Syrup is another extremely quick read and a fabulous first book by Maxx Barry. He reverted to using “Max” as his first name for this other two books: Jennifer Government and Company. This book covers the story of Scat, a marketing graduate living in LA who believes in finding a million dollar idea, and 6, the woman of his dreams, and at times, nightmares. The novel propels you through the advertising and marketing hallways of Coca-Cola LA, Hollywood movies, and young people looking to make it big, make a friend, and have a good time. The plot is rich is sarcasm, romance, treachery, and flat-out humor. It’s also a page turner and I found myself urging my eyelids to stay open as I read another section before bed each night.

I think this is a fantastic first novel and its pace and format explain why Jennifer Government, his second novel, had the same format and style. But, I didn’t like his second novel as much, for while it had the fast pace and snarky commentary, it never developed the characters like they are fleshed out in Syrup. Company, his third novel, gets back to the mastery of character development that he had in Syrup. I read his novels in a weird order, first his second, then his third, then his first one. I highly recommend Syrup and Company, and if you want to read everything he’s got out there now, delve into Jennifer Government.