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Not for Nothing
A novel written in second person. The town is Stanton, Texas, population three thousand; the private investigator is disgraced Midland homicide detective Nicholas Bruiseman, who's so down on his luck that he's forced to take a job as a live-in security guard for the town's lone storage facility. This is his new life—starting over with nothing in the town he grew up in.
298 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2014
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1043 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Graham Jones
235 books14.5k followersStephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author thirty-five or so books. He really likes werewolves and slashers. Favorite novels change daily, but Valis and Love Medicine and Lonesome Dove and It and The Things They Carried are all usually up there somewhere. Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado. It's a big change from the West Texas he grew up in.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 13, 2024
4.5 stars
short review for busy readers: unique detective novel about a screw up ex-cop. Written entirely in 2nd person. Expertly crafted, enthralling and hard to put down, but also hard to categorise. Highly recommended for fans of unusual or semi-weird lit…despite the hideous cover that in no way reflects the quality of the work.
in detail:
I am in awe of this novel.
The standard caveat you hear about 2nd person in fiction is “it’s so hard to do right”. IMH writerly opinion, it’s about as hard to do right as 1st person is. (Looking at you YA fiction!) It’s a rare choice, but decent writers can and do “do it right”all the time.
Stephen Graham Jones does it brilliantly.
So brilliantly, that after a chapter or so the 2nd person fades into the wallpaper and you don’t notice it as the puzzling action picks up.
Jones - who is famous for his horror novels Don't Fear the Reaper, The Only Good Indians- has created a detective novel that, while on one hand is straightforward, defies classification on the other.
Our focus character is Nick, a disgraced ex-police detective who has slunk back to his hometown to work as a live-in guard at a two-bit, side-of-the-road storage facility. He’s broke, he’s semi-homeless, he’s got an alcohol problem and he doesn’t know what’s been going on in Stanton, Texas for the last 10 years.
The perfect chump for a set up.
Nick is essentially a good guy with 2 brain cells to rub together, but he’s up against an entire web of intrigue and silence that reaches back to his high school years. The fact that he’s mildly accident prone and a sucker for a pretty face doesn’t help matters.
(Tip: don’t loan him your car if you want it back without dents, scrapes and a hanging bumper. Seriously, the amount of property damage in this novel is incredible.)
The small Texan town in the summer setting is palpable but the descriptions often run to the vague, esp around important events, leaving the reader with more of a tacit feel for the vaguely threatening aura of the place than a concrete one.
That approach works superbly to support the hazy square dance of murder and accusation that make up the twists and turns of the plot, as well as Nick’s own sometimes beer-addled take on things.
As far as the mystery goes, I'd say part of it is about a 2 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® so rather obvious, but how deep that obvious runs to the whole truth is about an 8-9 out of 10. Ebert's Economy of Characters kicks in towards the end.
All I can say is that Not For Nothing is a masterclass in style and how narrative perspective, pacing and description choices can work together with setting, character, plot and meaning to create a seamless, well-thought-through work of astounding quality.
It’s really that impressive.
Even if it is ‘just’ a detective novel.
short review for busy readers: unique detective novel about a screw up ex-cop. Written entirely in 2nd person. Expertly crafted, enthralling and hard to put down, but also hard to categorise. Highly recommended for fans of unusual or semi-weird lit…despite the hideous cover that in no way reflects the quality of the work.
in detail:
I am in awe of this novel.
The standard caveat you hear about 2nd person in fiction is “it’s so hard to do right”. IMH writerly opinion, it’s about as hard to do right as 1st person is. (Looking at you YA fiction!) It’s a rare choice, but decent writers can and do “do it right”all the time.
Stephen Graham Jones does it brilliantly.
So brilliantly, that after a chapter or so the 2nd person fades into the wallpaper and you don’t notice it as the puzzling action picks up.
Jones - who is famous for his horror novels Don't Fear the Reaper, The Only Good Indians- has created a detective novel that, while on one hand is straightforward, defies classification on the other.
Our focus character is Nick, a disgraced ex-police detective who has slunk back to his hometown to work as a live-in guard at a two-bit, side-of-the-road storage facility. He’s broke, he’s semi-homeless, he’s got an alcohol problem and he doesn’t know what’s been going on in Stanton, Texas for the last 10 years.
