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A review by weirdtea
New Yorked by Rob Hart
4.0
One of the keys to a satisfying noir is voice--and New Yorked has a great one. There are so many solid lines and observations throughout the book. I laughed, teared up, nodded along, and shook my head. The protagonist, Ash, occupies the gray areas and is all the more interesting for it. I appreciated that this liminality felt natural--not contrived. That's handy because so many thematic elements in the book touch on questions of authenticity, identity, and honesty. I love that kind of thing and it's one of the reasons I dig noir in the first place.
It isn't perfect. The first few instances of the second person sections didn't grab me...but they grew on me and eventually I came around. The mystery isn't all that deep, but that's fine because the mystery isn't the primary focus anyway. It's more about character and setting. And that's the thing. I expect if you are from New York, this book is going to really speak to your heart. If you're like me--a Great Lakes Midwesterner a bit tired of the whole love letter to NY thing because you know, WE GET IT--well, this story still has something to say. I could connect to the ideas, its feelings, and yes--because of media exposure I could picture the locations. If all that doesn't show skill, I don't know what does.
Finally, weaponized umbrella. If nothing else, read the story for that. It's awesome.
It isn't perfect. The first few instances of the second person sections didn't grab me...but they grew on me and eventually I came around. The mystery isn't all that deep, but that's fine because the mystery isn't the primary focus anyway. It's more about character and setting. And that's the thing. I expect if you are from New York, this book is going to really speak to your heart. If you're like me--a Great Lakes Midwesterner a bit tired of the whole love letter to NY thing because you know, WE GET IT--well, this story still has something to say. I could connect to the ideas, its feelings, and yes--because of media exposure I could picture the locations. If all that doesn't show skill, I don't know what does.
Finally, weaponized umbrella. If nothing else, read the story for that. It's awesome.