heart or the in imaginative and I would like to think there's a little bit of him in all of us (what a creepy place the world must be)
Prunty is not for the faint of heart or the in imaginative and I would like to think there's a little bit of him in all of us (what a creepy place the world must be)
March 10, 2024
Well, there’s not much I can’t say without sounding like a lunatic. Take a wild ride with Andy and his wacky friends on an adventure through a small town in Ohio!
This is my top book I’ve ever read. I read it once a year and I look forward to it. Maybe 2 times this year.
This is my top book I’ve ever read. I read it once a year and I look forward to it. Maybe 2 times this year.
September 8, 2012
I thought the beginning and middle of the book were much better than the end. The last third of the book was kind of odd compared to the rest. More violent, somewhat sad. But a good book.
May 22, 2016
Join the revolution! Visit my MyFace page! https://www.facebook.com/fillthegrand...
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