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Just A Couple Of Days: The Cult Classic American Novel Where a Virus Destroys Language
"Just a Couple of Days may be the most unusual, the most original novel I have ever read." —TOM ROBBINS
"A lyrical, thoughtful, viral meme of a book. Read it!"
—CHRISTOPHER MOORE
Join cult favorite Tony Vigorito in his award-winning underground hit chronicling the party at the end of time. A mischievous artist kicks off a game of graffiti tag on a local overpass by painting the simple phrase, “Uh-oh.” An anonymous interlocutor writes back: “When?” Someone slyly answers: “Just a couple of days.” But what happens in just a couple of days? Professor Blip Korterly is arrested, his friend Dr. Flake Fountain is drafted into a shadow-government research project to develop the ultimate biological weapon, and an accidental outbreak turns into a merry-hearted, babble-inducing apocalypse that will either destroy humankind or take it to the next step in evolution.
"Just a Couple of Days. From this seemingly harmless bit of highway graffiti springs Tony Vigorito's inventive debut novel, a madcap adventure of a sinister government plot and an apocalyptic vision worthy of Kurt Vonnegut... After being conscripted as the genetics expert for a secret military project, Dr. Flake Fountain, a molecular geneticist at a major university, is thrust into the (literally) underground development of a biological agent with the power to disable enemies’ symbolic capacity, leaving them unable to communicate. But Just a Couple of Days is no mere sci-fi daydream. Vigorito’s research is impressive, and the narrative pops with linguistic acrobatics reminiscent of Tom Robbins… Vigorito engages in consistently dazzling wordplay, and readers will eagerly follow the narrative as it moves beyond the conventional boundaries of storytelling… An underground cult classic." —Kirkus Reviews
"A lyrical, thoughtful, viral meme of a book. Read it!"
—CHRISTOPHER MOORE
Join cult favorite Tony Vigorito in his award-winning underground hit chronicling the party at the end of time. A mischievous artist kicks off a game of graffiti tag on a local overpass by painting the simple phrase, “Uh-oh.” An anonymous interlocutor writes back: “When?” Someone slyly answers: “Just a couple of days.” But what happens in just a couple of days? Professor Blip Korterly is arrested, his friend Dr. Flake Fountain is drafted into a shadow-government research project to develop the ultimate biological weapon, and an accidental outbreak turns into a merry-hearted, babble-inducing apocalypse that will either destroy humankind or take it to the next step in evolution.
"Just a Couple of Days. From this seemingly harmless bit of highway graffiti springs Tony Vigorito's inventive debut novel, a madcap adventure of a sinister government plot and an apocalyptic vision worthy of Kurt Vonnegut... After being conscripted as the genetics expert for a secret military project, Dr. Flake Fountain, a molecular geneticist at a major university, is thrust into the (literally) underground development of a biological agent with the power to disable enemies’ symbolic capacity, leaving them unable to communicate. But Just a Couple of Days is no mere sci-fi daydream. Vigorito’s research is impressive, and the narrative pops with linguistic acrobatics reminiscent of Tom Robbins… Vigorito engages in consistently dazzling wordplay, and readers will eagerly follow the narrative as it moves beyond the conventional boundaries of storytelling… An underground cult classic." —Kirkus Reviews
400 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2001
91 people are currently reading
7128 people want to read
About the author
Tony Vigorito
9 books169 followersTony Vigorito is the author of the award-winning and critically-acclaimed underground hits,
Love and Other Pranks,
Nine Kinds of Naked,
and
Just a Couple of Days.
Visit TonyVigorito.com to read his numerous essays as well as extended samples from all of his books.
You may also follow him via facebook and instagram.
You may also follow him via facebook and instagram.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
February 25, 2009
Some people play the lottery. Some people go to the casino. Some people bet on the horses. When I want to gamble, I go to Borders and walk around. I look at books all over the story. And then I gamble on a book I've never heard before. This time, I hit the jackpot. Vigorito's prose is lyrical, flowing and downright funny. I'm having a lot of fun reading this book while taking a break from the king-hell bummer that is Palast's book. A lot of the authors I read rarely do so well on a first novel. But this guy blew me away. I had a lot of fun reading it and am disappointed his next won't be out for another year.
The only criticism I have is that like Neil Stephenson's "Snow Crash," it came out of the gate like a racing thoroughbred, but finished a little winded. He came up with a great story, but the followthrough was lacking the same punch.
Trust me, read this one.
