4 out of 4 stars
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Four in a Fury by Nick Goldwater is the humorous true account of four young lads from New Zealand and their once-in-a-lifetime experience driving across the United States on a ten-week road trip. Back in 1994, before there were smart phones and GPS systems, Nick, Adam, Andy, and Mutt begin their journey in California and set out to drive from ocean to ocean. They purchase a used Fury, a former police car, and this (non air-conditioned) car becomes the foundation for making their trip happen. They travel up the Pacific Coast and back down again, cross the desert and head into Texas, continue east until they hit a couple of major cities (including New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago) before they eventually cross the Appalachian mountains and arrive at the Atlantic, and finally conclude their trip in New York City.
The destination isn’t the point. The journey is the whole purpose, and along the way, the four guys experience many moments they are not likely to forget, aside from taking in the scenery and binge drinking on college campuses. They perfect the art of sneaking into and out of camp sites to avoid paying the camping fees, have a couple of encounters with the police, sleep in some of the most horrible (and smelly) conditions, meet some friends along the way, and go for long periods of time without bathing.
I will be the first to admit that the above summary does not do this book justice. This story is way more interesting than I can make it sound, and Nick’s recollection of the events and the way he describes certain scenes is, to put it quite bluntly, freaking hilarious. The messes that these four guys get into (eating contests, breaking wind contests, streaking, shooting guns, etc.) are typical of immature, early twenty-somethings, but add on that they are off in a foreign land without supervision, and it just becomes ten times funnier. Seeing America through the eyes of these New Zealanders is entertaining in itself. That’s not even mentioning the cover of the book: an actual photograph of the four guys in their tighty-whities. Additional photographs are included before each chapter.
It has personally been a dream of mine to take a road trip across the US, and this book just makes it sound even more appealing (though I would probably cop out and pay for shady motels rather than sleep in a cheap, crowded tent with three other people). I could really get a good sense of the different atmospheres that America has to offer, and I found myself saying things like, “Ah! I really want to do this!” Well, when I wasn’t giggling at the shenanigans the boys had gotten themselves into during their current leg of the trip, that is.
If you are from the US, no matter the specific location, you can probably relate to some part of this book. I found myself giggling hardest at the parts near my own hometown (the “proper” spelling of N’Awlins and the trip to Graceland with leisure suits were my personal favorites) and then taking notes with awe and fascination as I read about parts of the country I have never before visited. Even if you are not from the US, you can still easily fall into this latter category for the book in its entirety and experience all of the country the same way that these four did.
I can easily say that I really enjoyed reading this book, and I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The ending of the book and the last couple of weeks of the trip seemed a bit rushed and not as detailed as the beginning of the trip. That’s really my only criticism, but it doesn’t change my overall feeling about the story. It seemed to match the pace of the trip and the mood of the guys as the trip progressed. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy memoirs and want to experience a trip across America.
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Four in a Fury
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Adding this book to my long reading list.
Sounds like a fun book.
Thank you for this wonderful review!
