Synopses & Reviews
In this black comedy, the spotlight shines upon those who love it most: the self-obsessed, self-help culture and the media that generates hysteria for the sake of entertainment, bringing the cults of victimhood and celebrity together. Nothing is sacred in the network competitions for the next big hit, and in their treatment of newsworthy events, the line between truth and fiction doesn't matter as much as the almighty dollar. Satire, it has been said, is not possible in America because everything eventually comes true. Tragedy, you might say, is both cheapened and still to come when the media gets involved. The Greatest Show on Earth is a timely commentary about the media frenzy surrounding allegations of sex abuse and the popular mania for Reality TV.
-Kirkus Discoveries Quote
America's cult of psychotherapy combines with its cult of celebrity to create a monster in this amusing.satire. Debut novelist Buck isn't afraid to use a sledgehammer to drive home his satirical points. Does psychotherapy infantilize women? You bet-just look at Meme playing with stuffed animals and wearing a diaper Still, Buck has a vigorous comic imagination and a biting wit, especially when he treats his characters as people instead of cartoon figures. An over-the-top but funny attack on some meaty targets.
Review
"Buck has a vigorous comic imagination and a biting wit..." Kirkus Discoveries
Review
"The novel is comedic, I suppose, but do not underestimate the power of its dark side. And most of all, pay attention; there is a lesson to be learned here that most authors would not take the time (nor have the skill) to deliver. Books like this simply do not get written much anymore (and never published) and it is quite a shame, because upon having finished SHOW, I realized what we are all missing." POD-dy Mouth