The perfect chump for a set up.
Nick is essentially a good guy with 2 brain cells to rub together, but he’s up against an entire web of intrigue and silence that reaches back to his high school years. The fact that he’s mildly accident prone and a sucker for a pretty face doesn’t help matters.
(Tip: don’t loan him your car if you want it back without dents, scrapes and a hanging bumper. Seriously, the amount of property damage in this novel is incredible.)
The small Texan town in the summer setting is palpable but the descriptions often run to the vague, esp around important events, leaving the reader with more of a tacit feel for the vaguely threatening aura of the place than a concrete one.
That approach works superbly to support the hazy square dance of murder and accusation that make up the twists and turns of the plot, as well as Nick’s own sometimes beer-addled take on things.
As far as the mystery goes, I'd say part of it is about a 2 on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® so rather obvious, but how deep that obvious runs to the whole truth is about an 8-9 out of 10. Ebert's Economy of Characters kicks in towards the end.
All I can say is that Not For Nothing is a masterclass in style and how narrative perspective, pacing and description choices can work together with setting, character, plot and meaning to create a seamless, well-thought-through work of astounding quality.
It’s really that impressive.
Even if it is ‘just’ a detective novel.
July 12, 2016
(click to watch the video book review on YouTube)
Reading Stephen Graham Jones is like being on a manhunt for a double amputee. Even when I get him, I don't get all of him.
Nick Bruiseman is a has-been PI who lives in a storage locker in Stanton, Texas. A small town, 3,000 people, where everyone knows everyone. So when Bruiseman gets hired, things turn incestuous quickly.
The book will be released in March 2014. If you are a fan of detective novels and oral storytelling, then I definitely recommend it. But know, you’re going to have to work for your reward.
I've read a lot of Stephen Graham Jones (show stack), and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed just about all of it.
Jones is an evasive storyteller, very difficult to pin down and with plots that are often difficult to follow. And I think with Not For Nothing, his 18th book, I've finally figured out why.
First, his very conversational approach to storytelling, much like one would imagine a storyteller around a campfire. His sentences are often very beautiful, but made so by disregarding some grammatical conventions. He’s fine with sentence fragments and orders extra commas like their free. He’s an oral storyteller above all else, I think. He just happens to write the stories down.
Second, his dialog is full of non sequiturs. When used sparingly, a non sequitur can describe the relationship between characters better than anything else. Don DeLillo is the king of this. But when every exchange has that “inside joke” feel, it can be difficult for a reader to establish a firm footing with the characters.
Third, Jones uses very, very, very little “refresher” text, text used to reminder the reader of important characters and events. When you’re reading a 267 page book, it’s necessary to be reminded often why characters, events, or places are important, or even just to be reminded why we should care about a particular name. Jones doesn’t do this very often. I chalk this up to Jones being a mad genius. Honestly, I think Jones’ brain operates so quickly that to him, something briefly mentioned 250 pages ago is still as fresh in his mind as something mentioned 2 pages ago.
Fourth, characters are often introduced quickly only to be forgotten for full chapters before being introduced again. They aren’t allowed to stick. Now, for a book like Not for Nothing, where new names seem to pop up every few pages, I’m left trying to re-familiarize myself with characters constantly.
If all of these things seem to you like they’d contribute to a very confusing story, you're right. His stories can be confusing. Incredibly at times. But often, that’s the appeal. Much like tracking down our aforementioned legless fugitive, the thrill for me is watch the unfamiliar and at times erratic escape path. To fully capture the fugitive, all four limbs intact, might not be very satisfying. Because then you’ve got just another convict in custody. Where’s the fun in that? Who wants to read just another detective story?
March 16, 2014
I'd give this 4.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I received an advance readers copy of this book from NetGalleys in exchange for an unbiased review.
Nick Bruiseman is a disgraced former police detective and private investigator forced out of his job—and the town of Midland, Texas—after an investigation goes more than a little awry. He returns to his small hometown of Stanton, Texas, where he hopes to drink the rest of his days away, days he's spending working for and living at Aardvark Custom Economy Storage. ("Free room, free board, so long as nobody complains about me taking liberties with their stuff."
