Washer Mouth: The Man Who Was a Washing Machine [Paperback]

Washer Mouth is great stuff. It definitely rivals House of Houses for my favorite Donihe book but I think HofH might still have a slight edge. I liked a lot more about Washer Mouth than I didn't like. Actually, the only criticism I really have of it is a certain lack of verisimiltude. The book is set in Hollywood and Roy becomes an actor, but there seems to not really be a complete grasp of how that process works. This didn't really bother me. I think it can be explained by the facts that 1. Roy used to be a washing machine and, in his current human form, he is focused primarily on meeting Helen (an actress in the soap opera Sands of Eternity, which Roy watches faithfully from his convenient position in the Laundromat) 2. it's a bizarro book and the "real" world is virtually as bizarre as the fantasy world so a lot of detail or factual elements might actually detract from the story. The page numbering at the end is weird, it goes from like p. 222 to p. 226. I'm probably one of three people in the world who would notice this. No content is missing or anything, there's just the glitch in the numbering.

There is so much about the book I liked. Similar to HofH, Donihe creates a very fleshed out and satisfying bizarro book. Part of his ability to create a satisfying book lies in his blending of genres. While, overall, I would describe WM as a comedic fantasy, it also has elements of horror and suspense. In this way, his writing reminds me of Christopher Moore. Also, the humor is not based on jokes that one thinks maybe they've heard a long time ago on tv or in some movie. Donihe's humor revolves around situations. And the laughter it eventually induces is sort of a nervous laughter. I found myself suppressing laughs the entire time Roy is with Barbara. Barbara is a great, hilarious and sad, psychotic character. I found myself in much the same condition while Roy was with Samuel. In other words, I thought it was kind of funny but I was expecting something really bad to come from it. There is also a certain amount of "loft" to Donihe's prose. It almost reads like a book written in a different era which makes it even more shocking and jangling (in a good way) when Samuel is on the ground begging a circle of "freaks" to <shmuffle> on his hair.

And the overall arc of the story has a very strong moral message, while gradually building suspense. Sure, it's about a washing machine becoming a man, but it could also be a minority trying to integrate themselves into a dominant culture, it could be a gay person coming out of the closet, it could be a man becoming a woman or vice versa, it could be a child becoming an adult. It is a world that starts out simple and safe and quickly becomes very complex and dangerous. And all of this happens while, in the background, the Dark Washer wreaks havoc, Roy's mission hangs over his head, the Great Changeover is imminent, and the extremely bizarre soap opera, Sands of Eternity, continues broadcasting. All of these elements work and click into place brilliantly.

I am definitely looking forward to the next Kevin Donihe book.

I have to admit, WASHER MOUTH started off really slowly and I wasn't really enjoying the story, much less finding it all that credible until Roy underwent his initial transformation. In retrospect, I can now see how it might have been important to devote an entire 1/8 of the book to Roy's beginnings as a washing machine. Having read the back of the book, had I not known about Donihe or read any of his previous work, I still probably would have bought the book based entirely on the back description: "bukkake hair treatments... super powered superstars, snuff films... and a murderous washing machine."

The thing about Donihe, he is capable of taking something extremely mundane and ordinary-seeming, to then transform it into something quite extraordinary. Who has ever sat down to think about the wash cycles of washing machines? Has anyone actually ever imagined a way washers can communicate with each other? Better yet, who has ever attempted to tell the story of a "washing machine messiah?" Normally, a person with these thoughts might be seen as a deranged or slightly disturbed individual but Donihe is capable of transforming any crazy idea into a very interesting and credible read.

I have the nasty habit of automatically spotting typos in the books I read and this one only had four. Most apparent was the sudden jump in page numbering toward the end and even the book jacket has a typo on the back. Regardless, none of these flaws take away from the fantastic story that is WASHER MOUTH. Roy is a washing machine, becomes human, realizes he needs to adapt rather quickly, meets deranged superstars, gets followed by a person known only as the DARK WASHER and gets tangled up in a twisted story of self-discovery and humanity. What more could one ask for? Well, one thing actually. I felt that the ending seemed a bit rushed and managed to sum things up all too conveniently. I would have maybe preferred a more fleshed out explanation of things and perhaps a further continuation of the closing chapter's events.

But then again... Maybe I just need to give the ending some time, let it grow on me... Perhaps.

This book is about a washing machine named Roy who becomes human in order to act as a herald for the soon to appear washer-men. Roy's not really interested in doing this, and would rather watch his favourite soap opera, Sands of Eternity. When he finds out his favourite character from the show, Helen Masterson, is about to be retired, he sets out to meet her. Meanwhile, he's stalked by the Dark Washer, who seeks to destroy him, and along the way, he meets the sort of people you would probably run into if you were wandering around Hollywood- angry naked mobs, self important super powered superstars, drunk over the hill actresses, bukkake boy toys, a hot dog vendor...

i think this is Donihe's most polished book to date. He has a way of making the entire story seem natural, rather than bizarre, despite whatever's going on. If House of Houses is the "right direction," then Washer Mouth is the one that says "you can buy a Donihe book and not worry about being ripped off," which is what i'll be doing from now on.