Goats

by Mark Jude Poirier

In a coming-of-age novel from the author of Naked Pueblo, fourteen-year-old Ellis departs from the Southwest to attend boarding school in the East, leaving behind his mother and the Goat Man, the surrogate father figure who has taught him the meaning of stability, commitment, and caretaking. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Coming Of Age, American

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

American novelist and short-story writer.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pot smoking and goat trekking...does it get any better than this? An amazingly engaging coming-of-age novel that has elicited comparisons to the Catcher in the Rye. What starts off as paradise-like environment for Ellis Whitman slowly starts to unravel at the seams as the true natures of the participants are revealed.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the back cover of this coming-of-age story we learn that Mark Jude Poirier is a graduate of the "Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins and the Iowa Writers' Workshop". I read "Goats", his unusually sure-footed debut novel, to a background of faint grinding and whimpering noises, almost as if someone were throwing kittens into the machinery in the basement. Puzzling, as the basement is free of both kittens and machines. Finally I realized that the odd acoustic phenomenon was just the eldritch sound of Poirier's workshop classmates wailing and gnashing their teeth.

As well they might. There are so many reasons for "Goats" to crash and burn. Mark Poirier makes one seemingly indefensible writing choice after another. Ellis, the main protagonist, is this incredible boy-wonder! He's athletically gifted! He's tall and handsome! He exudes coolness from every pore. He's academically brilliant, to the point where the mean Latin teacher has to invent criticisms of his Latin accent to justify giving him an A-minus. (Seriously, that's his main academic worry). Maybe Ellis is just super-blessed, because Mark Jude Poirier allows him to grow emotionally (the book is, after all, first and foremost a coming-of-age story). The same can't be said for Ellis's mother and her latest boyfriend, neither of whom is allowed to rise above the level of shrill, irritating caricature. For crying out loud, the goats who roam around the manuscript get way more character development than many of the people.

Yes indeed, given the amount of page space given to those smelly, bad-tempered goats and their perpetually stoned owner, the number of blissed-out bong sessions, scenes of prep school angst that could have been lifted straight from "The Catcher in the Rye" (replace "lacrosse" by "crew", underage drinking spree in N.Y. by u.d.s. in D.C., the Dakota by the Watergate, "run-in with surly hooker" by "unfortunate incident with belligerent transvestite"), it seemed inevitable that this book should collapse in flames. To my surprise, it does no such thing - the story has a kind of goofy charm that just continues to grow on you. MJP has broken any number of very sensible rules about story-writing, and appears to have gotten away with it. Thereby offering further proof that writing a novel that "works" is never really about observing a given set of conventions. A writer with sufficient cojones can get away with almost anything, if they* have enough talent, confidence, and if their* heart is in the right place. Genuine humor and an appreciation of life's absurdities are a help; understanding what makes people tick is essential. At the risk of succumbing to the biographical fallacy, it's tempting to link Poirier's ability to get details of his characters' actions so convincingly right** to his having grown up as the fifth of eleven siblings.

Whatever the explanation, the combination of skills that Mark Jude Poirier demonstrates in "Goats" is impressive and appealing. There's not exactly a shortage of debut coming-of-age novels, but few are as good as this low-key, surprisingly engaging, story.

Whether or not the goats have a deeper symbolism is something you'll have to figure out for yourself.

*: "they" and "their" used to indicate the third person singular, of indeterminate sex.
**: It didn't surprise me to read that he was scriptwriter of the excellent 2008 movie "Smart People"
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/....
"Smart People" is the kind of film that drives some people insane with annoyance and that some of us find totally irresistible, bordering on genius. It's got the charm of a Wes Anderson flick without all of the supremely annoying baggage.

[Graydon Panzica · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I approached the end of this book, I was perfectly aware that it was almost over, but when I looked down and saw I only had about eight pages left, I stopped reading. I didn't want it to be over.

Beautifully written, Goats is a coming of age story that you will never forget. The characters are believable and unique, eliciting every emotion from their readers: anger, frustration, hurt, worry. These characters, made up of nothing other than paper and ink, become as real as our own friends and family.

This book is a must-read, a modern classic that will leave you breathless.