He's hoping for anonymity, a life where he doesn't have to handle anything more complicated than picking up chopped beef sandwiches from the nearby water station and letting his old friend' son and his band practice in one of the vacant storage units. But one day in walks Gwen Tracy, former high school cheerleader and homecoming queen, over whom Nick was rather obsessed back in the day (their encounter in his truck one night during senior year didn't help his obsession any). She wants to hire Nick as a private investigator, because she says she is being threatened and stalked by an ex-convict she met while tutoring at a prison.
Shortly after Gwen leaves the storage company, Nick gets a visit from another old friend, Rory Gates. Rory was the star football player to Gwen's cheerleader, the homecoming king to her queen. Nick and Rory used to be friends despite their competition over Gwen. Now Rory wants to use Nick's services to spy on his wife, whom he believes is having an affair. He's not interested in taking no for an answer. The catch of course, is that Rory is now married to Gwen, so Nick has, in a short amount of time, been hired by both husband and wife.
Then someone gets murdered, and Nick is suspected of the crime, which brings him into contact with a shady attorney that owes him a favor. As Nick desperately tries to clear his name and prove what really happens, he finds himself in unending trouble and in the crosshairs of a number of people, including a sheriff sure that all roads lead to his guilt, and a pool shark with a violent streak to whom Nick has owed money for quite some time. And of course, the judge who banned him from Midland pops up, too.
I really enjoyed this book a great deal, and thought Nick was a pretty terrific character. He makes no bones about his flaws and he doesn't care what people think about him (most people, at least); he just wants to live the rest of his failed life in an alcoholic stupor. But he cannot turn off his detective instincts and his need to try and both clear his own name and figure out what's really happening.
Stephen Graham Jones has created a memorable group of characters which seem familiar but are more complex than you first think. It's a plot full of twists and turns, and I like how it kept me guessing. If I have any criticism, it's that there were perhaps too twists—as the story neared its conclusion, I had to re-read a bit just to be clear on what exactly happened and who was really involved. But in the end, Nick Bruiseman and the folks in Stanton, Texas were fun to spend some time with, and I hope Jones takes us back on another journey to Stanton sometime soon.
Full disclosure: I received an advance readers copy of this book from NetGalleys in exchange for an unbiased review.
Nick Bruiseman is a disgraced former police detective and private investigator forced out of his job—and the town of Midland, Texas—after an investigation goes more than a little awry. He returns to his small hometown of Stanton, Texas, where he hopes to drink the rest of his days away, days he's spending working for and living at Aardvark Custom Economy Storage. ("Free room, free board, so long as nobody complains about me taking liberties with their stuff."
He's hoping for anonymity, a life where he doesn't have to handle anything more complicated than picking up chopped beef sandwiches from the nearby water station and letting his old friend' son and his band practice in one of the vacant storage units. But one day in walks Gwen Tracy, former high school cheerleader and homecoming queen, over whom Nick was rather obsessed back in the day (their encounter in his truck one night during senior year didn't help his obsession any). She wants to hire Nick as a private investigator, because she says she is being threatened and stalked by an ex-convict she met while tutoring at a prison.
Shortly after Gwen leaves the storage company, Nick gets a visit from another old friend, Rory Gates. Rory was the star football player to Gwen's cheerleader, the homecoming king to her queen. Nick and Rory used to be friends despite their competition over Gwen. Now Rory wants to use Nick's services to spy on his wife, whom he believes is having an affair. He's not interested in taking no for an answer. The catch of course, is that Rory is now married to Gwen, so Nick has, in a short amount of time, been hired by both husband and wife.
Then someone gets murdered, and Nick is suspected of the crime, which brings him into contact with a shady attorney that owes him a favor. As Nick desperately tries to clear his name and prove what really happens, he finds himself in unending trouble and in the crosshairs of a number of people, including a sheriff sure that all roads lead to his guilt, and a pool shark with a violent streak to whom Nick has owed money for quite some time. And of course, the judge who banned him from Midland pops up, too.
I really enjoyed this book a great deal, and thought Nick was a pretty terrific character. He makes no bones about his flaws and he doesn't care what people think about him (most people, at least); he just wants to live the rest of his failed life in an alcoholic stupor. But he cannot turn off his detective instincts and his need to try and both clear his own name and figure out what's really happening.
