lonestarwords's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Sometimes we're so wrapped up in our own story that we don't see how we're supporting characters in someone else's.
The Nix
Nathan Hill
•
August is the month of Nathan Hill. I have been so incredibly engrossed in both Wellness (out 9/19) and his 2016 The Nix, that now I am despondent he hasn't written more.
•
Wellness blew me away. In the 600 plus pages, there wasn't one moment when the book lagged - not one. Upon finishing, I immediately downloaded The Nix (also 600
plus) in hopes I could fall right back into a world that Hill built. And I've not only found a new auto-buy author, but I think Nathan Hill is nothing short of brilliant.
•
There are quite a few similarities to his two behemoth books. Most notable is they both feature young boys who have issues with their mothers, and these estrangements set off a lifetime of conflicts and identity crises - and they are both set in the midwest and Chicago. Nix is set predominantly in the 1960s in the midst of the social unrest surrounding the Vietnam war. It is such a deeply American novel and reads like a time capsule. As with Wellness, The Nix is full of whip smart social satire - Hill’s signature.
•
Hill is a world builder. We meet his main character, in this case Samuel Andreson-Anderson (yes) in the 1980s as an unhappy college professor who is obsessed with video games and we go back to his childhood and abandonment by his mother to uncover why he is who he is. But along the way we also learn the story of his mother, and her father and what made them who they were, and ultimately we have a novel about generational trauma.
•
As I read both books I kept asking myself "how in the world did he weave this story?" - these are long and interwoven narratives with rich characters and settings that kept me so fully engrossed I thought of nothing else. Both books are narrated by Ari Fliakos and he will forever be the voice of Nathan Hill's words - he's absolutely incredible.
•
There were parts of The Nix that got to be too much for me (the 60s protest vibe take up a lot of pages) but Hill is always able to bring it back around- that is why this went from 5 to 4 stars - I do think he got a big bogged down there. But I agree with John Irving, who called Nathan Hill "a maestro" - I will now patiently wait for book 3.
The Nix
Nathan Hill
•
August is the month of Nathan Hill. I have been so incredibly engrossed in both Wellness (out 9/19) and his 2016 The Nix, that now I am despondent he hasn't written more.
•
Wellness blew me away. In the 600 plus pages, there wasn't one moment when the book lagged - not one. Upon finishing, I immediately downloaded The Nix (also 600
plus) in hopes I could fall right back into a world that Hill built. And I've not only found a new auto-buy author, but I think Nathan Hill is nothing short of brilliant.
•
There are quite a few similarities to his two behemoth books. Most notable is they both feature young boys who have issues with their mothers, and these estrangements set off a lifetime of conflicts and identity crises - and they are both set in the midwest and Chicago. Nix is set predominantly in the 1960s in the midst of the social unrest surrounding the Vietnam war. It is such a deeply American novel and reads like a time capsule. As with Wellness, The Nix is full of whip smart social satire - Hill’s signature.
•
Hill is a world builder. We meet his main character, in this case Samuel Andreson-Anderson (yes) in the 1980s as an unhappy college professor who is obsessed with video games and we go back to his childhood and abandonment by his mother to uncover why he is who he is. But along the way we also learn the story of his mother, and her father and what made them who they were, and ultimately we have a novel about generational trauma.
•
As I read both books I kept asking myself "how in the world did he weave this story?" - these are long and interwoven narratives with rich characters and settings that kept me so fully engrossed I thought of nothing else. Both books are narrated by Ari Fliakos and he will forever be the voice of Nathan Hill's words - he's absolutely incredible.
•
There were parts of The Nix that got to be too much for me (the 60s protest vibe take up a lot of pages) but Hill is always able to bring it back around- that is why this went from 5 to 4 stars - I do think he got a big bogged down there. But I agree with John Irving, who called Nathan Hill "a maestro" - I will now patiently wait for book 3.
jessicaa_m's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maryeverettb's review
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emilypolcyn's review
5.0
700 pages and I was engaged the whole time. I’ve been getting back into reading as a hobby, and this book reminded me why I love it so much. Hill has such an excellent grasp on what makes a book interesting. His characters, who often begin as hate-able caricatures, each feel fully-formed, real, and messy. Plus I love an ensemble cast. I was a bit leery of reading a book written by a white dude about a white dude writing a book, but even though it’s framed through Samuel’s novel, the world is so much larger than that. This book truly created a fully fleshed out world that I wanted to keep returning to.
Hill has a mastery of technical writing that doesn’t bog down the book at all. Hill isn’t afraid to experiment, like the 10-page long sentence about a dude who’s trying to quit gaming. His writing style always lends itself excellently to feelings of being lost, stuck in a rut, and spiraling (which is great, since that’s such a huge theme in the book). My favorite technique he uses is his imagery. We’ll be listening in on an important conversation, intercut with prose about a seemingly mundane detail in the background, like the goods being sold in an airport. Hill uses these details to build on the themes in the scene and really show us the lens of who is telling us about the world—Samuel’s inner monologue is so vastly different from Ginsberg’s and Faye’s and Perwinkle’s (and WHAT a character Periwinkle is).
My one concern early on was Laura. As a college student who’s had to formally complain against professors… that’s not how it works, lol. But I always got the sense that we were seeing Laura through a specific lens and that she was being made into a caricature for thematic reasons. This all made sense and paid of when it’s really implied that we’re reading Samuel’s novel. Also, oh my God, I loved that ending. I’m such a sucker for utilizing the medium through which you’re telling the story as an important part of the story itself.
Overall, this book was masterfully written and is going to stick with me for a long, long time. Can’t wait to force everyone in my life to read this book.
Hill has a mastery of technical writing that doesn’t bog down the book at all. Hill isn’t afraid to experiment, like the 10-page long sentence about a dude who’s trying to quit gaming. His writing style always lends itself excellently to feelings of being lost, stuck in a rut, and spiraling (which is great, since that’s such a huge theme in the book). My favorite technique he uses is his imagery. We’ll be listening in on an important conversation, intercut with prose about a seemingly mundane detail in the background, like the goods being sold in an airport. Hill uses these details to build on the themes in the scene and really show us the lens of who is telling us about the world—Samuel’s inner monologue is so vastly different from Ginsberg’s and Faye’s and Perwinkle’s (and WHAT a character Periwinkle is).
My one concern early on was Laura. As a college student who’s had to formally complain against professors… that’s not how it works, lol. But I always got the sense that we were seeing Laura through a specific lens and that she was being made into a caricature for thematic reasons. This all made sense and paid of when it’s really implied that we’re reading Samuel’s novel. Also, oh my God, I loved that ending. I’m such a sucker for utilizing the medium through which you’re telling the story as an important part of the story itself.
Overall, this book was masterfully written and is going to stick with me for a long, long time. Can’t wait to force everyone in my life to read this book.
marschwartz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lindzeliza's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75