Side Effects

by Harvey Jacobs

Side Effects, a novel by Harvey Jacobs, the award-winning author of “American Goliath,” recounts the medical misadventures of Simon Apple, whose life has been one long battle with Miracle Cures, each of which requires yet another Miracle Cure to curb an increasingly bizarre series of unintended consequences. Now, Simon awaits the lethal stroke of midnight on Death Row when he will make the supreme sacrifice―giving his life for the sake of the pharmaceutical industry. A steady parade of visitors―family, friends, enemies and lovers come to wish him bon voyage on the day of his final exit―while Simon’s nemesis, Regis Van Clay, celebrates. Side Effects is a rollicking ride through a life that ranges from horrendous to hilarious, a resonant contemporary reading adventure where RX marks the spot.

382 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2009

About the author

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_...

Reviews

[Jamie E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun and quirky.
Boy takes pill which causes side effect that another pill cures, but causes side effect and so on.
The author tends to over-use his buzz words and the editing is the worst I've seen in a published book (as far as missing " and . and the like), but if you can get past it, read it while in the air or on the train or in the rain. :)

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essentially a comedic satire. this novel is a scathing commentary on today's pharmaceutical industry and the mindset of the medical community. Mr. Jacobs had enough wit leftover to also pan the U.S. music industry, the courts, the U.S. government and the U.S. penal system.

More than a summer-read, this book will have you laughing while considering the moral and ethical issues the characters endure.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An hilarious take on the drug industry in American today. Simon Apple keeps getting dosed with drugs that give him increasingly bizarre side effects that only a nut like Jacobs could imagine. Poor Simon winds up suffering dire consequences at the hands of his arch enemy, the Regis drug compnay. This is a bawdy and funny book that I think you would enjoy. Not to take things too seriously, but it could even be a cautionary tale.