Stephen Graham Jones has created a memorable group of characters which seem familiar but are more complex than you first think. It's a plot full of twists and turns, and I like how it kept me guessing. If I have any criticism, it's that there were perhaps too twists—as the story neared its conclusion, I had to re-read a bit just to be clear on what exactly happened and who was really involved. But in the end, Nick Bruiseman and the folks in Stanton, Texas were fun to spend some time with, and I hope Jones takes us back on another journey to Stanton sometime soon.
November 8, 2018
4.5 stars
This book confused me, but that's okay. I had most of the mystery figured out a few steps before Nick, but I never did understand a few things.
First of all, what is a water station? I've never heard of such a thing before, and I was willing to just ignore it, but it gets mentioned a lot (22 times, to be exact). It sounds like a place, like a gas station? a deli? I googled, and Wikipedia tells me it's a place where trains stop to refill water needed for the steam engine. But that doesn't sound quite right.
The entire book is filled with that sort of thing, little snippets and snatches that I can't quite grasp. What was the deal with Jimmy Bones, anyway? And the Lawler kid? What was that? What did that mean? I don't have a fucking clue, just let it go, like a strange dream that doesn't make sense but keeps flowing forward anyway. Okay, Nick Bruiseman, what else you got for me? Keep it coming, I can take it.
Oddly, this is a second person present tense book, and usually I hate that, but this time it just added to the general grit and sweat and dust I was wallowing in. Okay, I can take that too.
Nick appears to be a functioning drunk, more than a little bit confused, and believe me, Nick, I'm right there with you. But Nick is understanding the unspoken undertones that are whipping past me.
Yeah I don't see it either. Is anything ever the same? Does anyone ever know? Do you know? Does memory distort the present or inform the present? Who can you really believe, anyway? Is this a bad idea?
This is all incredibly compelling despite my constant low-level confusion. It's got atmosphere. It's modern hard-boiled.
This book will get to you. You'll feel the sweat, taste the dust blowing in the air, hear the old screen doors creaking and slamming, and feel the dizzy throb of a cheap drink and an old hangover on top of it. Some things you will see coming and some you won't.
Words I had to look up:
Water station - I still don't know what this is
Circle system - ditto
Wrecker - I correctly guessed that this is a tow truck.
Turnrow - a strip of uncropped land at the edge of a field (why you would mistake this for road, I do not know)
One way to close a case is to solve it, you know.
The other way is to just step back and let things happen.
This book confused me, but that's okay. I had most of the mystery figured out a few steps before Nick, but I never did understand a few things.
First of all, what is a water station? I've never heard of such a thing before, and I was willing to just ignore it, but it gets mentioned a lot (22 times, to be exact). It sounds like a place, like a gas station? a deli? I googled, and Wikipedia tells me it's a place where trains stop to refill water needed for the steam engine. But that doesn't sound quite right.
The entire book is filled with that sort of thing, little snippets and snatches that I can't quite grasp. What was the deal with Jimmy Bones, anyway? And the Lawler kid? What was that? What did that mean? I don't have a fucking clue, just let it go, like a strange dream that doesn't make sense but keeps flowing forward anyway. Okay, Nick Bruiseman, what else you got for me? Keep it coming, I can take it.
Oddly, this is a second person present tense book, and usually I hate that, but this time it just added to the general grit and sweat and dust I was wallowing in. Okay, I can take that too.
Nick appears to be a functioning drunk, more than a little bit confused, and believe me, Nick, I'm right there with you. But Nick is understanding the unspoken undertones that are whipping past me.
“So this place like you remember it?” Sherilita asks.
“What else could it be?”
... You nod to her, look down at your foot on the rear tire for a moment. “It’s the same,” you say. “We’re all just older.”
The silhouette of her head rocks back a bit, with what you don’t exactly know, then, her son falling into the melody of a song she probably taught him, she says, “It’s all exactly the same, Nick. Don’t you see?”
“If I’m the same, how could I?”
Yeah I don't see it either. Is anything ever the same? Does anyone ever know? Do you know? Does memory distort the present or inform the present? Who can you really believe, anyway? Is this a bad idea?
This is all incredibly compelling despite my constant low-level confusion. It's got atmosphere. It's modern hard-boiled.
This book will get to you. You'll feel the sweat, taste the dust blowing in the air, hear the old screen doors creaking and slamming, and feel the dizzy throb of a cheap drink and an old hangover on top of it. Some things you will see coming and some you won't.
