Reviews

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

etakloknok's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

awesomebrandi's review against another edition

5.0

This is one of the most unique books I've ever read. It is heartbreakingly beautiful, intense, darkly funny, and so deeply human.

We meet a nameless author, who on the surface has these quirky, questionable behaviors and what he calls a 'condition'. As we move through the book, the bits and pieces fall into place and we see how it's all connected and get to the root of the 'condition'.

This is a book about the Black experience in America, and the trauma so many Black folks have endured. There are a lot of relevant topics touched upon here; police violence, expectations put onto Black folks, and so much more. But, there is a lot of beauty in here too. I think anybody who has felt like an outsider in some way, can find some of this relatable, but most importantly, we should be listening to Black voices to be better allies in the fight for true equality.

This book is going to stick with me forever, I'm sure. What a journey.

heburrows's review against another edition

3.5

I wanted to love this book but the plot/style wasn’t doing it for me. The last 30ish pages felt very rushed and it was hard for me to square the tragic subject matter with the tone of the main character. Maybe that’s the point? Sorry to everyone who reads these reviews bc it’s just me trying to justify how I feel about a book but then talking myself out of it

aumann's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

zw00875's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ruthsturm94's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring tense 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

4.0

lyndcee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

trnolan's review against another edition

2.0

A little too meta even for me. There are some great turns of phrase but they are buried under the main character's snarky tone of voice. It's a contrast that does no favors to the serious matter being discussed. Commits the cardinal sin of spending the last twenty pages wrapping everything together and trying to cram in as many meaningful lines as possible.

mbaseyscott's review against another edition

5.0

4.5 stars rounded to 5. Such a sad story written in a creative, light hearted way. A story we’ve heard too many times and yet not enough to prevent it from happening over and over. Hell of a book for sure.

maevehk23's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.0

I appreciated the theme and what the author was trying to do, but I didn’t love the writing style and felt it was meandering and repetitive.