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tmackell's review against another edition
5.0
the great american opioid epidemic/iraq war novel. but also just some fuck-up's raw ass story
bethanyv's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
1.0
I hated this book so much. The main character hates women and himself. I couldn’t finish it.
leandoggydogg's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
communoid's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
chloebrzozo123's review against another edition
3.0
I'm going to be honest, at first I didn't like it, because the main character is the kind of guy your mom tells you to stay away from. He's unlikable, but he's human. That being said, I'm one for learning other people's perspectives. As the story progresses, we get a better understanding of how he came to be the way he is. He also starts to become aware of his own undoing. It's raw, it's flawed, it's human. This book was a humble reminder of our imperfections.
jordysbookclub's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fascinating read. It's a mess and it's all over the place and the story is crazy and at times an extremely frustrating stream of consciousness, but I loved so much about it. Walker's "fictional" story about the main character's drug-fueled early adult years and his time as a medic in Iraq is at times painful to read, yet the author has a deft touch at writing about subjects that are generally extremely difficult to read about (extremely graphic war inuries and death, hardcore drug use). I really enjoyed Walker's narrative point of view; his writing is at times poignant and other times it feels rushed and clipped...it's effective during the portions of the book when he's back at home and this frenetic energy feels appropriate when he's talking about drugs, but the writing style frustrated me and grew tiresome during the middle east portion of the book (i had trouble investing in characters or their deaths when they're barely introduced or developed, which might be the author's intent, but it lessened the impact of this section for me and became tedious). The book also comes across extremely misogynistic (the women are all sluts and bitches and drug addicts) to the point that it bugged me...however, even with these critiques, for a first-time novelist, this book is an entertaining mess and I'm glad i took the time to read it.
heidiamber's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
so good
katiedurow's review against another edition
3.0
“When you have been afraid for a long time, you see how fear will come and go. How fear will overtake you. How fear will subside. How fear guts you for a moment. How hope puts you back together, till the fear comes back. Than the hope. Than the fear. I was only ever afraid of one thing in my life, and that was heroin.”
This book painted a very interesting picture of the opioid crisis of the Midwest. The main character was an asshole, but I liked him. The plot was a little bit all over the place, the sentiments were increasingly repetitive, and I wasn’t able to discern a lot of deeper meaning from the text. There were not a lot of links between PTSD and Walker’s life after the war, despite this theme being listed on the book’s cover. Instead, there were a lot of descriptions about drug deals.
However, I learned a lot about how easy it is to slip into the habit of doing drugs. And before you know it, you’re stuck in an addiction that is impossible to get out of. He writes: “It had only cost us $90, and we could make it through the night. Tomorrow it would only cost another $90 to get us out of bed”. In this way he shows the life of a junkie being an endless cycle of scrounging for money, buying drugs, and administering them. The narrator in this piece has an unrecognizable moral compass, and he hits rock bottom so many times that the phrase ‘rock bottom’ doesn’t have meaning anymore.
Nico Walker’s voice is truthful and fearless. This novel is selfish, racist, and misogynistic, but it is also brutally truthful.
This book painted a very interesting picture of the opioid crisis of the Midwest. The main character was an asshole, but I liked him. The plot was a little bit all over the place, the sentiments were increasingly repetitive, and I wasn’t able to discern a lot of deeper meaning from the text. There were not a lot of links between PTSD and Walker’s life after the war, despite this theme being listed on the book’s cover. Instead, there were a lot of descriptions about drug deals.
However, I learned a lot about how easy it is to slip into the habit of doing drugs. And before you know it, you’re stuck in an addiction that is impossible to get out of. He writes: “It had only cost us $90, and we could make it through the night. Tomorrow it would only cost another $90 to get us out of bed”. In this way he shows the life of a junkie being an endless cycle of scrounging for money, buying drugs, and administering them. The narrator in this piece has an unrecognizable moral compass, and he hits rock bottom so many times that the phrase ‘rock bottom’ doesn’t have meaning anymore.
Nico Walker’s voice is truthful and fearless. This novel is selfish, racist, and misogynistic, but it is also brutally truthful.
ryanjoeben's review against another edition
1.0
Nico Walker’s debut novel is a series of heroin infused poems with nothing particularly interesting to tie them together. The main character basically gets everything they want: drugs, money, women, and never has any issues that might warrant interesting reflection. The misogyny in this book is as rampant as the drug abuse. Visceral moments sprinkled throughout the loose narrative evoke emotions the narrator often can’t describe. Mostly this is a three hundred page drug addict journal.