Words I had to look up:
Water station - I still don't know what this is
Circle system - ditto
Wrecker - I correctly guessed that this is a tow truck.
Turnrow - a strip of uncropped land at the edge of a field (why you would mistake this for road, I do not know)
September 10, 2014
REVIEWED: Not for Nothing
WRITTEN BY: Stephen Graham Jones
PUBLISHED: March 18, 2014
Not for Nothing is a gritty, twisting detective tale set in small-town Stanton, Texas, where everyone knows each other and business affairs are conducted by the ghosts of high school cliques. In fact, one of the clever and most successful elements of this story is the yearbook-esque feeling of it; the protagonist, Nick Bruiseman, a disgraced ex-cop and now-drunk security guard fumbles his way through a series of double crosses and murders, and all the time every person he comes in contact with —either friend, enemy, ex-lover, etc.—is from his school or is the child from someone from his school.
The book is rather slow and leisurely to read, much like life in Stanton. The story is drenched in sadness and dejection, but also in humor and suspense. It has a hundred twists, and not all of them are necessary, but it’s a thrilling ride nonetheless. The narrative seemed a bit choppy at times, but that ties into Nick’s perpetually half-drunk take on the world around him. Then again, this style of writing seems to be a signature of the author, Stephen Graham Jones; reading him is as of someone verbally telling a story, with detours, hiccups, gaps, asides, and all other means of genuine conversation. Rather than polished-smooth, the writing is raw and legitimate and embodies an unfamiliar beauty.
As a side note, after reading the first couple of pages, my mind slowly recoiled in a double-take of reluctant, dawning horror. This book was written in second person point of view: The audacity! The inhumanity! The dread! It’s a rare-enough feat to pull off a successful short story in this POV, but I don’t know if I’ve ever read a full-length book in this way which has held my interest (excepting childhood Choose-Your-Own-Adventures!), and I was instinctively averse to continue. However, Jones managed to build a story filled with empathy, sadness, humor, insight, that in retrospect seems integral to having been 2nd POV.
Five out of Five stars
WRITTEN BY: Stephen Graham Jones
PUBLISHED: March 18, 2014
Not for Nothing is a gritty, twisting detective tale set in small-town Stanton, Texas, where everyone knows each other and business affairs are conducted by the ghosts of high school cliques. In fact, one of the clever and most successful elements of this story is the yearbook-esque feeling of it; the protagonist, Nick Bruiseman, a disgraced ex-cop and now-drunk security guard fumbles his way through a series of double crosses and murders, and all the time every person he comes in contact with —either friend, enemy, ex-lover, etc.—is from his school or is the child from someone from his school.
The book is rather slow and leisurely to read, much like life in Stanton. The story is drenched in sadness and dejection, but also in humor and suspense. It has a hundred twists, and not all of them are necessary, but it’s a thrilling ride nonetheless. The narrative seemed a bit choppy at times, but that ties into Nick’s perpetually half-drunk take on the world around him. Then again, this style of writing seems to be a signature of the author, Stephen Graham Jones; reading him is as of someone verbally telling a story, with detours, hiccups, gaps, asides, and all other means of genuine conversation. Rather than polished-smooth, the writing is raw and legitimate and embodies an unfamiliar beauty.
As a side note, after reading the first couple of pages, my mind slowly recoiled in a double-take of reluctant, dawning horror. This book was written in second person point of view: The audacity! The inhumanity! The dread! It’s a rare-enough feat to pull off a successful short story in this POV, but I don’t know if I’ve ever read a full-length book in this way which has held my interest (excepting childhood Choose-Your-Own-Adventures!), and I was instinctively averse to continue. However, Jones managed to build a story filled with empathy, sadness, humor, insight, that in retrospect seems integral to having been 2nd POV.
Five out of Five stars
April 21, 2014
...Jones does such a seamless job of telling Nick’s story, your story, that you willingly go along. And in fact you will forget you are reading in second person, most likely, because you’ll be able to smell the hot air, see the big sky, taste the chopped barbecue sandwich or the stale burrito from the convenience store. I highly recommend it. (The novel, that is--not the convenience store burrito.)