[🐴 🍖]

a sampling of things that whip ass about goats by mark jude poirier: one of the only books ever to remind me of douglas woolf; the personalities of the goats, who sorta seem like cats w/ a golden retriever's IQ; the remarkably evenhanded treatment of cannabis; the fact that, for once in a book that alternates chapters b/w 2 main chars, there was never a sense of "hurry up & get back to that other guy." read & mourn the '00s indie film that never was

[Stephen Bonebrake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first novel. Coming of age story. 14 year old protagonist from dysfunctional family whose best friend is a goat raising, pot growing stoner who actually guides him through rough times. Funny and warm and suddenly volatile keep the story moving forward. I’m looking for something else by this author.

[Chameleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, I loved this book. There wasn’t exactly a plot or an antagonist; it was just, here’s what Ellis and Goat Man’s lives look like. And I loved it. I could have kept reading it, possibly indefinitely.
It was a wonderful depiction of changing priorities and perspectives as your environment changes. A great coming of age narrative!
But, it will likely make you want to smoke a bowl, so be aware of that.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read after reading a reference in The Starboard Sea (first was Sailing Alone Around the World) and it was by far the weirdest book I've read in a LONG time. But it was compelling all the same and I found myself looking forward to the next chapter throughout. The book is chock full of marajuana, which will be off-putting to many I'm sure, but it was such a central focus that it helped to make the book more real to me. I'm pretty sure there are characters out there who ARE Goat Man, Ellis and Wendy in the real world. The ending seemed a bit abrupt...as if the author just decided to stop recording dialog at the end of a normal conversation. I found myself paging thru the next 3 or 4 blank pages (yep it was a REAL book) thinking is that all..., mostly because I wanted it to continue. One of the of the hallmarks of a good book for me is wanting to read more by the author, and this one most certainly qualifies. I definitely recommend, just don't expect status quo or normal, because this book isn't that at all.

[Wrecksie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a really deep book. What kind of a person is Ellis going to become? Which person will really be there for him? The characters were unique and interesting and fundamentally realistic and believable. This is a very good book.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite novels with a male voice. Such a different and interesting journey to read. Highly recommend.

[Andrée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't trust anyone over 30 still applies.
Very enjoyable and occasionally disturbing read

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourteen year old Ellis lives with his mother in Tucson, sometimes there is a man in her life, his father lives in Washington with another woman. Ellis is about to start boarding school, his only real apprehension is leaving his mother to care for herself, she is far from organised and is likely to forget to pay the bills and Ellis, who is very bright and mature for his age, tends to take the responsibility for making sure everything is taken care of. Although he is also leaving Goat Man (Javier), who lives in the pool house but just looks after the pool and grounds, that is when he is not caring for his greenhouse crop of hybrid pot, or smoking it.

Ellis and Goat Man are very close, Goat Man introduced Ellis to pot when he was eleven, and often takes him on his treks into the desert with the goats.

The account takes us through Ellis' first year at his boarding school including his relationship with Barney his roommate, his school progress and other activates. He also meets with his father and his new woman, makes a few visits home and the treks with Goat Man, and worries about his mother and her fads and strange relationships.

Goats is well written and captivating, although it just takes us through the workings of the year in the lives of this strange group of for the most part aimless characters and with little overall plot. It is at times funny, or perhaps amusing is a better description, but it is the quality of the writing that really holds one's interest and marks this well above average.

[Dawn With-whippet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the free street library thinking it would help me with goat husbandry
what i've learnt : male goats are stubborn and very smelly . goats will eat anything and everything including clothes and plastic . female goats bond closely to their owners . goats don't like swimming .
the rest of the book was a coming of age story about a boy called ellis with divorced warring parents , a baby sitter who grows cannabis in his greenhouse , attends boarding school where he falls in love with the school waitress who is also a prostitute , learns that rowing and running can manage anxiety almost as well as cannabis , gets beaten up and almost killed at least twice and miraculously gets A's in all school subjects including latin . the end

[Kevin Lanahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-read story about Ellis, a rich kid who lives with his new-age mother in Arizona. He spends most of his time getting high with Goat Man, the groundskeeper/pool man who lives in the pool house. When Ellis goes to boarding school in Pennsylvania, his relationship with Goat Man and his mother change, he renews his relationship with his father, and has a near-death adventure.

