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p_t_b's review against another edition
4.0
i can't 100 pct tell how seriously this book means to be taken with the brohemian doomed-romance vibe, but i went ahead and took it at roughly 50 pct serious. it's about a dumb-ass kid who makes the terrible mistake of serving in iraq, then makes the subsequent and only slightly worse mistakes of becoming a heroin addict and then a bank robber. the writing/overall project is pushing way too hard at first - sub-costco version of Jesus' Son is how i would describe the situation.
but once our dude gets to iraq, the fried melodrama has something to work with, and then it kind of rolls downhill in a good way from there. i can't prove this but the sentence/thought pattern of the narrator seems to get richer (and more fun to read) as the book goes on -- a little less staccato. most importantly, it gets honestly really funny despite never not being a barely-veiled autobiographical novel. the author's biography and uh, legal situation get a lot of attention here, and sort of "finish" the story in a way - but i think this is good even without the tacky romance of yknow, facts. can't help but think his prison experience would be different and feature less high-brow literary success if he weren't white, but well, so would yours.
also i was super into his free hand with cleveland street directions - like i knew exactly which banks he was talking about robbing and where he was scoring drugs and stuff. fun easter egg
hard not to take this in concert with Preparations for the Next Life, both being Tyrant books oringinally and having the Iraq/PTSD/doomed lost boy thing going. I think they work well in concert - especially because this is funny. Like honestly funny despite never being less than entirely depressing and mangled.
talk to you later
but once our dude gets to iraq, the fried melodrama has something to work with, and then it kind of rolls downhill in a good way from there. i can't prove this but the sentence/thought pattern of the narrator seems to get richer (and more fun to read) as the book goes on -- a little less staccato. most importantly, it gets honestly really funny despite never not being a barely-veiled autobiographical novel. the author's biography and uh, legal situation get a lot of attention here, and sort of "finish" the story in a way - but i think this is good even without the tacky romance of yknow, facts. can't help but think his prison experience would be different and feature less high-brow literary success if he weren't white, but well, so would yours.
also i was super into his free hand with cleveland street directions - like i knew exactly which banks he was talking about robbing and where he was scoring drugs and stuff. fun easter egg
hard not to take this in concert with Preparations for the Next Life, both being Tyrant books oringinally and having the Iraq/PTSD/doomed lost boy thing going. I think they work well in concert - especially because this is funny. Like honestly funny despite never being less than entirely depressing and mangled.
talk to you later
mwmakar's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
So what was the, uh, point of that? The character starts as an asshole, ends as an asshole, doesn’t seem to have any arc or story or learn anything. Is this supposed to be a memoir? I can at least see why that’s useful, we do need the perspective of how people get addicted… but he literally ignores that entirely here. It’s probably the most helpful thing he could do - talk about how he got hooked - and he gives us “I was big into the oxys then.” There’s a gripping, severe voice and I’m excited to see what he writes once he has something to say.
madsjordan's review against another edition
4.0
I personally really enjoyed this. It feels weird saying I enjoyed a book about PTSD and addiction and war but Nico Walker's style makes it more enjoyable for me. Knowing that this is at least partially autobiographical makes it feel so personal to me which I prefer for this dark topic. I would definitely recommend this book but it's definitely not for the faint of heart
petr1chor's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rensparks's review against another edition
4.0
bro is a menace to society, but atleast he’s self aware.
thope420's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
faulkneribarelyknowher's review against another edition
4.0
deeply entertaining, and pleasantly distinct from the rest of the autofiction Tyrant crowd of writers…ie refreshingly vivid
extremely funny at times and generally gripping
Walker is definitely a little misogynistic which can suck to read. and the values and aesthetics lean a little high school-y, like Tarantino, Velvet Underground, William Burroughs, etc…
extremely funny at times and generally gripping
Walker is definitely a little misogynistic which can suck to read. and the values and aesthetics lean a little high school-y, like Tarantino, Velvet Underground, William Burroughs, etc…
tessareadsbookies's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
Entertaining and a powerful example of coming-of-age, but maybe not in the most positive way. Lots of conservation on drugs, war, etc. Sometimes I felt pretty lost because of the excessive use of acronyms and money and blah but it’s told in a stream-of-consciousness narration. Definitely a dislikable main character that you are still interested in, but the way he describes women is icky and misogynistic. Every character in the book just kinda sucks, and there are also SO MANY characters that I couldn’t keep them straight. Nothing totally original in this story, but I found the life and inspiration of the author fascinating. This novel traces his own life experiences, and in that way this novel is original and unique- but the fictitious themes and plot points don’t feel as original.
Entertaining and a powerful example of coming-of-age, but maybe not in the most positive way. Lots of conservation on drugs, war, etc. Sometimes I felt pretty lost because of the excessive use of acronyms and money and blah but it’s told in a stream-of-consciousness narration. Definitely a dislikable main character that you are still interested in, but the way he describes women is icky and misogynistic. Every character in the book just kinda sucks, and there are also SO MANY characters that I couldn’t keep them straight. Nothing totally original in this story, but I found the life and inspiration of the author fascinating. This novel traces his own life experiences, and in that way this novel is original and unique- but the fictitious themes and plot points don’t feel as original.
abbynordman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0