Illustration by JARRET QUON
By Barbara McGuire
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Life can sometimes be speckled with problems, whether it be
trudging through a bad hair day or anticipating a difficult
midterm; but imagine if everyday was this problematic.
Such is the case with Capable, the goat-herding character in
George Saunders’ latest book, “The Very Persistent
Gappers of Frip.”
“I wrote it as a kid’s book, but as I was doing it I
was aware that it wasn’t like “˜Dick and
Jane,'” explained Saunders in a recent interview.
“In my mind it was just a kid’s book, but at the same
time I was enjoying writing it. I thought it could be just as much
an adult interest.”
In the story, Capable’s days are plagued by the attack of
“gappers” ““ orange, spiky, multi-eyed creatures
who love to attack her goats.
“When a gapper gets near a goat, it gives off a continual
high pitched happy shriek of pleasure that makes it impossible for
the goat to sleep, and then the goats get skinny and stop giving
milk,” the novel explains.
BOOK REVIEW Â
BOOK TITLE: The Very Persistent Gappers of
Frip
AUTHOR: George Saunders
ILLUSTRATOR: Lane Smith
PUBLISHER: Villard Books
PAGES:84
PRICE: $23.95
RATING: 3
For the town of Frip, which Capable calls home, milk is the
basis of the economy. To ensure that the goats will continue to
produce milk, Capable and the other children of Frip are required
to brush their goats free of the gappers everyday and dump them
into the sea.
However, the gappers resurface three hours after being released
into the sea and locate the goats again. Then the gapper-ridding
process starts all over, causing the children to suffer from sleep
deprivation.
Because Capable’s house is closer to the sea than the
other houses in Frip, the gappers decide to attack her goats the
most. This leads to problems for Capable and her widowed father and
they are forced to sell their goats and try their luck at
fishing.
Despite the fact that “The Very Persistent Gappers of
Frip” is located in the children’s section of
bookstores, the novel has an adult tone to it, according to
Saunders.
Saunders is the author of short stories such as “Civil War
Land in Bad Decline,” “Patoralia” and many others
that are often published in “The New Yorker.” He
explained his switch over into children’s stories as
something that happened, in part due to the influence of his two
daughters, to whom he often tells such stories.
 Photo from "The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip" Shown
here is a spread from "The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip," the
latest book by George Saunders.
“The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip” is filled with
colorful illustrations by well-known artist Lane Smith, whose
credits include “James and the Giant Peach” and
“Dr. Seuss’s Hooray.” Smith’s illustrations
help give life to the characters of the novel. He admitted to being
a fan of Saunders’ work prior to reading the book.
“I love the story and I sort of gravitate towards humorous
stories anyway,” Smith said. “But, more importantly, I
really wanted to work with George because I was a fan of his before
our editor even called to propose this collaboration between
us.”
Over 50 of Smith’s illustrations appear in “The Very
Persistent Gappers of Frip,” complimenting the story
line.
“The book is funny,” Smith said. “It’s
satirical and I think the art and the text are kind of
hip.”
“It’s just not your traditional book, with a nice
little message, it’s pretty funky.”