Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance: A Novel

Waters, the filmmaker, actor, and artist, adds this debut novel to seven previous nonfiction books, including Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder and Make Trouble. Marsha and Daryl are a consummate “confidence game” couple. They grift all over, grabbing bags at the airport, lying, stealing, and cheating without prejudice—even targeting family or anyone else who shows them kindness. Marsha’s daughter Poppy and her entourage of trampoline “acrobatic fanatics” have been ripped off once too often and are out for revenge. Every scene in this chase tale is over-the-top and delightfully distasteful. Waters is the overlord of alliteration trotting out “blubbering boyhood bereavement” and describing a couple that “kiss like cobras.” He bests himself with rhymes like “Jeepers creepers, this guy is a peeper” every chance he gets. As the audiobook’s narrator, Waters does not perform character voices in but adds so much heart and soul that it is certainly a better bet to listen rather than read this alternative romance.