Read my full review here:
http://wp.me/pg3go-zZ
Read my full review here:
http://wp.me/pg3go-zZ
April 19, 2015
This is one of the most uniquely framed detective stories I've ever read. The use of the second person throughout this book read like a good friend whispering in your ear reminding of all the shit you stepped in and tried to forget about. I recently read Thomas Pynchon's "Inherent Vice" and while reading "Not For Nothing" I was reminded of the tagline they used in the movie, [he] may not be a do-gooder, but he's done good. And Stephen Graham Jones has done good, once again. Bravo.
December 6, 2020
If you like detective stories, this one is for you.
August 23, 2021
i needed to take some time to think about my review of this book. this was hard… it was GOOD, but if i had a dollar for every time i said “what the f just happened” and had to go back a page and reread, i’d have at least 5 dollars. i don’t love second person narrative & i’m going to be honest, i know who did it but i don’t know how it was done. it was full of twists & turns but was kind of like the Deception movie in a way i didn’t appreciate in that i had no damn idea what was happening at any time. it DID keep me on my toes tho. probably could be like a 3.75? but i have no true desire to ever reread so
September 16, 2022
3.5 ⭐ rounded down. A little less of a story than you'd expect from SGJ, but still enjoyable.
January 21, 2024
The second person narrative didn't bother me as much as I worried it would. However, at times, the story felt a little choppy, and I found myself having to reread to see if I missed anything- often I hadn't.
January 30, 2023
The word "Caliche", is to Stephen Graham Jones as the word "Chambray", is to Stephen King. I mean that in the most endearing way because they are both 2 of my top favorite authors of all time. "Not For Nothing", is a Detective Novel written in the Second Person. I haven't read Crime Fiction in a while and I was hooked by Chapter 2.
This novel has reawakened my yearning for mystery and has made me realize that I need more of this Genre in my life. Also, I haven't read from the Second Person in quite some time either and it really worked here. I loved it! While reading, instead of just watching the movie in my head it's like I was starring in it! I got a real feeling of the events as if they were happening to me. The setting and all of it's landmarks was like I was actually there. By the end of the book I had felt like I visited Stanton, Texas, personally brushed elbows with the locals, and lived to tell about it.
I would recommend this novel to everybody that enjoys Crime Fiction. The second person POV is quite an adventure and definitely worth checking out. And of course to those who love the Mystical, spellbinding, writing style of Stephen Graham Jones.
This novel has reawakened my yearning for mystery and has made me realize that I need more of this Genre in my life. Also, I haven't read from the Second Person in quite some time either and it really worked here. I loved it! While reading, instead of just watching the movie in my head it's like I was starring in it! I got a real feeling of the events as if they were happening to me. The setting and all of it's landmarks was like I was actually there. By the end of the book I had felt like I visited Stanton, Texas, personally brushed elbows with the locals, and lived to tell about it.
I would recommend this novel to everybody that enjoys Crime Fiction. The second person POV is quite an adventure and definitely worth checking out. And of course to those who love the Mystical, spellbinding, writing style of Stephen Graham Jones.
December 19, 2021
This is my third book by SGJ, and so far, it's my favorite. I know that might change in the future, but for now, it's true. This book is written in 2nd person (meaning the sentence structures say "you walk into the diner and grab your drink") It did take me a bit to get into it because it's my first 2nd person book, but once I got used to it, I was all in. This book was such a wild ride and it kept me guessing from the very beginning about what was really going on and who had really done what. I just loved everything about this. If you're looking for a unique spin on the detective novel, then this is what you're looking for!!
June 1, 2021
Not gonna lie, this isn't my favourite work by this author. There was nothing wrong with it -- it's very much a case of personal taste, I think -- but compared to the other works I've read this just didn't quite cut it.
This is nothing to do with the second person narrative, by the way. I absolutely loved that, and I thought it was used very effectively. It's a unique style I've always liked and don't see too often; it gets an unfair amount of crap, I think, but as with any stylistic choice I believe the right writer can pull it off. I enjoyed the use of it here and I thought it added an interesting dimension to the story; the feeling of being an observer-but-not. Technically the writing was sound, too. There were no issues with plot or pacing or characterisation, the whole thing was solid, there was a satisfying ending that matched the pace and direction of the story... on the surface it's a solid book, but I guess I'm just more into the horror by this author than the crime thriller.
