Patrick Macadoo ‘Bigass Squirrels’ Review

Written by: Matt Molgaard

Patrick Macadoo’s unorthodox creature tale, Bigass Squirrels isn’t the outlandish tale I’d anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, any time you toss giant squirrels in a story things are going to be a bit farfetched, without doubt. However, I judged this one on cover and title alone, expecting an extreme overflow of wily antics and heavy humor. While there is some humor in here, and things do become rather unpredictable, Macadoo actually delivers something of a straight forward tale.

Larry’s a young man with some demons in his past. He relocates in a rural region of Illinois looking to outrun yesterday, but subsequently runs into a problem that could carry frightening consequences and alter tomorrow for the worst. Larry gets himself involved with a gang of local despicables, sliding into their ranks as a reliable marijuana supplier. But this group has a wealth of surprises in store for Larry, and just about every one of them is life threatening.

I’m not going to explore the details in much greater depth. There are some monumental revelations I’d love to speak on, but they’d ruin what surprises the novel boasts. Know this, Bigass Squirrels delivers some shocking twists, and for the most part they’re quite gratifying.

Macadoo has an interesting writing style. I wouldn’t label him a masterful storyteller, but he’s good. In this case, he’s assembled a well-layered tale that comes together in impressive fashion and paints key characters with admirable detail. There are a handful of players in the novel that resonate with the viewers, and the sequencing of events, and the proper overlapping of narrative angles works to keep the book moving forward at a rewarding pace. Again, Macadoo is no Bradbury, but he’s got some skills, and he’s got some great ideas to share with the masses.

My greatest problem with the novel – and it really does play as a perceptible detracting point – is the wretched editing. It feels as though this one wasn’t even proofread. There are countless typos and general grammatical errors, and they jump off the page at you – particularly in the earlier goings and waning pages. To be honest, it gives off the impression of laziness, and I’m not sure that’s fair to Macadoo. I’m not too familiar with May December Publications, but it looks as though they’ve released quite the load of genre friendly releases. I’d expect a company so active to be certain that the final products hitting shelves are as clean as possible. Someone neglected this one.

With some heavy cleanup and a mean promotional push, Bigass Squirrels could emerge an indie hit for May December. However, without some major repairs, this one may continue to fly under the radar. Not exactly fair to Patrick, in my honest opinion.

All that said, there’s a fun story here, and I enjoyed reading it. I’d definitely recommend giving this one a look. Especially if you spot Bigass Squirrels on sale at any point.

Order it here.

Rating: 3.5/5