Make Our Country YUUUGE Again by Web Augustine

Author Web Augustine welcomes readers to the satirical pseudo-world of Cameria in Make Our Country YUUUGE Again: Laira Succupy Ganders’ Unbelievable Journey with Tunnald Drump.

Like a history book on comically strong steroids, this novel traces the decisions, actions, crimes, and cruelties of the Drump administration from before his election to the height of the 2020 pandemic. While that covers a lot of historical ground, this dark comedy works as a comprehensive, albeit cartoonish, collection of the greatest crises of the past few years. With a wild cast of eccentric (and highly recognizable) characters, this no-holds-barred critique is sharp, smart, and silly, all at the same time.

As the title of this comedic novel may suggest, some of the tongue-in-cheek humor is a bit “on the nose”; the elbow nudges aren’t subtle, even if the one-liners do elicit chuckles every few pages. In this type of highly polarized writing, there is social commentary, and then there is over-the-top satire – this book is the latter. Still, the writing moves along quickly, speeding through the parallel universe and behavior of Tunnald Drump, getting in shots and jokes at every turn, without needing to exaggerate too much.

The informal writing is susceptible to grammatical errors, and a final editing sweep is warranted, but the story itself feels intentional and polished. Essentially, a narcissistic leader’s vile behavior is laid out in clear allegorical terms, and while the story teases from behind the veil of changed names, the thesis of the book is clear: reject incompetent, cruel, and greedy leaders when they’re up for election.