I thought this was a superbly written book. The author did a great job jumping between past and present in a way that kept you turning the page and helped you understand the main character more and more. This book was so sad but so heartwarming at the same time. Smithy, the main character, was so lovable and your heart just breaks for him over and over, but you also find yourself laughing at him as well. A great book, with a lot of great messages.

Sid did such a good job on the review of this book that I really don't have anything to add. So if you haven't already, go read Sid's review...

Ok, I'll say one additional thing - I felt this book had a little bit of the Forrest Gump vibe.

I found this book while contemplating and researching a cross-country bike ride. It's the fictional account of a fat drunkard that spontaneously rides his bike across the country from Providence, RI after a series of unfortunate family events. The chapters include an account of his journey, his encounters with both the incredibly generous people and the knuckleheads one might expect, as well as the self-discovery aspect of his "quest." Alternating chapters recount his memories of his family, with a focus on his relationship with his mentally ill sister.
I found Smithy to be very likable and found myself really wanting things to work out for him. Obviously there are sad moments (mostly on the family chapters) and funny moments (on the journey chapters), but they tie together nicely and made this my first novel read in quite a long time.