''Syrup'' (1999) is

Max Barry Max Barry (born 18 March 1973) is an Australian author. He also maintains a blog on various topics, including politics. When he published his first novel, ''Syrup'', he spelled his name "Maxx", but subsequently has used "Max". Barry is also the ...

's debut novel. Written under the pseudonym Maxx Barry, the novel satirizes

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the supp ...

and marketing techniques. It was adapted into the 2013 film ''

Syrup In cooking, a syrup (less commonly sirup; from ar, شراب; , beverage, wine and la, sirupus) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars ...

''.

Main characters

*Scat – Protagonist, a recent marketing graduate, the original creator of Fukk. *Sneaky Pete – Antagonist, Scat's college friend, former roommate, and eventual boss. *6 – Scat's partner and love interest, a marketing executive. *Cindy – Scat's on again off again girlfriend, later named Babe-A-Licious. *Tina – 6's roommate, a film student.

Plot

Set in the present day, a young marketing graduate named Scat comes up with an idea for a new product for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

called 'Fukk'. He approaches Coca-Cola to sell his idea for $3 million but finds that Sneaky Pete has already claimed the trademark. Scat then leaves his apartment with Sneaky Pete and moves in with Cindy. Cindy eventually throws him out and he goes to live with 6 and Tina while managing the summer marketing campaign for Coca-Cola. He eventually succeeds with the campaign. After that Scat tries to undermine Sneaky Pete's effort to run a new secret project for Coca-Cola, the first feature length advertising movie.

Coca-Cola Blāk

In 2006 Coca-Cola introduced a coffee-flavored soft drink called

Coca-Cola BlāK Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

. It was first released in France in a black can. Barry commented on the similarities of this and his fictional Coca-Cola Fukk from the novel on his blog.

Release details

*1999, UK, Viking Press (), Pub date ? July 1999, hardback (First edition) *2000, UK, Penguin Books (), Pub date ? July 2000, paperback

References

External links

Syrup
at Max Barry's website 1999 Australian novels Australian novels adapted into films Coca-Cola in popular culture Novels about consumerism Novels by Max Barry Australian satirical novels Viking Press books Works published under a pseudonym 1999 debut novels {{1990s-satirical-novel-stub