The only criticism I have is that like Neil Stephenson's "Snow Crash," it came out of the gate like a racing thoroughbred, but finished a little winded. He came up with a great story, but the followthrough was lacking the same punch.
Trust me, read this one.
September 27, 2009
I was walking around Borders, wallowing in self-pity and depression, when I found this book. Not to sound like a worshipper, but this really changed the way I think. It opened my mind towards independent thinking rather than listening to other people. Having just detached myself from the punk scene, I was going through a bout of depression, and for some reason, identified with the main character's terrible situation. A dark, amazing book and story in my opinion. Also, the cover has an apple with the skin coming off on it.
April 1, 2011
I don't know why I love this book so much. The vocabulary is pretentious. But then again, I'm a stuck-up prick and I knew what every one of those big words meant. It's a fun, little end of the world tale and you'll definitely enjoy it, unless you're hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobic.
April 25, 2011
[This review reveals basic elements of the story.]
This book has a promising premise, namely the construction of a doomsday virus that wipes out human linguistic ability. The story doesn’t conform to conventional expectations; the virus turns out to be a good thing, possibly, the unknowable next step in human evolution. This book is, in fact, a psychedelic philosophical polemic masquerading as a novel.
So far, so good. In theory, it sounds like a book Xy and I would love. In practice? Not so much.
Unfortunately the narrative comes off as smug and self-indulgent. One gets the sense that the author is way too pleased with his own cleverness. The hippie-dippie yuck factor overwhelms everything else. Given the slight plot and cardboard characters, there’s little left but style and ideas. To give a flavor of the style, here’s a fine passage from when several characters are trapped together in an elevator:
I think I’m going to barf. Such cutesy prose abounds, especially in a recurrent intertextual motif called “The Book o’ Billet-Doux” which is so dreadful I can’t even quote it here.
That leaves little of interest except the ideas, the philosophy behind the book. These are, perhaps, interesting in their own right. I don’t know. I can’t see past the prose. The ideas would perhaps have been more pleasantly encapsulated in a short story or a novella, rather than a 385 page novel.
My recommendation: Avoid.
This book has a promising premise, namely the construction of a doomsday virus that wipes out human linguistic ability. The story doesn’t conform to conventional expectations; the virus turns out to be a good thing, possibly, the unknowable next step in human evolution. This book is, in fact, a psychedelic philosophical polemic masquerading as a novel.
So far, so good. In theory, it sounds like a book Xy and I would love. In practice? Not so much.
Unfortunately the narrative comes off as smug and self-indulgent. One gets the sense that the author is way too pleased with his own cleverness. The hippie-dippie yuck factor overwhelms everything else. Given the slight plot and cardboard characters, there’s little left but style and ideas. To give a flavor of the style, here’s a fine passage from when several characters are trapped together in an elevator:
The close quarters concentrated Miss Mary’s corrosive tobacconist’s effluvium, making it all the more emphatic, and a meaty bouquet was rising out of General Kiljoy’s duodenum, or perhaps slipping silently out of the back door to mingle malevolently in an eloping liaison of fumes with Miss Mary’s flagrant fragrances.
I think I’m going to barf. Such cutesy prose abounds, especially in a recurrent intertextual motif called “The Book o’ Billet-Doux” which is so dreadful I can’t even quote it here.
That leaves little of interest except the ideas, the philosophy behind the book. These are, perhaps, interesting in their own right. I don’t know. I can’t see past the prose. The ideas would perhaps have been more pleasantly encapsulated in a short story or a novella, rather than a 385 page novel.
My recommendation: Avoid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2009
I went into this book pretty excited from a tiny blurb I read on Amazon...and I am quitting to move on to better things. The story is a satire, but a very disappointing one. In fact, I had to make a new bookshelf in Goodreads for this work, "Not Worth Finishing."
There is one thing that pains me above all else about this book ...Tony Vigorito is trying so hard to rip of Tom Robbins style that it renders his own work unreadable.
The bottom line is that anyone familiar with Tom Robbins would be disappointed at best and disgusted at worst. Anyone not familiar with Tom Robbins should just go out and get a Tom Robbins book.....
April 13, 2016
It's mind bender all right. He seems like a buddy of Christopher Moore and Tom Robbins - smart, funny and wacky as hell. Some of the metaphors were a bit much but I laughed out loud and felt my brain warp a wee bit. Huzzah!
