"He had no way to realize that Jim was merely acting like Jim, and as far as Jasper had seen, was incapable of acting like anything else."
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The Days of Jasper Caine by Richard Eaton Trafford Publishing
book review by Mihar Shah
In the spirit of Lenny and George from John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Richard Eaton's hilariously entertaining novel features the close bond of friendship between mountain man Jim Bridger—real name Homer Funtzt—and Jasper Caine. The twist in this book is that both characters are Lenny-Like, mistake prone and clumsy. Eaton's combination of one comedic sequence after another, an interesting plotline and characters with the potential to go down as comedic legends render The Days of Jasper Caine an extraordinary work.
When Jasper Caine, an avid nature lover, loses his wife and job due to his clumsy nature, he becomes disheartened and enters the mountains with his horse Genevieve. In an interesting turn of events, his horse falls into the hands of two forest rangers, and he ends up eating beaver stew in Jim Bridger's camp—or so he thinks. In fact, Bridger's terrible eyesight, particularly in the dark leads him to believe that the skunk he killed was a beaver. This scene triggers the chaos that ensues in the Hiute Wilderness of Colorado as Jim and Jasper set off on a mission to get Genevieve back. From getting run over—twice—by a bear and terribly botched plans to crashing trucks while under the influence and getting drunk with other campers, Jim and Jasper's endeavors are memorable. If anyone is capable of innocently wreaking havoc, Jim and Jasper are it. In good fun, if there were a new Dumb and Dumber, Jim and Jasper would be perfect for the lead roles.
Amid the nonstop comedy, Eaton skillfully shows the development of Jim and Jasper's friendship. Despite Jim's primitive use of the English language and endless buffoonery, Jasper realizes that life would not be the same without Jim.