I can't relate to the rich kid with a pool and unlimited pot. Getting beyond that, however, is a good coming-of-age story about how life changes when circumstances change.

The story was compelling, alternating chapters between Ellis and Goat Man. The dynamic of a dysfunctional family rang true.

[laine · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)
if catcher in the rye had wayyyy more pot and wayyy more goats?
got this impulsively out of a second hand bin and was pleasantly surprised. definitely engaging, i liked the writing and the characters were interesting to read about. i'm a big fan of this kind of plotless, slice-of-life novel. i didn’t leave feeling like my life has been irrevocably altered but i did enjoy my time reading

[Monteiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's rare but the movie is much better, words are often dry and can't really care about any characters. There's isn't any real plot just stuff. Watch the movie with Duchovny it's funnier and shorter. Not bad but not good either.

[Wendy Barnhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun audio book.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

didn't hold my attention

[Emzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

love goats and such an interesting feel good read

[Ziv Belfer · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is fun at points to see the Tucson references but a lot of it isn't set here. Sad! I really dislike every character.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of SW stoner take on 'Catcher In the Rye' except instead of running away from prep school, the protagonist runs away TO it. Also, as many prior readers and reviewers have noted, Ellis is a remarkably un-flawed protagonist who seemingly has few if any inner or outer conflicts to resolve beyond whether to stay on his school's crew team, help his roommate with his algebra or (and perhaps this is the one) engage in a more meaningful relationship with his estranged father. In fact, by the end of the novel, he goes from being a mellowed-out, reggae & ska listening, weed-smoking bohemian to a more conscientious prep school scholar-athlete which seems to be the reverse of the journey most literary heroes take from confines and restrictions of society and life to a more freer existence. Maybe, the novel is commentary on the adage that hippie, free-spirited parents are destined to raise Republican children (cf. Family Ties)?

[Emily Cherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book, up until about the last quarter. It's a nice coming-of-age type of story, focusing on Ellis' life before going away to a prep school, and how he and his family change while he's there. But the end bothered me. It felt like it was not as fleshed-out as the rest of the book. And then it just ends, and left me feeling like several issues were left unresolved. Now, I'll admit that I don't like Slice-of-life stories, because I want my stories to GO somewhere. So, maybe this was supposed to be a slice-of-life, and that's why I didn't enjoy it as much. I just felt much better about the beginning, and was a bit disappointed in the end. But the character development was actually really good, especially with Ellis growing up, and developing from a kid just out of middle school to a prep-school freshman.

[Jcamille Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. One of the main characters reminded me of my brother : a long haired pot smoker who grew his own plants just for himself and went on treks in teh mountains with his goats. I felt like the ending was a bit lackluster, but the whole book was pretty entertaining. Besides the goat trekker, there was a young boy trying to figure out who he was and what he wanted to be.

[Sarah Clapp-Work · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could give half stars this one would get 3.5 stars. It is not a typical coming of age novel, however, it may be more typical in todays world than many may realize. The book is well writen and the characters well formed. This book reflects on the extremes of humanity and everything inbetween.

[Melanie Ullrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very character based book. The author is amazing at giving the reader well rounded characters, but although I enjoyed the book, felt like the structure of the story was lacking. This might have been because I listened to the book. All in all, good book based in setting I can't get enough of!

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a coming of age novel, and not an interesting one either. All of the characters in the book share one quality in common. They're self-involved narcissists, and it's difficult to care about what really happens to any of them.

[St. Wait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictional book, similar to Catcher in the Rye. I was originally interested by the idea of raising goats and the novels information on goats seems accurate. The book was nicely put together and seems overall positive.

[Bonnie Farley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A teenage boy whose main role model is a pot growing goat owner living in his mother's pool house goes away to boarding school. I listened to this one in the car. The language was atrocious-lots of F bombs. Felt the ending was abrupt.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me by a friend and I feel like it is a true reflection of my life in many ways. Definitely worth reading!

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book mentioned in Oxford American Magazine, and gave it a try. This was an enjoyable read, though nothing spectacular. It did keep my attention throughout.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool coming of age tale. It shows that certain people grow up more quickly than others. I hope I'm one of the slower people...