As I mentioned, it's a matter of personal taste. I won't linger too much on the criticism because it is wholly personal and it's not a reflection of the quality of the work at all, but in the interest of a fair review I will admit that I didn't connect with the story or the characters as much because I simply wasn't all that interested. I guess that's just what happens when you pick up something that isn't your preferred style or genre. Same with food, really. I detest salmon so I'm going to dislike whatever dish includes it, but that doesn't mean I can't recognise the worth of the dish and what makes it enjoyable. It's the same with this book. Definitely worth a read because of the interesting style and the fact that this author is a good one, but as with everything, your mileage may vary.
This is nothing to do with the second person narrative, by the way. I absolutely loved that, and I thought it was used very effectively. It's a unique style I've always liked and don't see too often; it gets an unfair amount of crap, I think, but as with any stylistic choice I believe the right writer can pull it off. I enjoyed the use of it here and I thought it added an interesting dimension to the story; the feeling of being an observer-but-not. Technically the writing was sound, too. There were no issues with plot or pacing or characterisation, the whole thing was solid, there was a satisfying ending that matched the pace and direction of the story... on the surface it's a solid book, but I guess I'm just more into the horror by this author than the crime thriller.
As I mentioned, it's a matter of personal taste. I won't linger too much on the criticism because it is wholly personal and it's not a reflection of the quality of the work at all, but in the interest of a fair review I will admit that I didn't connect with the story or the characters as much because I simply wasn't all that interested. I guess that's just what happens when you pick up something that isn't your preferred style or genre. Same with food, really. I detest salmon so I'm going to dislike whatever dish includes it, but that doesn't mean I can't recognise the worth of the dish and what makes it enjoyable. It's the same with this book. Definitely worth a read because of the interesting style and the fact that this author is a good one, but as with everything, your mileage may vary.
July 16, 2024
Not for Nothing by Stephen Graham Jones: This one was a first for me as it was told in second person form. Traditional stories are told in first (I) or third (he/she) form. It was quite disorienting. For example, this is the first paragraph - "She'll be waiting for you when you walk back from the water station next door. And of course you’ll have the tip of your thumb in your mouth, will only realize it after you’ve stopped walking, when you’re standing there like some animated character trying to blow his flattened hand back up. All that’s left to do then is waggle your fingers before your face in “Hello,” your eyes kind of squinted." I believe it's supposed to be able to put the reader into the story easier. Maybe it just threw me off since I'd never experienced that before but I just couldn't get used to it.
It's a book about a disgraced ex-cop who returns to his small hometown and takes a job as a security guard for some self storage warehouses. His old flame shows up to hire him for a job, as does HER husband. Murder and intrigue ensue and I wasn't really sure what to expect for the ending. Horror? No.
I did finish the book and I feel like if the author had chosen first or third I probably would have liked it so much more. As it was I could suss out the story ok and enjoyed the twists and turns. Has anyone else read this book or author?
It's a book about a disgraced ex-cop who returns to his small hometown and takes a job as a security guard for some self storage warehouses. His old flame shows up to hire him for a job, as does HER husband. Murder and intrigue ensue and I wasn't really sure what to expect for the ending. Horror? No.
I did finish the book and I feel like if the author had chosen first or third I probably would have liked it so much more. As it was I could suss out the story ok and enjoyed the twists and turns. Has anyone else read this book or author?
October 5, 2020
I am going to read more of his work. I love discovering a new-to-me writer this good! Native American author Stephen Graham Jones is Blackfeet tribe but grew up in Texas. This is a mystery novel where finally the victim is not a woman. Jones now has 18 books to his credit, in diverse categories, and is a prof at the University of Colorado. His sentences are beautifully written and lucid. Not a wasted word. His world-creation is compelling. This particular one was odd, in that he wrote it in the second person. I don't think I've read a detective novel, or much else besides advertising or fantasy gaming, in second person. It takes some adjusting, every time you pick it up, but quickly *you* are drawn back in because he writes it as if it is all happening to you. His others won't all be second person, but this was different for sure. A great book.
November 20, 2024
3.5/5. Not my usual thing, I normally prefer classic noir detective novels. This book stands out. The characterization of the protagonist is unique and even though he's a wash-up, being a well intentioned albeit shitty "PI" makes him easy to support, maybe even moreso because one wants him to rise up from his loser status. The 2nd person perspective was interesting and done well. It only added to the story. The plot was a bit hard to follow at times, but that may be intentional because the motivations behind crimes committed are convoluted. It comes across as a mistake though that certain characters' intentions are unclear, because the protagonist seems to catch on to their interests despite that. Of all things, that's my major issue with the book.
April 23, 2019
While I have great respect for the unique voice and style of Stephen Graham Jones, getting the chance to hear a lecture and meet him at a book signing event, I found Not For Nothing extremely underwhelming. I found the second person style distracting, the plotline erratic with a minimal payoff, and the characters holding seemingly randomized motivations (such as Arnot and Gwen). I also didn't find Nicholas to be a very compelling protagonist, even as an anti-hero type.
I eventually plan on reading Jones' Growing Up Dead in Texas in hopes that I can gain a greater appreciation for his work.
I eventually plan on reading Jones' Growing Up Dead in Texas in hopes that I can gain a greater appreciation for his work.
June 19, 2025
another great Stephen Graham Jones book where the arc is basically falling desperately in love with the characters and voice and setting -> getting confused by the mystery which is inevitably involves like twenty people and gets really convoluted really quickly -> getting kicked in the chest by several fantastic plot twists and then drowning in a deluge of broken yet hopeful humanity and community -> thinking about it forever and ever. this loses a star because I genuinely lost the thread of the mystery at several points but gets every other star because oh my goshhhhh what do you mean he'd do it all over again if he got half the chance T-T
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2025
A second-person detective noir set in small-town Texas. While the setting is typically vivid and the prose engaging, the plot (seen through the eyes of a drunk who veers between brilliantly deductive and incredibly stupid) is twisty to the point of being nonsensical (including a shell game involving at least half-a-dozen different vehicles, and the protagonist repeatedly withholding information from the competent cops because he doesn't consider fleeing the country an option until nearly the end of the book).
June 3, 2022
Loved the second person POV! I was not expecting to like it, but it helped me to understand the mindset of a protagonist I might not have liked as much otherwise. It was difficult to get a read on the other characters because my perception is clouded by Nick's perception, and it turns out he doesn't fully get everyone either lol. Sometimes I found it difficult to untangle what was happening and would need to reread some passages, but overall I thought this was an engaging read!
March 18, 2025
lot of characters and didn’t care if half of em lived or died tbh
loved loved the small town west texas vibe in the dead of summer— really emphasized the hopelessness and the drowning sense of desperation that a lot of the characters feel
idgaf about trucks enough for that ford to be personified like that
loved loved the small town west texas vibe in the dead of summer— really emphasized the hopelessness and the drowning sense of desperation that a lot of the characters feel
idgaf about trucks enough for that ford to be personified like that
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2022
I feel like maybe I just didn’t understand this book ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ normally I love SGJ and everything he does. I’m not sure if it was the second-person narration or the small-town convolutedness (I understand the whole bit about the film and the judge … but not why or how everyone else knew about it and was trying to capitalize?) or what. Just not really my jam I guess.
Your name is Nick and you are a disgraced detective who’s back in your hometown doing security work in a storage facility. You drink too much. You get hired to do some PI work when one of your two clients gets himself murdered and suddenly you are trying to figure out who did it, and get some film back from someone who stole it from your storage area.
Your name is Nick and you are a disgraced detective who’s back in your hometown doing security work in a storage facility. You drink too much. You get hired to do some PI work when one of your two clients gets himself murdered and suddenly you are trying to figure out who did it, and get some film back from someone who stole it from your storage area.
August 20, 2023
There was a lot to like about this book. Decent plot, interesting characters, vivid setting. It just felt like it needed to be edited better. There were a lot of places where the prose was just too awkward and got in the way.
July 1, 2024
I often feel like I've missed something when I'm reading a Stephen Graham Jones novel. Like there was a sentence that explained something in the plot that I just didn't read or didn't retain if I did read it. To add to my confusion this time, I kept getting several of the characters mixed up.
May 24, 2020
3.5 stars but not quite 4
August 5, 2020
Panhandle noir
Read
August 22, 2020DNF - 2ND Person POV isn't for me
February 20, 2024
Engrossing but I felt I was missing background or context. Good picture of small Texas town where everybody knows your business before you do.
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