The Gospel According to Larry
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| The Gospel According to Larry | |
| Author | Janet Tashjian |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Comedic, Political, Fictional, Romantic Novel |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Co. |
| Publication date | May 13, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Followed by | Vote for Larry |
The Gospel According to Larry is a political, romantic, fictional teen novel by Janet Tashjian that explores anti-materialism. A sequel, Vote For Larry, was published on May 1, 2004, and a third novel, Larry and the Meaning of Life, is expected to launch in September 2008.
The Gospel According to Larry revolves around seventeen-year-old Josh Swensen, an articulate teen whose dream is to change the world. He creates his own website which he calls "The Gospel According to Larry" where he "preaches" his feelings and ideas about making the world a better place. Much to his surprise, many people agree with his points about anti-consumerism and other critical issues. Larry is the perfect alter-ego for Josh; Larry is outspoken while Josh is basically a "self-proclaimed" loner. As the website becomes more popular he begins posting photos of his possessions, (he only owns seventy-five items at a time including clothes, books, school supplies, and the house key) daring people to guess his true identity. However when international celebrity Bono takes interest in the site Josh fears "The Gospel According To Larry" will lose its meaning. "Betagold", an anonymous blogger on the site, is especially determined to reveal Larry's true identity and tries to intimidate him. Betagold, who in reality is an obsessive sixty-year-old woman, Tracey Hawthorne, finds him out and Josh's house and personal life are swamped and staked out by the press. Josh is asked to appear in ads and go on television, activities that go against everything his website had deemed good. His web page becomes a den of consumerism, with posters asking about "Larry" t-shirts instead of discussing anti-consumerism and corporation oppression. The pressure of being a celebrity gets to Josh and he decides to commits pseudocide (a fake suicide). He secretly travels to Colorado, switching identities along the way. The sequel Vote For Larry begins in Boulder, Colorado.
The secondary plotline in the book is Josh's relationship with his best friend, Beth. Beth has been Josh's friend since sixth grade and he has loved her from the start of their friendship. She is oblivious of his feelings about her, and likes a jock named Todd. Josh calls him "Terrific Todd" and hates him for liking Beth. He says rude comments to express his dislike of Todd: "if Todd's face was any blanker, you could show movies on it". Josh doesn't tell Beth that he is Larry, although Beth is one of his fans and starts a fan club for "The Gospel According To Larry" at their school. Throughout the book, Todd and Beth's relationship, as well as Josh's and Beth's relationship, has ups and downs. Beth goes back and forth between liking Todd and hating him and at Larryfest, Josh almost thinks that he and Beth are an item.
Larryfest is the turning point in the novel in which Josh goes from having confidence in his security behind his alter-ego "Larry" to being revealed to the public by "betagold."
