Harold and Kumar's Mom Dies of Cancer

Puff

By Bob Flaherty
p. 2005
 

Puff is one of those books where nothing happens and everything happens. Set throughout the sixties and seventies in South Boston, Puff is the story of two twenty-something brothers, John and “Gully” Gullivan, as they brave a blizzard to snag a coveted bag of weed and keep getting sidetracked by side missions, accidents, and reunions of all sorts.

Flaherty’s first (and it appears only) novel is not a chronological story; interspersed with their ‘mission’ are multitudes of deviations down memory lane as our narrator John recalls events long past but certainly not forgotten, which have guided him through his 23 years and led him to where he is at present. It is an effective technique when fleshing out characters because it draws out the story and makes interjections when relevant instead of relying on clumsy exposition dumps at the start. Puff already reads like an autobiography; the interplay of old anecdotes and new adventures (as appropriately random as the flashbacks themselves) make Puff feel almost like a work of creative nonfiction. If it weren’t for a few series events and a lot of exaggerated humor, I would have no problem believing it was all lifted from Flaherty’s experiences.

John’s story is told mostly for laughs—and there are a lot to be head, especially for the nostalgic crowd—but there is an undercurrent of bittersweet sadness to the whole affair. The Gullivan clan’s matriarch is dying of cancer in the hospital the whole time, her passing coming just a few years after the untimely loss of their father, who suffered from heart problems. I found it a little unnerving that the boys would be so cavalier about fucking around when their mother is slowly wasting away in a nearby hospital, but then, I suppose I’ve never had to deal with the slow, debilitating death of a cancer-ridden loved one. Maybe I would try to avoid the inevitable too if I were in John and Gully’s position.

Death is nothing new to the Gullivan brothers. It is a strong recurring theme throughout the book, present in flashbacks and often dwelled upon by John. It’s rather fitting for one so surrounded by it, especially someone so wholly lacking in direction as John Gullivan. For that matter, it is appropriate that the character spends the entire novel wandering about from one errand to the next without conviction because it properly reflects the state of his life.

Some people may read Puff and see 200+ pages of two stoners driving around talking about the past, but it is more than that. It’s a story about reexamining one’s history and applying it to the present, about growing up when you least expect it, about finding a direction after wandering for so long. John may not have had the revelation himself but the reader can see the change in him.

I’m glad I picked up this novel from a friend years back, but it’s a little shameful it took me this long to pick it up because it’s really quite the quick read. Witty and laid back with mostly hijinx, but a few scenes with true heart and depth that will stick with you.

My only real complaint is the title. Unless I missed something, the only reason Puff is titled as such is to be an unsubtle play on words--a reference to the weed the boys are seeking while also being the name of their family pet, a vicious cat no one likes. If Puff--the cat--played an important role in Puff, the novel, then the title might be excusable, but he does not, and in fact, neither does the weed, really. It seems like something Flaherty thought was funny once and decided to work into the story. Maybe it was what sparked the rest of the novel and he wanted to pay it homage, but I feel like it should have had more to do with the rest of the novel if it was going to be the title.