Syrup: A Great Max Barry Satire

Syrup, by Max Barry, was his first novel, except for Great Britain, which never published it, so Jennifer Government is still considered his first work there. Syrup is a great ironic satire written in a very straight forward manner that makes the read easy and enjoyable. This first novel is customary of Max Barry's style: very straight forward and unpretentious language, an enjoyable read that maintains great irony and satirical style.

In this novel a young marketing graduate named Scat (a nickname he takes because he can't get high up in marketing with his real name) comes up with an idea for a new product for Coca-Cola called Fukk (the main marketing innovation is the black can it comes in, and the extra-carbonation causing the can to hiss when opened). This idea turns out to be dynamite, enough so that his roommate steals it, rides the market to the top, and then uses his power to get Scat out of the way.

This single idea drops him into a world of backstabbing, ladder-climbing marketers--even including his former roommate Sneaky Pete and 6, a beautiful and intelligent executive at Coca-Cola and alleged lesbian that Scat falls in love with, you know, just to make things even more complicated for poor Scat than they already are.

It also sends him through repeated stretches of homelessness, constant insane demands, dire poverty, and even a brush with the Hollywood movie machine in a crazy adventure that brings Scat through worlds he didn't even know existed as his idea drags him through hell and back.

Syrup, like many of Max Barry's novels, is fun and a "light" read that is easy to digest while still addressing deeper issues. The irony is superb, and you can tell that Max knows about the world he is writing about, and making fun of, as he is even making fun of marketing with his name: Maxx Barry on the cover, with an extra 'x.'

Barry keeps the novel moving at a brisk pace that makes this readable, and he has a much better sense of pacing than many modern literary authors whose writing is affected by an idealistic snobbery.