Sick Puppy Book Review: Why Carl Hiaasen’s Environmental Satire is a Must-Read

It’s not too often that I take the time to reread a book, especially a fairly long read like “Sick Puppy.” However, I made an exception and here’s why.

I cannot recall how I came across this book, I may have borrowed it or been given it by someone. I can’t remember but I’m really glad they did. I still remember reading this book as I rode the train and bursting out laughing more than once. In fact, as I’m rereading it now, the same thing is happening—I’ve laughed again and again.

I read this one years ago, but after finishing it, I pretty much went through every book Carl Hiaasen has written. He quickly became one of my favorite authors and one of the few whose physical copies I’ve kept. I should also mention that after finishing all of Carl’s books, I found another author very similar in style, Christopher Moore. He’s another favorite when it comes to laughing while reading.

“Sick Puppy” follows a young man named Twilly who finds a litterbug, Stoat, and wants to teach him some manners about respecting the environment. Twilly’s methods are pretty wild, and although some of his attempts might not send the clearest message, they certainly make for an entertaining story. If Twilly had just yelled at the guy, we wouldn’t have this great book, would we?

As if being a litterbug wasn’t enough, Stoat is also the kind of person willing to destroy the environment and wildlife to get the job done for his clients. He’s definitely not a nice guy. As Twilly discovers more about him, things get even crazier. I mean really crazy!

This book also features one of my favorite Hiaasen characters, Skink. Skink might be my number one Carl Hiaasen character. He’s amazing—kind of like Twilly but on another level.

Listen, I’m trying to avoid spoilers, so I’ll just say this: get the book. You won’t regret it. Odds are after reading it, you’ll want to dive into every Carl Hiaasen book too.