Are You Dave Gorman?, rather like Wallace's later offering "Yes Man", is really a travel book. But it's so funny and the rudiments behind the traveling so uproariously silly that its usually found in the Comedy rather than Travel section. But given that the protagonists, both comedians ostensibly, find themselves in some pretty far-flung places, and spend most of their time describing the trip, the experience, the sights, sounds and smells of several destinations on more than one continent, you have to concede that this is a travel book.

The title rather gives it all away so I'm not spoiling it by saying that the purpose for each trip is to meet someone called Dave Gorman, as the result of a drunken bet that has escalated out of all control. Plausible, and yet ludicrous.

Wallace's prose is rich, neat, colourful and often hilarious. Gorman takes more of the straight-man role, slightly dangerously obsessed with the mission, and therefore a little more 2 dimensional. However the idea of a joint-authored book with about 200 words from each one after the other is a nice format and makes the read light, undaunting and enjoyable, which is what you'd hope for.

Good book based on a very funny idea, it is ultimately quite an uplifting read.