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All Encompassing Trip
Meet Nikki 40, single, obsessive, neurotic, unorthodox and unexpectedly fun. She is having a very normal day. She goes to the gym, she calls her mother, and she stresses out about not having her Top Five desert island CD s selected. Meet Amber 35, lesbian, driven, aerobics instructor. She too is having a very normal day. She attends law school, teaches Boot Camp and receives a phone call from Nikki, the purpose of which she never fully understands, but knows there is a deserted island involved. And then the darkness comes... In a world where coffee is no longer available, the only television shows are reality TV re-runs, and the animals are talking back, Nikki, Amber and a singing Coyote in a do-rag are out to restore the light (and hopefully prevent Nikki s eyes from being stolen by an Irish midget). Normal is missing. Reward. Del Sesto pays homage to Tom Robbins and Christopher Moore in this clever, insightful, and flat-out hilarious novel while maintaining an entirely original point of view, making All Encompassing Trip one of my favorite books of the year! Jen Lancaster, author of Bitter is the New Black All Encompassing Trip is a trip! Imagine Kafka, Kerouac, and Douglas Adams on the road, and you ll get a feel for this completely original, witty, and wild book that s (thank goodness!) anything but normal. Del Sesto s prose sparkles. What a great debut. Lori Jakiela, author of Miss New York Has Everything
308 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published March 6, 2007
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 10, 2007
Cross-posted from http://www.uponfurtherreview.org
All is, if not exactly well, at least normal in the life of Nikki Nascoe. She goes to exercise classes, works from home, and dreads phone calls from her mother. She swears that her on-and-off relationship is finally off for good, and is working on her Desert Island CD List.
Then, the lights go out, and it becomes impossible to get a cup of coffee and Nikki Nascoe's world isn't so normal anymore. Now she's left with only the things she had in her bed, a television that will only play reality show reruns and Oprah!, and a talking coyote in a do-rag that has parked himself right outside of her front door. And I have I mentioned the complete and utter lack of coffee?
If you think this is weird, be warned: Nicole Del Sesto's debut novel "All Encompassing Trip" is about to get a whole lot weirder.
The coyote, who Nikki names Lefty, leads her to Amber, her friend, aerobics instructor, and the only other person who seems to be awake in this crazy world they've found themselves in. Together, they embark on a quest to make everything, if not exactly well, at least NORMAL again.
Del Sesto's odd cast of characters, quirky dialogue, and frequent asides to the audience made me giggle and keep turning the pages to see what she was going to do next. It's impossible not to root for Nikki and Amber as they struggle to understand the rules and to figure out what exactly it's going to take for all the Starbucks to stop disappearing. Every time I got to a point where I thought that the story could not possibly get any more bizarre, it did.
"All Encompassing Trip" is not a story for the faint of heart, weak of stomach (there's a subplot involving the removal of eyeballs which definitely qualifies as a little grotesque), or for anyone too tethered to reality to be able to suspend their disbelief. But for the rest of us, it's a trip not to be missed, right up to the very last word of the Afterword.
(If you're the type who doesn't normally bother with the Afterword, take my advice. This once, you want to bother.)
All is, if not exactly well, at least normal in the life of Nikki Nascoe. She goes to exercise classes, works from home, and dreads phone calls from her mother. She swears that her on-and-off relationship is finally off for good, and is working on her Desert Island CD List.
Then, the lights go out, and it becomes impossible to get a cup of coffee and Nikki Nascoe's world isn't so normal anymore. Now she's left with only the things she had in her bed, a television that will only play reality show reruns and Oprah!, and a talking coyote in a do-rag that has parked himself right outside of her front door. And I have I mentioned the complete and utter lack of coffee?
If you think this is weird, be warned: Nicole Del Sesto's debut novel "All Encompassing Trip" is about to get a whole lot weirder.
The coyote, who Nikki names Lefty, leads her to Amber, her friend, aerobics instructor, and the only other person who seems to be awake in this crazy world they've found themselves in. Together, they embark on a quest to make everything, if not exactly well, at least NORMAL again.
Del Sesto's odd cast of characters, quirky dialogue, and frequent asides to the audience made me giggle and keep turning the pages to see what she was going to do next. It's impossible not to root for Nikki and Amber as they struggle to understand the rules and to figure out what exactly it's going to take for all the Starbucks to stop disappearing. Every time I got to a point where I thought that the story could not possibly get any more bizarre, it did.
