In Bullets, Butterflies and Italy, John Meyer offers a twist on the classic the travel memoir by adding the bullets of a thriller and the butterflies of a romance. The result is a journey through Amalfi, Rome and Sienna seen through the eyes of Zach who, in an attempt to escape a mundane life, has come to Italy to quietly celebrate his thirtieth birthday. Instead he inadvertently places a contract on his own head with the local mafia.
Zack represents "every-man" who, not quite in the grip of mid-life, realizes time is running out to make something of his life. Issues concerning mortality, the meaning of happiness and the pursuit of dreams are confronted with humour and vigour. Local descriptions, the memoir aspect of the book, contribute to Zack's discovery of the "Dolce Vita" that is the ethos of Italy. If you have never been to Italy Meyer's descriptions of local colour and historic sites will make you want to go. If you have been, you will recognize people and places and will be inspired to return. Tourism Italy should be sending Meyer kick-backs!
I loved this book. Having never been to Italy, I loved that this book combined not only a love triangle with danger (yay romance!) but also detailed descriptions of Italian culture, architecture and art history. The way the author wrote was refreshing... the writing was like he was talking to me, complete with injections of humour and honest language. The main character was real, with sincere everyday struggles (like the rest of us) and I liked how his personality evolved and grew in maturity as he underwent a lot of self-reflection. The BEST part was the unpredictability of the plot! There was a twist and turn towards the end that impressed me; and therefore elevated this book above others. A new genre: a "travel guide" combined with a great storyline... a story that can only happen when you find yourself in a strange country with a strange language... leading to all kinds of unbelievable miscommunications! I highly recommend John Meyer, and am looking forward to his next book.
Turning 30 and being single sucks. Or, at least that’s what Zack Curtis thinks, so he takes a chance and embarks on the trip of a lifetime to Italy. But then he’s robbed of all his belongings, spends too much time “on the wrong side of drunk” and apparently negotiates his own murder – not exactly a promising start. He does, however, also fall madly in love. While the premise sounds mildly familiar and it’s at least partly based on real-life events, this is no Eat, Pray, Love. Instead it sets a fast and furious pace with destination unknown – but that’s the point.
