One of my favorite novels with a male voice. Such a different and interesting journey to read. Highly recommend. ( )

In this book Mark Jude Poirier paints a really interesting picture of what it's like growing up in a non-traditional home. Ellis' mother, Wendy, is a woman who cannot seem to find herself; she was once a hippy, but at the time of the novel is obsessed with spiritual growth and crystal magic. She seems to be completely obsessed with herself and unable to emotionally care for her son.

Ellis is an intelligent boy who despite his youth, must take care of his mother and has grown up to be an early adult and seemingly has most if not all of the morals of someone much older than himself.

Goat Man is Ellis' only friend, a man who teaching Ellis to smoke a bong at 11 years old, but also provides a family for him, helping him when he is beaten up by a girl at school and seeming to be the only person who cares for Ellis. The story has to do with how Ellis and Goat Man's relationship changes during one of their goat treks to Mexico. ( )

Fourteen year old Ellis lives with his mother in Tucson, sometimes there is a man in her life, his father lives in Washington with another woman. Ellis is about to start boarding school, his only real apprehension is leaving his mother to care for herself, she is far from organised and is likely to forget to pay the bills and Ellis, who is very bright and mature for his age, tends to take the responsibility for making sure everything is taken care of. Although he is also leaving Goat Man (Javier), who lives in the pool house but just looks after the pool and grounds, that is when he is not caring for his greenhouse crop of hybrid pot, or smoking it.

Ellis and Goat Man are very close, Goat Man introduced Ellis to pot when he was eleven, and often takes him on his treks into the desert with the goats.

The account takes us through Ellis' first year at his boarding school including his relationship with Barney his room mate, his school progress and other activates. He also meets with with his father and his new woman, makes a few visits home and the treks with Goat Man, and worries about his mother and her fads and strange relationships.

Goats is well written and captivating, although it just takes us through the workings of the year in the lives of this strange group of for the most part aimless characters and with little overall plot. It is at times funny, or perhaps amusing is a better description, but it is the quality of the writing that really holds ones interest and marks this well above average. ( )

Pot smoking and goat trekking...does it get any better than this? An amazingly engaging coming-of-age novel that has elicited comparisons to the Catcher in the Rye. What starts off as paradise-like environment for Ellis Whitman slowly starts to unravel at the seams as the true natures of the participants are revealed. ( )