Scan barcode
A review by prufrockcoat
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
3.0
This is a half-assed review because interning with a literary agency means all I do is read manuscripts and write reviews on them, page-long summarizations of plot, character, and strengths and weaknesses that will determine whether an agent actually looks at the thing or if I write the author a nice 300-word pass saying no thanks and here's why, or worse, copy and paste the their name into a polite but generic form letter.
However. I don't know how I feel about this yet. I don't know if I would've written a nice report for this, or recommended that my agents read it, because my agents take on nice books about family conflict and interpersonal dynamics, not horrific, insane and sometimes self-inflicted violence. I've been to the darker side of the internet. I've seen some shit.
I could not read what happens near the end of this bitingly hilarious novel. I love the main character. I love his voice, and unlike some reviewers I was fascinated by his flashbacks. The medical jargon was ridiculous and off-putting and so bad it gains the ring of truth... but oh man. This was 127 Hours level bad, guys. This is not a fun, light-hearted book. This is not light-hearted reading, at least at the end.
Does this mean it's a bad book? Not really. It's well-written and it's entertaining. Just... also horrifying. Keep that in mind if you decide to read it.
However. I don't know how I feel about this yet. I don't know if I would've written a nice report for this, or recommended that my agents read it, because my agents take on nice books about family conflict and interpersonal dynamics, not horrific, insane and sometimes self-inflicted violence. I've been to the darker side of the internet. I've seen some shit.
I could not read what happens near the end of this bitingly hilarious novel. I love the main character. I love his voice, and unlike some reviewers I was fascinated by his flashbacks. The medical jargon was ridiculous and off-putting and so bad it gains the ring of truth... but oh man. This was 127 Hours level bad, guys. This is not a fun, light-hearted book. This is not light-hearted reading, at least at the end.
Does this mean it's a bad book? Not really. It's well-written and it's entertaining. Just... also horrifying. Keep that in mind if you decide to read it.