January 6, 2008
wish I could read it again for the first time
November 25, 2012
One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It's an amazing fusion of poetry, philosophy, and religion. Anyone who loves to read...hell, anyone who loves life itself will enjoy this book.
August 16, 2010
Well hello, Tony Vigorito!!! This book was well written and hilarious. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a light read--something in the vein of Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett with less of an investment in understanding an "out there" world.
The story starts with a simple vandalism and from there blows out of proportion, with secret labs and government experiments gone awry. I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of humor, science, and exploitation of stereotypes. Don't expect this book to last more than "just a couple of days" before you've finished it.
The story starts with a simple vandalism and from there blows out of proportion, with secret labs and government experiments gone awry. I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of humor, science, and exploitation of stereotypes. Don't expect this book to last more than "just a couple of days" before you've finished it.
June 19, 2009
Well, I finished it. It was work, but I did it. I hate to read books that are work. I want to be lost in them and wrapped up in them...not so much with this one. I wanted to love it - the idea of it is great. But the execution left a helluva lot to be desired. The last 80 pages or so took me WEEKS to finish, and I can read a book a DAY if it's interesting.
February 18, 2013
Wow - this book is just off the charts! I didn't realize I would be one for meta-fiction, but this book made me stop and really think about how the world works. Recommended read from a friend and it tends to be a book that I continue to recommend to my friends for a more thought-provoking read.
April 18, 2007
This book is surreal and funny. The premise is a bit crazy, but I think most people would enjoy this read.
January 25, 2008
Helped change how I view life. Every day should be lived to the fullest b/c you never know what could happen in just a couple of days...
June 18, 2012
My all time favorite book! An absolute must read. The only book that has caused me to actually laugh out loud! So great on so many levels!
May 21, 2013
My favorite book ever! Seriously made me laugh aloud, while challenging my beliefs and making me a better person.
November 30, 2012
I was introduced to this book in college when given the option of selling it back for full price if I was unimpressed. Not only did I keep a copy, but bought another for a friend. If you are looking for a fun quirky thought provoking book, and are interested in delving a little beyond the words on the page, then this is a unique find.
November 2, 2013
This is a great book with a really interesting premise. This is the only one of the authors books I have read, but I really enjoyed it. The idea of a government created biological weapon being accidentally released, that takes away our ability to recognize symbols is a pretty trippy one....fun read....
July 20, 2009
Language is fucked. We are God.
Slow for me at some points, but intriguing nonetheless. Filled with fun facts, an adorable side romance, and a feeling of life at the end. Enjoyed!
Slow for me at some points, but intriguing nonetheless. Filled with fun facts, an adorable side romance, and a feeling of life at the end. Enjoyed!
September 23, 2011
If you like analogies you'll love this book...If not STAY AWAY. Better yet STAY AWAY anyway. Sorry, if you liked this book but it did nothing for me.
May 23, 2011
God what a terrible book! Fantastic idea, such possibility for a great story, then it all fizzed out, like the author gave up.
August 11, 2011
Not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.
October 23, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. I'm not going to compare it to Tom Robbins because it holds its own as a completely separate, unique entity. Much better than "Nine Kinds of Naked."
It shifts back & forth between lyrical prose and edge-of-your-seat plot, using witty humor throughout.
The themes, which he comes back to again and again very directly, are ones that I've thought about many times, but maybe never considered in this particular light. Here and there, there are a few loose ends, but I think it's a positive thing that the book makes me want to converse and maybe argue with the author a little bit.
My one serious complaint is that it wasn't longer - I wanted to see what happened to some of the characters after the story ended, since I grew to love them and their relationships with one another so much. But I suppose it allows the reader to use her or his imagination and that's a good thing. I just wanted more:)
Recommended to all like-minded individuals.
It shifts back & forth between lyrical prose and edge-of-your-seat plot, using witty humor throughout.
The themes, which he comes back to again and again very directly, are ones that I've thought about many times, but maybe never considered in this particular light. Here and there, there are a few loose ends, but I think it's a positive thing that the book makes me want to converse and maybe argue with the author a little bit.
My one serious complaint is that it wasn't longer - I wanted to see what happened to some of the characters after the story ended, since I grew to love them and their relationships with one another so much. But I suppose it allows the reader to use her or his imagination and that's a good thing. I just wanted more:)
Recommended to all like-minded individuals.
