efortier99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ketevanreads's review against another edition
2.0
I read this as part of a mini-challenge to read the lowest and highest rated book you own, and I really wanted to prove the reviews wrong. I bought this book thinking it would be a fantastic romp. Unfortunately, this one does deserve its lowest rank. While not the worst book I've ever read, I genuinely think I got nothing out of it. It was bland, odd since so much happens.
I read a lot of reviews that said they didn't enjoy it because our protagonist, Sam, was very unlikeable. And I thought to myself, "Hey! I love unlikeable narrators/characters, surely I'll enjoy it more!" And now I realize that I enjoy characters who are horrible people, while Sam is truly just unlikeable. His bland internal monologue and poor decisions are enough to not like him, but not enough to hate him either. I suppose that's some sort of metaphor about how most people actually are, but it didn't come together well enough for that to work very well.
I read a lot of reviews that said they didn't enjoy it because our protagonist, Sam, was very unlikeable. And I thought to myself, "Hey! I love unlikeable narrators/characters, surely I'll enjoy it more!" And now I realize that I enjoy characters who are horrible people, while Sam is truly just unlikeable. His bland internal monologue and poor decisions are enough to not like him, but not enough to hate him either. I suppose that's some sort of metaphor about how most people actually are, but it didn't come together well enough for that to work very well.
sweetpeppah's review against another edition
3.0
loved it! i like the somewhat rough, insecure, waffle-y "voice" of the writing. i love the snarkiness about the various reasons someone might have to burn down writers homes.
ger_c_s's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The conclusion came out of nowhere- I would have liked some more hints earlier on so you'd be able to play the detective a little more yourself as a reader.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing groundbreaking about this book, but it did have some funny moments and a clever, slightly off-kilter writing style.
sixlimbs's review against another edition
The cover will lead you to believe this is 1) funny 2) a mystery. It is not funny and the mystery does not begin until page 91 and even then is not engaging. I could see why some would like it but go in expecting more of a contemporary lit vibe.
reedg's review against another edition
3.0
Very cool how the narrator becomes more sure of himself as a "writer" as the book goes on.