Mosquitoland

By: David Arnold

Narrated by: Phoebe Strole

Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

I am a collection of oddities, a circus of neurons and electrons: My heart is the ringmaster, my soul is the trapeze artist, and the world is my audience. It sounds strange because it is, and it is because I am strange.

After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in Northern Ohio to the wastelands of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.

So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.

Told in an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic voice, Mosquitoland is a modern American odyssey, as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

©2015 David Arnold (P)2015 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Arnold proves his worth as a top-notch storyteller on his first literary go-round, which is reminiscent of Ferris Bueller's Day Off if done by John Hughes with Jack Kerouac...Mosquitoland stings in all the right places, which is why it will no doubt be many teenagers' new favorite book and win over the crustiest old-timer, too." (USA Today)

"David Arnold's sparkling, startling, laugh-out-loud debut...speaks to the sweetness of life, the courage of love and the blinkers that adolescents may need to remove to see what is truly around them." (Wall Street Journal)

"David Arnold combines brio with compassion in this captivating first novel, which holds surprises, big and small, right to the end.... Illuminating." (The Washington Post)

Hero's journey

I loved this book. Great road adventure meeting fabulous and terrible characters. Phoebe Strole is the perfect narrator for this story. I loved her sense of irony and characterization.
I thought Mr Arnold did a great job of creating a teen aged girl. The characters are complex and likable. Great listen and likely a great read too. So happy I found this book.

Jack Kerouac, meet Mim

Any additional comments?

Mim is spunky, courageous, and on a road trip to burgeoning adulthood. the book has received much praise, and much criticism. I agree with all the praise, not so much the criticism.

*** spoiler alert - don't read further if you haven't read the book ****

A 16 year old could feel a love attraction with a 20 year old is possible, and not creepy - especially with how it is dealt with here. Exaggerating her Native-American blood? classicly funny from an adolescent point of view and she was not given the award so I deem that adeptly handled. Making snap judgements about names? Hilarious and oh so adolescent. All the politically correct objections would make the book proper, but not funny. I confess to being a bit dissatisfied with the details of the divorce, marriage, pregnancy and mental illness but then again, these items were there to flesh out Mim's story, not the point of her story. And, the projectile vomit scene is.... awesome.

Roadtrip via Greyhound

If you enjoy road trip stories this is might be for you. An angst filled teenager believes her sick mother needs her and she must get back to Cleveland to be with her. Leaving home without telling her father where she's going btw.

Along the way she meets some quirky strangers and gets into a little bit of trouble.

The book lightly touches on some mature subject matter that might bring up some questions in younger listeners. I recommend for mature teens and older.

LOVED IT

I would definently recommend this to all so read it you losers :D :D :D

Different but we'll worth the read

I love the narration.

I loved the story but, between kids and life, if I didn't fully listen I was lost between the present and past. I still really enjoyed this book.

An anomaly

An interesting read full of unique characters and more than a few plot twists that kept me interested the entire time.
The author masterfully crafted a story that dives into the reality of mental illness, the search for home, the virtues of villains and the flaws of heroes. Funny, witty, honest, and heartwrenching all at the same time. Loved it!

great narrative

If you're craving a solid and even touching narrative. This is a good one for you. Especially if youre searching for a novel filled with relatable characters and themes of mental health.

Rollercoaster

I swooned and loved and cried and laughed. Phenomenal. I will read this over and over

Fatal flaw

I really wanted to like this book, as someone who has dealt with the family effects of mental illness, but no less than 3 times the author was unnecessarily hateful towards fat people. It made it hard to connect to the narrator who is supposed to be this above the board, self aware teenager who finds the good in everyone, even the villains of the story.

Angst trope. annoying characters

struggled to listen to it. the story was so hard to trudge through. could have been a short story.