June 15, 2014
This book has taken me about a year to read... Don't get me wrong, it was not horrible, it just was unable to capture my attention or interest. The book had a great plot idea, but failed at making the action move. I found the writing to do from long dry segments, to very interesting meta tangents, to short spurts of action that actually moved along the plot. The meta parts were really interesting and made you think about the way you look and think about things, but they were tangents, and almost completely unrelated to the plot. I also expected a much more interesting ending. You would think that a book about the end of the world as we know it would have an invigorating ending, or at least some sort of ending. I didn't hate how the author chose to end the book, it just wasn't satisfying. I was looking for a lot more with this book that i never received.
August 2, 2014
If I could give this book less than 1 star I would. It was boring and self indulgent (and the fact that Tony Vigortito acknowledges in the book that it is self indulgent only made it worse), I would not recommend this book to anyone really.
The characters are fairly typical, there is no real emotion evoked from them that would make me empathize with them.
Vigorito`s attempt at seeming smart, insightful and funny in my opinion fail. This is a book that anyone could write.
In a nut shell, to describe this book I'd say, Nothing Special.
**update**I tried to sell this book at two different used book stores in mint condition and neither wanted pay a dime for it, ended up giving it to goodwill - this book is horrible
The characters are fairly typical, there is no real emotion evoked from them that would make me empathize with them.
Vigorito`s attempt at seeming smart, insightful and funny in my opinion fail. This is a book that anyone could write.
In a nut shell, to describe this book I'd say, Nothing Special.
**update**I tried to sell this book at two different used book stores in mint condition and neither wanted pay a dime for it, ended up giving it to goodwill - this book is horrible
June 24, 2012
Started out good, but ended up being an incredible let down, I felt myself skipping through pages upon pages of artfully crafted yet extremely repetitive prose, making and re-making the same point over and over and over again to the point where I thought where was the editor of this book?
Sad to say I didn't even care for the characters especially the look-how-free-spirited-we-are! couple, and the main character who I felt was way too passive.
In the end there were some good ideas in this book, but you have to go through so much overly-embellished writing to find them and it might drive you mad.
Sad to say I didn't even care for the characters especially the look-how-free-spirited-we-are! couple, and the main character who I felt was way too passive.
In the end there were some good ideas in this book, but you have to go through so much overly-embellished writing to find them and it might drive you mad.
June 26, 2007
There's an old Henny Youngman-esque joke - "We've been happily married for 10 years. Spread out over 50." Or something like that.
This book is a lot like that. There are 100 good pages in here, but the rest is the kind of thing you'd expect a crunchy academic to corner you with at a cocktail party, if people still have those. You'll listen, and in this case agree) but it's pretty obvious he's entertaining himself, not you. All very well within the plot, but kind of prickish to the reader.
I don't think I'm going to bother with negative reviews anymore. The stars will speak.
This book is a lot like that. There are 100 good pages in here, but the rest is the kind of thing you'd expect a crunchy academic to corner you with at a cocktail party, if people still have those. You'll listen, and in this case agree) but it's pretty obvious he's entertaining himself, not you. All very well within the plot, but kind of prickish to the reader.
I don't think I'm going to bother with negative reviews anymore. The stars will speak.
August 5, 2019
Over all I just didn't like this book. I really liked the general idea behind the book and a lot of the thoughts the author brought up I found to be fascinating. But I couldn't get over the author's sense of humor. It was obvious the author was trying to be funny, but for some reason I just wasn't amused, only annoyed. I'll admit that it's entirely possible that my opinion of the book was influenced by my mood while I was reading it. My dad died during the time that I was reading this book--maybe I just wasn't in the mood to be amused.
March 3, 2009
What a great first half! Vigorito sets up the action spectacularly. Unfortunately the second half drags. This book was originally published by a very small press and could have used the talents of a big press editor. Many, many pages of the narrators views on the world could have been purged. Vigorito never gives you the chance to decide what you think of what is going on. He proceeds to tell you, over and over, what everything means.
Vigorito has some great ideas. I would very much like to check out his other books. Hopefully they have an editor!
Vigorito has some great ideas. I would very much like to check out his other books. Hopefully they have an editor!
June 18, 2018
I didn't have as much fun with this one as I had with Love and Other Pranks...the majority of the book is rather uninteresting and pointless building towards the inevitable conclusion you can predict very early on. but this author sure loves his word play!
July 31, 2020
I, unlike the author, am at a loss for words. I finished this book for my book club. We were to read something that is set in a place we have lived. This book germinated in Athens Ohio. At times it made me scratch my head. Those were the good times. Mostly, I just wanted to hurry up and finish the book.
Meh.
Meh.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews