Strangled Eggs

There is no formal way to present a review for this unorthodox and completely original collection of essays. The reader gets a comical look into the crazy life of Andy Juniper through a series of tongue-in-cheek essays so odd that they can only come from real life. He covers a range of topics from breastfeeding – and how that impacts your outlook on taboo subjects, as well as the entire household – to the proper disguise to don for a round of lingerie shopping for the missus – ‘skimpy’ is not a size and ‘totally see through’ is not a style, per se.

A few of my favorites include Mr. Juniper’s frustration at the sexism of home improvement ideals when considering renovations for the kitchen. His deliberate oblivion when his wife goes out to single handedly revive the economy. His lamentations of needing a chemistry degree for simple pool maintenance, his sons’ threat to sue due to exploitation – he tried to get them to work for a toy they wanted. His ineffectual attempts to discipline his little girl – how can you even think of it when something that cute is staring at you? His mother’s (no way can this woman be my mother!) 911 because of a colossal, man-eating…mouse.

There are many, many more hilarious tales included in this series of over one hundred essays, with the subject matter almost always himself or some member of his family. This collection was a pure joy to read, and will lighten up any day. This is the type of book that you can read over and over again and it never loses its appeal. Mr. Juniper does a superb job of balancing humor against serious family issues.

Reviewed by: Joletta