A review by meows_and_migraines
Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman

dark funny fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

 I'm mad at myself for getting invested in this book. I should have realized it was going to take a turn for the worse when I saw others writing about how jarring the end of it was. This is not a long story, so it didn't take long for me to understand my mistake.

Starting it, I was skeptical. With its title and opening chapter, I thought it was another hipster meta type book that flips off its genre mates with a 'Im too cool for you.' But as I kept going, I found myself drawn to the characters - I didn't exactly like them, but I was interested in them and their family dynamic. They had just enough humanity to their archetype roles that I was drawn in. I loved the take of the hauntings as they started. There is something wonderfully off-putting about their initial scenes (the basement scene was great in a subdued creepy way).

Then the ending kicked off and I knew I was going to be upset. Maybe I'm too stupid to appreciate the last half, or I don't see the metaphor it paints, or whatever. But as soon as it became clear what was going on, I rolled my eyes so hard, they nearly went back in my skull. Confusing, rushed, pointless. All those and more describe my feelings without giving complete spoilers.

I'm sure there are many who love this book in its entirety and thats great. I wish I saw what they did. But wow, this was not for me.