Jonathan Evison’s new novel, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, officially hits bookstores and e-bookshelves today, and it’s hitting the ground running, as the rave reviews are streaming in. In today’s The New York Times, Janet Maslin writes, “Evison’s third and most powerful novel… [is] a book so poignant yet improbably funny.”

And Johnny is hitting the road to bring the journey to you. (Check out his training regimen video before he heads out to a bookstore near you.)

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving a journey into what it takes for us to truly care for one another. It takes us on a road trip with caregiver Ben Benjamin and his 19-year-old charge, Trev. It’s a trip through a series of bizarre must-see roadside attractions that propels them into an impulsive adventure disrupted by one birth, two arrests, a freakish dust storm, and a six-hundred-mile cat-and-mouse pursuit by a mysterious brown Buick Skylark. By the end of that journey, Trev has had his first taste of love, and Ben has found a new reason to love life.

As Dan Coxon of CultureMob.com writes, “If that sounds like one seriously heavy trip, then don’t worry. Evison has a reputation as one of Seattle’s most hilarious and engaging raconteurs, and his downbeat subject matter does nothing to dampen his natural literary exuberance.”

So before you click here to buy The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving and join the journey, be sure to check out this video and the oustanding reviews below:

  “Evison’s prose is replete with his gifts for witty imagery and turns of phrase…With its extremely cinematic plot and collection of quirky scenes, the novel might remind you of “Little Miss Sunshine” meets “Rain Man”…The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is even-keeled, big-hearted, and very funny, and full of hope. Through Ben, missteps are made, and human foibles are exposed. But we also glimpse that distant shore of hard-earned redemption. For that, Evison’s novel is worth the voyage.”

– Boston Globe

 “Smart and bittersweet and attuned to the absurdity of life — Evison’s book is the literary version of a good grunge song, not a power rock ballad.”

– LA Weekly “Book of the Week”

“An unlikely and funny buddy book…the comic novel may be the hardest work of fiction to pull off well…The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is a showcase of what makes a good one tick: Characters just a touch disconnected from reality, a prevailing sense of life’s absurdity and a handful of rude jokes…Evison proves that some of the best comedy emerges from lives that have jumped the rails.”

– Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Sometimes funny, sometimes slapstick, big-hearted novel…We readers want to go along for the ride, to follow the detours and adventures, to encounter new people, and Evison’s novel delivers.”

– The Oregonian

“A cathartic novel that will leave readers breathing a heavy sigh of pleasurable release. Its offensive at times, witty, funny, and an excellent example of modern realism….Evison offers readers bittersweet highs and tragic lows while illuminating all the sticky, messy passages in between. No matter what you’re in the mood for, pick up this little gem. In less than 300 pages, the weight of the world will feel a little lighter on your shoulders in the aftershock of Ben’s tragedy. Your prospects may seem brighter next to Trev’s grim future. Your eyes will sting from laughter at the dark, unforgiving humor. You won’t have any regrets.”

– The Missourian

 “A warm, funny look at recovering from tragedy.”

– Milwaukee Journal Sentinel