Syrup by Maxx Barry

Published by

Sarah Ann

on

March 12, 2010

Syrup is one of the coolest, most original books I’ve ever read. It’s a hilarious, sarcastic satire about marketing and Corporate America.

Scat, a young man in his 20s, develops a new brand of soda called Fukk. Right before he finalizes its development and official branding, Scat’s roommate Sneaky Pete steals Fukk and tries to pass it off as his own.

Coming to Scat’s rescue is a woman named “6.” That’s right, as in the number “6.”

6 plans to help Scat undermine the competition and steal his product back from Sneaky Pete. Scat becomes attracted to 6, but she tells him she’s a lesbian (maybe to eliminate distractions and keep Scat’s eyes on the prize). For the rest of the book, the characters constantly trick and deceive one another to come out on top, even it if means stealing and ruining lives.

Many of the characters have super zany names, such as California and @. This strange naming element only adds to Syrup’s irresistible charm and appeal. It’s so quirky.

Another reason Syrup is interesting is because it divulges a bunch of fun marketing strategy tidbits. Syrup was written in 1999, but this book remains surprisingly timeless.

The chapters in Syrup are extremely short, and sometimes only a page long. This makes it incredibly fast-paced and highly readable. Fun.

All in all, I loved this book, and highly recommend it.

Syrup was also made into a movie in 2012, starring Shiloh Fernandez as Scat and Amber Heard as 6. It was okay, but definitely not as great as the book, of course.

Maxx Barry has also written these books:

What did you think about Syrup, did you like it? What else have you read by Maxx Barry?

Last Updated on February 25, 2026 by Sarah Ann

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