BlueInk Reviews - (Starred Review)
Scott Semegran uses his comic sensibility and keen eye for detail to weave an amusing yet heartwarming romp about the workers in Unit 3 of the Texas Department of Unemployment and Benefits and their lottery pool.
The story alternates viewpoints with everyone in the office—all cogs in the state bureaucracy—but focuses especially on J.D. Wiswall, the pecan-treat-loving, bicycle-riding, easygoing new guy. J.D. is supposed to learn the ropes from his supervisor, Brent, but Brent prefers spending time drinking and thinking about his rock band. In his quest to avoid work, he gets J.D. to tag along, albeit reluctantly.
As a result, J.D. actually learns the ropes from single mother Deborah, who is always bailing out her no-good son, and mother/matriarch Rita, who nurtures her family with banana bread and feeds her office family pineapple cakes. Another employee, Conchino, is quiet in the office, but secretly street races after hours.
The five pool money every week to buy lottery tickets. They also have a pact that if any one of them submits a winning cost-savings idea to the state workers’ contest, they’ll share that $10,000 prize, too. Sure enough, a drunken mistake by Brent wins the state prize, and a subsequent subplot involves the corrupt Governor Bennett and an enterprising, cat-loving reporter Esther Jean.
Semegran takes what could be onerously boring—state workers typing in data, sharing pecan snacks and pineapple cake—but in his able hands, their ordinary lives and struggles become captivating. His descriptions often leap off the page: "The clickity-clack of the computer keyboards of the three workers typing in the back of the small office space was like the cacophony of a chorus of cicadas.” Before book’s end, readers are pulling for every character—even the too-often-drunk Brent.
To Squeeze a Prairie Dog is an entertaining slice-of-life story that’s humorous yet uplifting at the same time. By the novel’s last page, readers will be longing for more.
From the Publisher
"An amusing yet heartwarming romp... To Squeeze a Prairie Dog is an entertaining slice-of-life story that's humorous yet uplifting at the same time. By the novel's last page, readers will be longing for more." - BlueInk Review (Starred Review)
"A comic sendup of state government that remains lighthearted, deadpan, and full of affection for both urban and rural Texas." - Kirkus Reviews
"To Squeeze a Prairie Dog paints a rollicking story that careens through the office structure to delve into the motivations, lives, and connections between ordinary individuals... an uplifting, fun story." - Midwest Book Review
"An accomplished tale... a recommended read for fans of humor, drama, and office politics." - Readers' Favorite Book Reviews. 5 stars.
"Fascinating and heartfelt." - IndieReader
"Semegran is at the top of his game as he crafts this thoroughly engaging read. Written in a crisp, clear prose, this fast-paced novel will delight fans of literary fiction." - The Prairies Book Review. 5 stars.
"Semegran lures you in with a combination of sardonic wit and slapstick comedy, but before you know it, you're contemplating issues of money, class, media, politics, the social contract, and the many possible definitions of success... To Squeeze a Prairie Dog concludes on just the right note and contains depths you won't expect." - Lone Star Literary Life
Midwest Book Review
...Fun, ironic acronyms and jokes illustrate real efforts to bond, support one another, and survive against secrets and revelations about how the world really operates. To Squeeze a Prairie Dog paints a rollicking story that careens through the office structure to delve into the motivations, lives, and connections between ordinary individuals.
Readers seeking an uplifting, fun story of fortune, friendship, and fame will find To Squeeze a Prairie Dog juxtaposes a range of viewpoints and ironic situations designed to leave readers both entertained and thoughtful. This tale comes full-circle to provide a satisfying spoof on political ambitions while commenting on personal achievement and ideals of success.
IndieReader
"Fascinating and heartfelt."
Readers' Favorite Book Reviews. 5 stars.
"An accomplished tale... a recommended read for fans of humor, drama, and office politics."
Kirkus Reviews
2018-11-07
A young clerk gets caught up in a cost-saving scheme at work that rattles the Texas political establishment in this novel.
J.D. Wiswall has left his rural hometown of Brady, Texas, and moved into a tiny cinderblock house in Austin. He's taken a job with the state, working as a data entry clerk for the Department of Unemployment and Benefits. His first day is unusual, as he finds his new boss, Brent Baker, outside of the office, passed out in some bushes. Brent claims he has epilepsy, but J.D. isn't so sure. At work, his few colleagues consist of Deborah Martinez, a financially strapped mother of a grown son; Rita Jackson, a grandmother who runs the office lottery pool; and Conchino Gonzalez, a silent car fanatic. The duties are tedious, but Rita spices things up with hopes about a state contest. If the employees can generate an idea to save Texas money, there is a $10,000 prize. They plan to split the winnings if they succeed but have no good ideas. Back home, J.D.'s mother writes that his aunt is worried about him in the big city: "I keep insisting that you would never befriend hippies or smoke marijuana, but she is inconsolable." Meanwhile, a reporter is called to the office of the Texas governor, a slippery partisan in a gold-plated wheelchair. He promises the journalist an exclusive, but she discovers something monumental on her own. At J.D.'s office, the hard-drinking Brent thinks he has found a way to claim that $10,000 and arranges a fateful meeting with the "Big Boss" that could be life-changing for all involved. Semegran's (Sammie & Budgie, 2017, etc.) gently humorous foray into the depths of Texas' bureaucracy takes a while to get going; after all, he is describing one of the more boring jobs around. But the pace picks up beautifully in the second half, as some chance occurrences and accidental muckraking come together in a manner worthy of Texas politics. Characterization is strong throughout the novel; the dialogue always rings true; and little touches add local color. For example, J.D. is never without pecan treats from his beloved hometown. The conclusion is notable for all that's changed but also what will likely stay the same.
A comic sendup of state government that remains lighthearted, deadpan, and full of affection for both urban and rural Texas.