"All Encompassing Trip" is not a story for the faint of heart, weak of stomach (there's a subplot involving the removal of eyeballs which definitely qualifies as a little grotesque), or for anyone too tethered to reality to be able to suspend their disbelief. But for the rest of us, it's a trip not to be missed, right up to the very last word of the Afterword.
(If you're the type who doesn't normally bother with the Afterword, take my advice. This once, you want to bother.)
October 25, 2010
What a trip...
The main character of this book, Nikki, wakes up one morning and the world is completely dark. Everything she touches disappears (well, except for the things that were on her bed while she slept) nobody can see her, she can't make coffee, and there is a (British) talking coyote on her front steps. This is how the book begins, and it only gets crazier from there.
Nikki is neurotic, intelligent and obsessive; yet she's completely adorable and has so much of each and every one of us within her. Her best friend Amber is a more down to earth and organized woman, who helps to balance Nikki's chaos and help them through their journey. Ultimately this book is about self discovery, but there are a lot of entertaining things that happen on the way to reaching that point. Nikki finds out at the start of the story that there are a series of tasks she needs to complete before her world can resume its normalcy. Part of the task is even figuring out what the tasks are, since Lefty, her talking coyote companion only sings segments of songs as hints. Nikki needs to decipher his messages and complete these tasks, all while staying one step ahead of Luke, the bad guy, who wants Nikki's eyeballs. Seriously.
I can't even begin to sum this book up accurately--you need to read it for yourself. I was giggling by the end of the first page, and I honestly didn't stop until the last page. It's creative, original and highly entertaining. I recommend it to any of you who enjoy something a little different...think Douglas Adams ("The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) meets Christopher Moore (highly satirical author) and you have Nicole Del Sesto
The main character of this book, Nikki, wakes up one morning and the world is completely dark. Everything she touches disappears (well, except for the things that were on her bed while she slept) nobody can see her, she can't make coffee, and there is a (British) talking coyote on her front steps. This is how the book begins, and it only gets crazier from there.
Nikki is neurotic, intelligent and obsessive; yet she's completely adorable and has so much of each and every one of us within her. Her best friend Amber is a more down to earth and organized woman, who helps to balance Nikki's chaos and help them through their journey. Ultimately this book is about self discovery, but there are a lot of entertaining things that happen on the way to reaching that point. Nikki finds out at the start of the story that there are a series of tasks she needs to complete before her world can resume its normalcy. Part of the task is even figuring out what the tasks are, since Lefty, her talking coyote companion only sings segments of songs as hints. Nikki needs to decipher his messages and complete these tasks, all while staying one step ahead of Luke, the bad guy, who wants Nikki's eyeballs. Seriously.
I can't even begin to sum this book up accurately--you need to read it for yourself. I was giggling by the end of the first page, and I honestly didn't stop until the last page. It's creative, original and highly entertaining. I recommend it to any of you who enjoy something a little different...think Douglas Adams ("The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) meets Christopher Moore (highly satirical author) and you have Nicole Del Sesto
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December 31, 2007All Encompassing Trip explores the age-old question of "What five CDs would you want to be stuck on a desert island with?" when its main character, Nikki, finds herself transported to an alternate version of our world where the only music that she has to listen to are the three desert island disks that she's able to make up her mind about. Nikki must complete certain tasks in order for her life to return to normal. But why would Nikki want to go back to the mundanities of our world when she has the fantasy world of Del Sesto's vast imagination to have adventures in? It probably has something to do with the extinction of light and coffee, the disappearance of any useful object that Nikki tries to put her hand on, and the Lucky Charms cereal reject that wants to pop her eyes out of her sockets.
All Encompassing Trip entertained me from start to finish and I highly recommend it.
All Encompassing Trip entertained me from start to finish and I highly recommend it.
September 20, 2011
Nikki our main character takes us a wild journey in an alternate world of ours. Her best friend by her side and a dog wearing a doo rag as their guidance.
Overall the story has its ups and Downs. Filled with laughter recommend for stay at home moms.
Overall the story has its ups and Downs. Filled with laughter recommend for stay at home moms.
March 7, 2010
One of the strangest books I've ever read. The ending sucks. I wouldn't recommend it at all.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews