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Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Novel
Scarface meets Moby Dick in this groundbreaking, darkly comic novel about a young man’s attempt to capitalize on his mother’s murky legacy—a story steeped in Miami’s marvelous and sinister magic.
Failed Pitbull impersonator Ismael Reyes—you can call him Izzy—might not be the Scarface type, but why should that keep him from trying? Growing up in Miami has shaped him into someone who dreams of being the King of the 305, with the money, power, and respect he assumes comes with it. After finding himself at the mercy of a cease-and-desist letter from Pitbull’s legal team and living in his aunt’s garage-turned-efficiency, Izzy embarks on an absurd quest to turn himself into a modern-day Tony Montana.
When Izzy’s efforts lead him to the tank that houses Lolita, a captive orca at the Miami Seaquarium, she proves just how powerful she and the water surrounding her really are—permeating everything from Miami’s sinking streets to Izzy’s memories to the very heart of the novel itself. What begins as Izzy’s story turns into a super-saturated fever dream as sprawling and surreal as the Magic City, one as sharp as an iguana’s claws, and as menacing as a killer whale’s teeth. As the truth surrounding Izzy’s boyhood escape from Cuba surfaces, the novel reckons with the forces of nature, with the limits and absence of love, and with the dangers of pursuing a tragic inheritance. Wildly narrated and expertly rendered, Say Hello to My Little Friend is Jennine Capó Crucet’s most daring, heart-breaking, and fearless book yet.
Failed Pitbull impersonator Ismael Reyes—you can call him Izzy—might not be the Scarface type, but why should that keep him from trying? Growing up in Miami has shaped him into someone who dreams of being the King of the 305, with the money, power, and respect he assumes comes with it. After finding himself at the mercy of a cease-and-desist letter from Pitbull’s legal team and living in his aunt’s garage-turned-efficiency, Izzy embarks on an absurd quest to turn himself into a modern-day Tony Montana.
When Izzy’s efforts lead him to the tank that houses Lolita, a captive orca at the Miami Seaquarium, she proves just how powerful she and the water surrounding her really are—permeating everything from Miami’s sinking streets to Izzy’s memories to the very heart of the novel itself. What begins as Izzy’s story turns into a super-saturated fever dream as sprawling and surreal as the Magic City, one as sharp as an iguana’s claws, and as menacing as a killer whale’s teeth. As the truth surrounding Izzy’s boyhood escape from Cuba surfaces, the novel reckons with the forces of nature, with the limits and absence of love, and with the dangers of pursuing a tragic inheritance. Wildly narrated and expertly rendered, Say Hello to My Little Friend is Jennine Capó Crucet’s most daring, heart-breaking, and fearless book yet.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2024
147 people are currently reading
12897 people want to read
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March 2, 2024
This isn’t a book that I would ordinarily read but 1) my favorite publisher is Simon & Schuster and 2) this book was on several Most Anticipated Books of 2024 lists.
Is the hype real on this one?
Ismael Reyes (“Izzy”) is a young man living with his aunt in Miami. He works as a Pitbull impersonator until one fateful day, he receives a cease-and-desist letter. Now, Izzy is at an inflection point—he has to carve out a new identity for himself. For some reason, he decides to become Tony Montana from Scarface.
At the same time, readers are introduced to Lolita, a captive whale, who lives at the Miami Seaquarim.
Full disclosure: I spent more time learning about whales than reading this book because Lolita, Hugo, even the birds are real! This book might even be viewed as historical fiction as it chronicles the history of a real-life whale, plucked from the ocean and kept in a tiny tank.
If you are interested in learning more about whales, here are some of the videos I watched (please note some of these contain disturbing images and mature language):
Lolita the Killer Whale: Slave to Entertainment
Inside the Tanks
Seaworld exposed by former killer whale trainer
What happened to Keiko? The Whale from Free Willy
Blackfish
Say Hello to my Little Friend is rather entertaining for about two-thirds of the book. Although I have never seen Scarface, I enjoyed Izzy’s quest to find people to play certain roles in his life. The last third of the book is rushed and didn’t land like the first part of the book.
Moreover, while I would consider myself an environmentalist, the topic of global warming was a recurring theme, but it didn’t feel organic with the text—it came across as a bit awkward and felt a bit like pushing it agenda; it might have been okay if it wasn’t so heavy-handed.
Overall, Lolita is the hero of the book, and everyone in my life wishes I would shut up because I keep bugging them with newly discovered (to me) facts about whales.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.
How much I spent:
Electronic text – Free/Nada/Zilch through NetGalley provided by publisher
Is the hype real on this one?
Ismael Reyes (“Izzy”) is a young man living with his aunt in Miami. He works as a Pitbull impersonator until one fateful day, he receives a cease-and-desist letter. Now, Izzy is at an inflection point—he has to carve out a new identity for himself. For some reason, he decides to become Tony Montana from Scarface.
At the same time, readers are introduced to Lolita, a captive whale, who lives at the Miami Seaquarim.
Full disclosure: I spent more time learning about whales than reading this book because Lolita, Hugo, even the birds are real! This book might even be viewed as historical fiction as it chronicles the history of a real-life whale, plucked from the ocean and kept in a tiny tank.
If you are interested in learning more about whales, here are some of the videos I watched (please note some of these contain disturbing images and mature language):
Lolita the Killer Whale: Slave to Entertainment
Inside the Tanks
Seaworld exposed by former killer whale trainer
What happened to Keiko? The Whale from Free Willy
Blackfish
Say Hello to my Little Friend is rather entertaining for about two-thirds of the book. Although I have never seen Scarface, I enjoyed Izzy’s quest to find people to play certain roles in his life. The last third of the book is rushed and didn’t land like the first part of the book.
Moreover, while I would consider myself an environmentalist, the topic of global warming was a recurring theme, but it didn’t feel organic with the text—it came across as a bit awkward and felt a bit like pushing it agenda; it might have been okay if it wasn’t so heavy-handed.
Overall, Lolita is the hero of the book, and everyone in my life wishes I would shut up because I keep bugging them with newly discovered (to me) facts about whales.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.
How much I spent:
Electronic text – Free/Nada/Zilch through NetGalley provided by publisher
February 11, 2024
If you think you've read it all before, this book is happy to surprise you with something you definitely have not read before.
It took me a little while to get into a groove with this book, luckily Crucet's previous novel was one of my favorites in recent years, so I was motivated to stick with it. The voice of the narration is controlled, at a remove, sometimes playing it completely straight and sometimes willing to wink at you. And Izzy is the kind of character we don't get much in fiction, not an artistic type or an intellectual, he is the kind of guy who decides that he is going to model his life after the film Scarface (not at all concerned at how that movie ends) and that he will find his sidekick at a mall kiosk selling phone cases. Given the immediate nod to Moby Dick you may be wondering how Izzy and The Great American Novel make any sense together. But just give Crucet time. She will show you.
I worried at first that since I hadn't read Moby Dick or seen Scarface that perhaps I was at a disadvantage. It's possible I missed all kinds of MD references but it didn't hurt my reading. And as for Scarface, I found that I liked the book better not knowing the film in detail and that having Crucet's narration explain and summarize scenes for me every chapter or two was so much fun that I suspect it is better to encounter the film here than to actually watch it. (Yes I said it.)
Lolita the Orca's role in the novel is also a thing that feels like it shouldn't make sense and yet it does. We somehow trust Crucet completely, you can tell she has a plan, that Lolita like the white whale before her is character and metaphor, that she represents all of Miami somehow while also having a distinct personality of her own.
It is a novel that winds around and yet you are happy to follow it. Does it have a plot? Not exactly. We do follow Izzy's specific Tony Montana quest as our structure, but by the end you find yourself in a place you did not really expect to be. What Izzy thinks is so important becomes less important, and ultimately even if he can't admit what really matters to him or who he really is or what he has really suffered, his actions tell us all of it clearly. We get to see this man, initially so shallow and uncomplicated, somehow remain that guy and also find all these hidden depths to him that he doesn't even recognize himself. Beautifully done.
Like her other fiction, this is a portrait of Miami and of the Cuban culture inside of it. The way Crucet writes about Miami made me yearn for more, for writers to give us these vivid, complex portraits of all kinds of cities around the world rather than book after book set in a nameless suburb or Brooklyn.
I definitely recommend sticking with this one for a while, as a reader who is big on plot, character, and voice I did take a while to get used to the unusual style Crucet uses. But once I was in, I was all in. Crucet is fully confident by the end, practically showing off, and I loved every minute.
It took me a little while to get into a groove with this book, luckily Crucet's previous novel was one of my favorites in recent years, so I was motivated to stick with it. The voice of the narration is controlled, at a remove, sometimes playing it completely straight and sometimes willing to wink at you. And Izzy is the kind of character we don't get much in fiction, not an artistic type or an intellectual, he is the kind of guy who decides that he is going to model his life after the film Scarface (not at all concerned at how that movie ends) and that he will find his sidekick at a mall kiosk selling phone cases. Given the immediate nod to Moby Dick you may be wondering how Izzy and The Great American Novel make any sense together. But just give Crucet time. She will show you.
I worried at first that since I hadn't read Moby Dick or seen Scarface that perhaps I was at a disadvantage. It's possible I missed all kinds of MD references but it didn't hurt my reading. And as for Scarface, I found that I liked the book better not knowing the film in detail and that having Crucet's narration explain and summarize scenes for me every chapter or two was so much fun that I suspect it is better to encounter the film here than to actually watch it. (Yes I said it.)
Lolita the Orca's role in the novel is also a thing that feels like it shouldn't make sense and yet it does. We somehow trust Crucet completely, you can tell she has a plan, that Lolita like the white whale before her is character and metaphor, that she represents all of Miami somehow while also having a distinct personality of her own.
It is a novel that winds around and yet you are happy to follow it. Does it have a plot? Not exactly. We do follow Izzy's specific Tony Montana quest as our structure, but by the end you find yourself in a place you did not really expect to be. What Izzy thinks is so important becomes less important, and ultimately even if he can't admit what really matters to him or who he really is or what he has really suffered, his actions tell us all of it clearly. We get to see this man, initially so shallow and uncomplicated, somehow remain that guy and also find all these hidden depths to him that he doesn't even recognize himself. Beautifully done.
Like her other fiction, this is a portrait of Miami and of the Cuban culture inside of it. The way Crucet writes about Miami made me yearn for more, for writers to give us these vivid, complex portraits of all kinds of cities around the world rather than book after book set in a nameless suburb or Brooklyn.
I definitely recommend sticking with this one for a while, as a reader who is big on plot, character, and voice I did take a while to get used to the unusual style Crucet uses. But once I was in, I was all in. Crucet is fully confident by the end, practically showing off, and I loved every minute.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
September 30, 2024
Look, I'm not even going to pretend to say I understand what the hell I just read.
Listen to the audiobook. Join me on this trippy as hell ride through the sinking ship that is Miami.
Go in knowing nothing other than these five words: Scarface, Lolita, Moby Dick, Pitbull.
Listen to the audiobook. Join me on this trippy as hell ride through the sinking ship that is Miami.
Go in knowing nothing other than these five words: Scarface, Lolita, Moby Dick, Pitbull.
August 26, 2025
Wow….what can I say about this book?
Say Hello to My Little Friend is a unique experience. Good unique? Bad unique? I don’t really know to be honest.
Quick plot tidbits: Izzy, short for Ismael, is a Pitbull impersonator. Not the dog, the Miami rapper. Yes, the same Pitbull who was once voted to visit a Kodiak, Alaska Walmart, where he ended up having a great time and was gifted bear repellent. Anyway, to get back on track, Izzy was the #1 Pitbull impersonator in Miami! That is, until the cease and desist put a stop to that plan. It’s time for a new goal – become Tony Montana. Become someone whose life is thick with money and influence.
“Be happy with what you got.
“You be happy. Me, I want what’s coming to me.” - Scarface, 1983
What follows is a white whale situation, with Izzy relentlessly pursuing a version of life that he can NEVER realistically achieve. He is desperate to view his real life through a fictional lens, primarily by emulating fictional idols of his, first with Pitbull, then Tony Montana. (And before anyone says anything, I know Pitbull is a real-life person. But I would argue that his persona, his Mr. Worldwide essence if you will, has footing in fiction.) The book starkly contrasts Izzy’s perspective of the glitz and glamour of the Miami drug scene, the daydreams of Scarface and mountains of cocaine, with the uncomfortable reality that Izzy refuses to embrace. He remains convinced that by donning this new persona, he can find answers to questions that NO ONE wants him asking.
Everyone practically begs him to let it go; his friend Rudy who he treats as a sidekick, his almost-girlfriend Julisa who is desperate for a romantic love story, despite Izzy only thinking of her as a candidate for the “Hot and Mostly Passive Girlfriend Role.” His Aunt Tia Tere, even the sketchy dude Danny who loops Rudy & Izzy into iguana catching – they all warn him.
“Keep digging that grave for yourself.”
Izzy arrived from Cuba at age 7, a stranger to everyone else on the raft - and a potential danger. Now a young adult immersed in a culture that values silence, Izzy tries to learn what happened to his mother, a Castro sympathizer and informant for the CDR. A woman who he ultimately barely even remembers. His early loss affected him in ways he can’t directly understand, in ways that lead him right to Lolita.
Oh, how to talk about Lolita…if you’ve ever wished you could read a book where one of the perspectives is that of an orca who has lived most of her life in captivity, you’re in luck. And if you also wished that said orca has some type of ESP, boy oh boy is this the book for you! Her understanding of the world is in contrast to Izzy’s – she fully understands every millimeter of the uncomfortable tank she lives in and knows what she’s missing out in the ocean. Yet she MUST perform, must catch fish and splash crowds with water. Her actions are knowingly a performance, while Izzy’s are the actions of a man who believes he can become the performance.
“And this is Miami: iguanas coming up drain pipes and alligators in an Escalade and a captive orca capable of infiltrating a young man’s mind with memories and the promise of more and more – and now you don’t believe this incredible city could’ve brought Izzy here, to her tank, when it has already bombarded you with all its glorious power – power it’s been flexing all along? Do you even read, bro?”
This is also a book that can be darkly funny and self-aware, which were some of my favorite moments. While I was not a fan of the jokes about the tiny dog with a huge dick, other instances of humor worked for me. Julisia’s obsession with “The Sacred Blowjob” was funny, although simultaneously a little sad since we see Izzy’s complete disinterest in her. She could do so much better.
The third person narrative also low key roasts Izzy sometimes;
“Like Tony Montana, Izzy has no creativity, and so he becomes who he’s around, a mirror, and this weakness compels her to help him.”
There’s also two whole pages wherein the book ponders potential answers to the question, “How am I gonna get a scar like that eating pussy?” Which is a quote from Scarface, making it slightly less unhinged than it sounds. I think my favorite is “The pussy itself is home to razor blades and / or a switch blade, or perhaps knives (magical realism)” or “The pussy is a cat (realism realism.)”
The writing didn’t work for me 100% of the time, but I did enjoy how it didn’t show overt deference towards the narrative. And by that, I mean that it wasn’t afraid to pause the storytelling structure and capital E events in the story, simply to talk about various native birds of Florida or how the book itself feels pressure to lean into stereotypes, like superfluous descriptions of barely covered butts on the beach. The bones of the story itself show us how easy it is to crave the fictional version of Miami and the people who live there, at the expense of reality.
Let’s get a spoilery for a sec. And I do mean SPOILERY, so proceed with caution.
“Is that how we say goodbye to something? To pursue it until it’s ridiculous, improbable end?”
I can honestly say this this is the best book I’ve read about a Miami immigrant and his psychic connection with an Orca. It’s a weird and heavily metaphorical story that takes a lot of chances. Sometimes it’s a swing and a miss, but overall, it’s just sort of…intriguing would be the right word, I think. I can’t say if I actually liked it, because I don’t know for sure if I did or not. It’s the kind of read that leaves me befuddled, but glad for the reading experience overall.
Big thanks to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the digital review copy!
Say Hello to My Little Friend is a unique experience. Good unique? Bad unique? I don’t really know to be honest.
Quick plot tidbits: Izzy, short for Ismael, is a Pitbull impersonator. Not the dog, the Miami rapper. Yes, the same Pitbull who was once voted to visit a Kodiak, Alaska Walmart, where he ended up having a great time and was gifted bear repellent. Anyway, to get back on track, Izzy was the #1 Pitbull impersonator in Miami! That is, until the cease and desist put a stop to that plan. It’s time for a new goal – become Tony Montana. Become someone whose life is thick with money and influence.
“Be happy with what you got.
“You be happy. Me, I want what’s coming to me.” - Scarface, 1983
What follows is a white whale situation, with Izzy relentlessly pursuing a version of life that he can NEVER realistically achieve. He is desperate to view his real life through a fictional lens, primarily by emulating fictional idols of his, first with Pitbull, then Tony Montana. (And before anyone says anything, I know Pitbull is a real-life person. But I would argue that his persona, his Mr. Worldwide essence if you will, has footing in fiction.) The book starkly contrasts Izzy’s perspective of the glitz and glamour of the Miami drug scene, the daydreams of Scarface and mountains of cocaine, with the uncomfortable reality that Izzy refuses to embrace. He remains convinced that by donning this new persona, he can find answers to questions that NO ONE wants him asking.
Everyone practically begs him to let it go; his friend Rudy who he treats as a sidekick, his almost-girlfriend Julisa who is desperate for a romantic love story, despite Izzy only thinking of her as a candidate for the “Hot and Mostly Passive Girlfriend Role.” His Aunt Tia Tere, even the sketchy dude Danny who loops Rudy & Izzy into iguana catching – they all warn him.
“Keep digging that grave for yourself.”
Izzy arrived from Cuba at age 7, a stranger to everyone else on the raft - and a potential danger. Now a young adult immersed in a culture that values silence, Izzy tries to learn what happened to his mother, a Castro sympathizer and informant for the CDR. A woman who he ultimately barely even remembers. His early loss affected him in ways he can’t directly understand, in ways that lead him right to Lolita.
Oh, how to talk about Lolita…if you’ve ever wished you could read a book where one of the perspectives is that of an orca who has lived most of her life in captivity, you’re in luck. And if you also wished that said orca has some type of ESP, boy oh boy is this the book for you! Her understanding of the world is in contrast to Izzy’s – she fully understands every millimeter of the uncomfortable tank she lives in and knows what she’s missing out in the ocean. Yet she MUST perform, must catch fish and splash crowds with water. Her actions are knowingly a performance, while Izzy’s are the actions of a man who believes he can become the performance.
“And this is Miami: iguanas coming up drain pipes and alligators in an Escalade and a captive orca capable of infiltrating a young man’s mind with memories and the promise of more and more – and now you don’t believe this incredible city could’ve brought Izzy here, to her tank, when it has already bombarded you with all its glorious power – power it’s been flexing all along? Do you even read, bro?”
This is also a book that can be darkly funny and self-aware, which were some of my favorite moments. While I was not a fan of the jokes about the tiny dog with a huge dick, other instances of humor worked for me. Julisia’s obsession with “The Sacred Blowjob” was funny, although simultaneously a little sad since we see Izzy’s complete disinterest in her. She could do so much better.
The third person narrative also low key roasts Izzy sometimes;
“Like Tony Montana, Izzy has no creativity, and so he becomes who he’s around, a mirror, and this weakness compels her to help him.”
There’s also two whole pages wherein the book ponders potential answers to the question, “How am I gonna get a scar like that eating pussy?” Which is a quote from Scarface, making it slightly less unhinged than it sounds. I think my favorite is “The pussy itself is home to razor blades and / or a switch blade, or perhaps knives (magical realism)” or “The pussy is a cat (realism realism.)”
The writing didn’t work for me 100% of the time, but I did enjoy how it didn’t show overt deference towards the narrative. And by that, I mean that it wasn’t afraid to pause the storytelling structure and capital E events in the story, simply to talk about various native birds of Florida or how the book itself feels pressure to lean into stereotypes, like superfluous descriptions of barely covered butts on the beach. The bones of the story itself show us how easy it is to crave the fictional version of Miami and the people who live there, at the expense of reality.
Let’s get a spoilery for a sec. And I do mean SPOILERY, so proceed with caution.
“Is that how we say goodbye to something? To pursue it until it’s ridiculous, improbable end?”
I can honestly say this this is the best book I’ve read about a Miami immigrant and his psychic connection with an Orca. It’s a weird and heavily metaphorical story that takes a lot of chances. Sometimes it’s a swing and a miss, but overall, it’s just sort of…intriguing would be the right word, I think. I can’t say if I actually liked it, because I don’t know for sure if I did or not. It’s the kind of read that leaves me befuddled, but glad for the reading experience overall.
Big thanks to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the digital review copy!
January 16, 2024
3.5 Stars
Set in Florida, predominantly in Miami, this story revolves around a young man, the story of his life, and the story he’s been told about his life - which are two different stories.
Izzy has a dream, an ever changing dream of attaining fame and fortune, he’s reached out, repeatedly, to Pitbull, and doesn’t seem to understand, despite the cease-and-desist letters he’s been sent, that Pitbull has passed the point of being nice about it. Izzy is lost in his own dream world, and doesn’t seem to understand that Pitbull is serious, and seriously annoyed. He suffers from the idea that if they could only meet, he knows he could convince Pitbull of his talents. He wants a life with the glitz and glamour that is accompanied by power and money. Money begets power, and power begets respect. He doesn’t really have either, but is determined to do whatever he has to do to get there.
For me, the best parts of this novel were when Izzy decides to go to the Miami Seaquarium, where Lolita, Miami’s Seaquarium’s captive orca spends her time swimming in circles, more or less. He becomes fascinated by Lolita, and the idea of her, or of having the kind of life where he could have her as a friend, or perhaps a ‘pet.’ Something to show just how important or rich he is. Unfortunately, for him, he is neither rich nor important.
Perhaps I’ve read too many books like this, always set in Florida, where someone thinks they can just wish something into being real, but ends up a hot mess meant to amuse. Was it amusing? At times…
The ending, though, was the best, and made it all worth it.
.
Pub Date: 5 Mar 2024
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster
April 17, 2024
That was a ride
---------
Thanks to simon books for the arc and now this beautiful finished copy!
It’s a wonderfully strange and surreal experience reading a book that captures everything you know about a city so well. This book unlocked memories - including going to the Seaquarium to see Lolita. I remember when all the New Yorkers came down with their art collections and took over parts of Wynnwood, calling it the Design District. I’ve seen rain come out of nowhere and flood the streets. I’ve had to explain that Miami Beach isn’t Miami.
I’ve read a few reviews calling this unclassifiable and now I understand why. Just saying this is about Ismael, a former Pitbull impersonator (after a cease and desist letter put a stop to that career) trying to become a Tony Montana figure in Miami doesn’t cover it. Mentioning Lolita the Orca and her pov chapters is not going to translate well. Pointing out that the chapter names are all Pitbull albums, well actually that does give you an idea of what to expect. Somehow Crucet covers migration, community divides, climate change, gentrification, the stories we tell ourselves and the need for a mother’s love all while keeping the novel fun and fast paced - until the feels hit and you feel the pain that both Izzy and Lolita feel.
Let me remind you that Lolita is a whale! She was young when captured and separated from her pod; transferred from the PNW down to Miami she’s been stuck living and performing in too small of a tank for decades. Izzy isn’t sure how or why he made it to Miami, other than foggy memories of a raft, his mother drowning, and a coast guard boat finding them. How did he get on that raft though? What was his mother’s plan? Did someone pay for them? As he starts to ask questions amongst the Cuban community, secrets and threats will start to arise.
I don’t want to make any big proclamations, but this may be THE Miami novel. Not only do the characters feel true to life and, thankfully, all the geography and locations are spot on, but the narrative voice captured the energy and attitude of the city without falling into cliches but actually confronting and making fun of them.
---------
Thanks to simon books for the arc and now this beautiful finished copy!
It’s a wonderfully strange and surreal experience reading a book that captures everything you know about a city so well. This book unlocked memories - including going to the Seaquarium to see Lolita. I remember when all the New Yorkers came down with their art collections and took over parts of Wynnwood, calling it the Design District. I’ve seen rain come out of nowhere and flood the streets. I’ve had to explain that Miami Beach isn’t Miami.
I’ve read a few reviews calling this unclassifiable and now I understand why. Just saying this is about Ismael, a former Pitbull impersonator (after a cease and desist letter put a stop to that career) trying to become a Tony Montana figure in Miami doesn’t cover it. Mentioning Lolita the Orca and her pov chapters is not going to translate well. Pointing out that the chapter names are all Pitbull albums, well actually that does give you an idea of what to expect. Somehow Crucet covers migration, community divides, climate change, gentrification, the stories we tell ourselves and the need for a mother’s love all while keeping the novel fun and fast paced - until the feels hit and you feel the pain that both Izzy and Lolita feel.
Let me remind you that Lolita is a whale! She was young when captured and separated from her pod; transferred from the PNW down to Miami she’s been stuck living and performing in too small of a tank for decades. Izzy isn’t sure how or why he made it to Miami, other than foggy memories of a raft, his mother drowning, and a coast guard boat finding them. How did he get on that raft though? What was his mother’s plan? Did someone pay for them? As he starts to ask questions amongst the Cuban community, secrets and threats will start to arise.
I don’t want to make any big proclamations, but this may be THE Miami novel. Not only do the characters feel true to life and, thankfully, all the geography and locations are spot on, but the narrative voice captured the energy and attitude of the city without falling into cliches but actually confronting and making fun of them.
January 25, 2025
Such a good start but what was that? This book leaves me unsatisfied.
December 25, 2023
Say Hello To My Little Friend is a novel about a twenty-year old Cuban man in Miami who decides to try and become Tony Montana, but who comes up against his own past, the city, and an orca. Izzy has just had a cease and desist stopping his burgeoning career as a Pitbull impersonator, so he pivots his dreams towards Scarface, planning out his steps to be Tony Montana. He finds a sidekick—his Manolo, Rudy—and someone who could be his Michelle Pfieffer love interest, but he also finds Lolita, the famed captive orca in Miami Seaquarium, and Izzy's mind becomes obsessed with her, as does the water of Miami. As Izzy hunts down what happens to get him from Cuba to Miami as a boy, all of his plans start to seem more tragic than triumphant.
As I love the film Scarface, I was immediately drawn to this book, but actually, it goes a lot further than that, combining Scarface, Moby Dick, and the city of Miami itself into a damp, darkly comic novel. The narrative voice is playful, sometimes taking things seriously and sometimes not (there's a part that recreates the success montage in Scarface but for the much lesser "success" of Izzy), and it casts a wry eye over everything, whilst still having a tense narrative as Izzy tries to uncover his own past (and makes a lot of missteps along the way). The plot centred around Lolita, the captive orca, is a wonderful example of bringing in an animal's perspective in a novel, and makes this book more than a story of a failed gangster.
Combining a sea creature, dodgy aspirations, and Cuban life in Miami, Say Hello To My Little Friend is a distinctive book, fun yet bittersweet, about the tragedy of a young man without the past or future he hopes for. It's a literary crime film and a free the orcas documentary and a magical tour of Miami all in one.
As I love the film Scarface, I was immediately drawn to this book, but actually, it goes a lot further than that, combining Scarface, Moby Dick, and the city of Miami itself into a damp, darkly comic novel. The narrative voice is playful, sometimes taking things seriously and sometimes not (there's a part that recreates the success montage in Scarface but for the much lesser "success" of Izzy), and it casts a wry eye over everything, whilst still having a tense narrative as Izzy tries to uncover his own past (and makes a lot of missteps along the way). The plot centred around Lolita, the captive orca, is a wonderful example of bringing in an animal's perspective in a novel, and makes this book more than a story of a failed gangster.
Combining a sea creature, dodgy aspirations, and Cuban life in Miami, Say Hello To My Little Friend is a distinctive book, fun yet bittersweet, about the tragedy of a young man without the past or future he hopes for. It's a literary crime film and a free the orcas documentary and a magical tour of Miami all in one.
March 23, 2024
Wild as it is to mash up Scarface and Moby Dick, the real triumph here is that someone managed to produce Literary Fiction about Pitbull.
If, like me, you often find yourself muttering something like “there truly are no new ideas anymore” while reading, take heart. Jennine Capó Crucet is here to show us that truly original concepts do still exist in novels, and this one is quite the wild ride.
The story makes more sense at some points than others and it drags a bit in the middle, but Capó Crucet’s writing is gorgeous and sharp, and conceptually this is a triumph of experimental fiction.
You do not need to have read Moby Dick or to have seen Scarface to get this one, as it explains enough (especially of the movie) to get you on the same page with the narrative. And fear not, fellow loathers of tragedy porn! This book does an exceptional job of conveying empathy toward its characters without wallowing in their hardships.
Wild stuff, and wildly worth a read.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
If, like me, you often find yourself muttering something like “there truly are no new ideas anymore” while reading, take heart. Jennine Capó Crucet is here to show us that truly original concepts do still exist in novels, and this one is quite the wild ride.
The story makes more sense at some points than others and it drags a bit in the middle, but Capó Crucet’s writing is gorgeous and sharp, and conceptually this is a triumph of experimental fiction.
You do not need to have read Moby Dick or to have seen Scarface to get this one, as it explains enough (especially of the movie) to get you on the same page with the narrative. And fear not, fellow loathers of tragedy porn! This book does an exceptional job of conveying empathy toward its characters without wallowing in their hardships.
Wild stuff, and wildly worth a read.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
February 2, 2024
Reading references to Pitbull and his music mixed up with Scarface and a modern Moby Dick stuck in Miami's aquarium was some crazy experience, and oh I was there for it
May 24, 2024
This was an interesting read lol. I was not expecting pov's from Lolita at all. Honestly this book felt like a fever dream reading it. I still don't fully comprehend what this book was about lol.
Thank you Simon and Schuster for the arc.
Thank you Simon and Schuster for the arc.
March 22, 2024
Ismael Reyes (call him Izzy) is twenty years old, and so far his only ambition in life has been to capitalize on his resemblance to the singer Pitbull and make some easy money as a celebrity impersonator. After a cease and desist letter puts a stop to that, Izzy comes up with a plan to model himself after another Miami-associated personality, Tony Montana from the movie Scarface. Izzy figures that all he needs is a sidekick, some shady dudes who can hook them up with shady work, a girl, and maybe an exotic animal, and soon he'll be rich and powerful. As it happens, an exotic animal in Izzy's vicinity is aware of his scheme: The orca Lolita has spent decades confined to a too-small tank at the Miami Seaquarium, but her senses range much farther. Lolita observes Izzy and even infiltrates his thoughts as he seeks out the pieces of his plan. The search leads Izzy into questions he's long suppressed about the circumstances of his childhood journey to Miami on a raft from Cuba, questions that return him to dangerous waters.
I would not have been drawn to this book if not for my admiration of Crucet's previous novel, but I'm so glad I read it. This is a weird, audacious story, often hilarious and sometimes horrifying. Izzy is well-developed as a basically sweet kid who is completely out of his depth in striving to become a gangster. Lolita is an even more fascinating protagonist, and all her biographical details are taken directly from real life. Through omniscient narration, Crucet moves between their perspectives and those of other characters, while also commenting on Miami culture, history, and climate change. And don't worry if, like me, you know nothing about Scarface, because Crucet provides all the necessary context -- and said in an NPR interview that her goal was for people to "read this book and then never have to actually watch it."
I would not have been drawn to this book if not for my admiration of Crucet's previous novel, but I'm so glad I read it. This is a weird, audacious story, often hilarious and sometimes horrifying. Izzy is well-developed as a basically sweet kid who is completely out of his depth in striving to become a gangster. Lolita is an even more fascinating protagonist, and all her biographical details are taken directly from real life. Through omniscient narration, Crucet moves between their perspectives and those of other characters, while also commenting on Miami culture, history, and climate change. And don't worry if, like me, you know nothing about Scarface, because Crucet provides all the necessary context -- and said in an NPR interview that her goal was for people to "read this book and then never have to actually watch it."
March 31, 2024
4 1/2 stars. 20 year old Izzy Reyes is at a loss after high school - he's ambitious, but has no skills and no purpose - until he lights on what only a teen or post teen boy could think was an actual, viable idea - to become a 21st century Tony Montana, following his trajectory in Scarface (minus the spectacular death) replacing the drug business with the immigrant smuggling business. He's written it all down, step-by-step in a notebook, but (surprise) it isn't long until things go off the rails in amusing and heartbreaking ways. This sounds like a plot that could get old fast, but instead it gets deeper and deeper in surprising ways. The tongue-in-cheek narrative voice, with its perfectly placed 4th wall breaks, intensifies the books charms and heartbreaks - and there are plenty of both. Wonderful characters, all show and no tell - most brilliantly done with Lolita, the killer whale who is absolutely not anthropomorphized, yet brought intensely to life. Nearly as good is the character of Miami itself - I've only been there a few times in my life, but Crucet made it feel as familiar as home.
March 6, 2024
I REALLY enjoyed this book. The Lolita chapters (orca POV!! Fuck them yachts!) were so beautifully written that I'd give five stars for them alone. But the Izzy chapters were such a fun, dark satire about a young fool in Miami trying to become Scarface by recreating the movie (which he hasn't rewatched lately but he's pretty sure he remembers most of it). When I say I'm tired of formulaic, generic, same-old novels, THIS is what I'm looking for. I loved it so much I'm not deducting points for a lack of quotation marks around dialogue. You know what, sometimes it does fit.
(Also the narrator was REALLY good, save for one or two fumbles... she says "doting" instead of "dotting" in one place, for instance, but I still can't even hold that against her. She did a great job).
(Also the narrator was REALLY good, save for one or two fumbles... she says "doting" instead of "dotting" in one place, for instance, but I still can't even hold that against her. She did a great job).
May 15, 2024
I should be the perfect reader for this book:
—From Miami
—Spanish speaker
—Love Mr. 305
—Watched Scarface so many times
—Animal lover that hates what was done to Lolita
Should be, right? But then why did I hate this book so much? Mainly because this story doesn’t make any sense. When I first read the summary, I wondered how she was going to pull all these elements together. Well, she didn’t do it successfully.
The entire “Scarface” plan adds nothing to this novel. It’s completely nonsensical. It should have at least been funny, but it wasn’t. It could have been completely eliminated.
The Pitbull stuff was fine, but there wasn’t that much of it in the story and definitely not enough to help save the plot.
So much rambling. This is the worst part of the book. I love Miami history too, but it was just taking up so much space. It was filler that often took me out of the story and was boring. Same with all the Spanish. Yes, I understand it yet can’t see how it was adding much to the story.
The writing itself was also off-putting. I felt like it changed so often and the main character’s thoughts were so inconsistent - one minute he’s hatching the dumbest plan ever and the next he’s philosophizing. Then there was the random chapter toward the end that had nothing to do with the story. Why this was included as one of the chapters during the story? If you must then add it at the end. This a decision I will never understand. I won’t understand it the same way I can’t figure out what happened to the mother. But I also didn’t care enough about the characters to really put much effort into figuring it out. It was a struggle to get through this book so I may have missed an important plot point because I resorted to skimming so hard. I put it done many times and read at least 3 or 4 other books while I tried to get through this one.
Lolita. The book opens so strong. It is really moving.
But then the Lolita sections not particularly engaging and I still don’t understand the connection to the character or her special abilities. I was often asking WTF and not in a positive or this is crazy way, but more like asking myself why I still reading.
The book ends with a shocker. Yes, I admit that I didn’t see that last scene coming. But it also did nothing to redeem the story.
—From Miami
—Spanish speaker
—Love Mr. 305
—Watched Scarface so many times
—Animal lover that hates what was done to Lolita
Should be, right? But then why did I hate this book so much? Mainly because this story doesn’t make any sense. When I first read the summary, I wondered how she was going to pull all these elements together. Well, she didn’t do it successfully.
The entire “Scarface” plan adds nothing to this novel. It’s completely nonsensical. It should have at least been funny, but it wasn’t. It could have been completely eliminated.
The Pitbull stuff was fine, but there wasn’t that much of it in the story and definitely not enough to help save the plot.
So much rambling. This is the worst part of the book. I love Miami history too, but it was just taking up so much space. It was filler that often took me out of the story and was boring. Same with all the Spanish. Yes, I understand it yet can’t see how it was adding much to the story.
The writing itself was also off-putting. I felt like it changed so often and the main character’s thoughts were so inconsistent - one minute he’s hatching the dumbest plan ever and the next he’s philosophizing. Then there was the random chapter toward the end that had nothing to do with the story. Why this was included as one of the chapters during the story? If you must then add it at the end. This a decision I will never understand. I won’t understand it the same way I can’t figure out what happened to the mother. But I also didn’t care enough about the characters to really put much effort into figuring it out. It was a struggle to get through this book so I may have missed an important plot point because I resorted to skimming so hard. I put it done many times and read at least 3 or 4 other books while I tried to get through this one.
Lolita. The book opens so strong. It is really moving.
But then the Lolita sections not particularly engaging and I still don’t understand the connection to the character or her special abilities. I was often asking WTF and not in a positive or this is crazy way, but more like asking myself why I still reading.
The book ends with a shocker. Yes, I admit that I didn’t see that last scene coming. But it also did nothing to redeem the story.
February 20, 2025
The main character dies in the end and the book finishes with a "don't be this guy" ending. Yeah, I do not think I would like to be eaten in half for trying to figure out why my mom died until remembering she jumped off the raft and you kicked her feet from coming back on the raft.
I honestly don't know if the main character died because of not letting Julisa perform the "The Sacred Blowjob" or for having mommy issues.
Read if you like a Scarface wannabe perspective and an existential orca's perspective.
Read if you love Scarface because every page is a reference to the film (I have never seen Scarface).
Read if you are Cuban.
Read if you have Miami trauma, too.
I honestly don't know if the main character died because of not letting Julisa perform the "The Sacred Blowjob" or for having mommy issues.
Read if you like a Scarface wannabe perspective and an existential orca's perspective.
Read if you love Scarface because every page is a reference to the film (I have never seen Scarface).
Read if you are Cuban.
Read if you have Miami trauma, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
May 9, 2024This book was wildly Miami.
Full review to come.
EDIT: REREAD WITH A FRIEND AND WHILE I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE DOWN MY THOUGHTS, LOVED IT
Full review to come.
EDIT: REREAD WITH A FRIEND AND WHILE I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE DOWN MY THOUGHTS, LOVED IT
May 26, 2024
Not at all what I expected but I really enjoyed this one. Scarface is a favorite movie of mine so anything that uses this is something I want to read, and while it took a minute for me to get into, I found it was something I could not put down. The audio was excellent and the narrator captured the essence of this book perfectly. Overall I really enjoyed this one.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon Audio for the copies to review.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon Audio for the copies to review.
May 15, 2024
Five big stars for Jennine Capo Crucet’s fearless and hugely funny paean to Miami, with a plot that brings together Pitbull, the Miami Seaquarium, and a 20-year-old Cuban refugee who uses the classic Al Pacino movie Scarface as his guide to solving the mysteries surrounding his arrival in the US.
March 7, 2024
Say Hello to my Little Friend wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It’s hard to really express how I feel about it. I was expecting a fun, somewhat comedic story, and while there were funny parts, it ended up being much deeper than I anticipated. Swipe for a synopsis 👉🏽.
Though it started off a bit slow for me, I ended up binging the last 60% in almost one sitting (mostly because of being sick 🤪) but also because I couldn’t put it down! The story surrounding the orca, Lolita, took some getting used to. It seemed a little odd at first, but it all came together in the end! I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that while I don’t know if this will be for everyone, if you’re a fan of contemporary fiction that makes you think & presents some deep questions, I’d definitely recommend it!
*Note: I know nothing about Moby Dick and Scarface😆, but that didn’t take anything away from the story, so don’t let that deter you if you’re like me!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own!
Though it started off a bit slow for me, I ended up binging the last 60% in almost one sitting (mostly because of being sick 🤪) but also because I couldn’t put it down! The story surrounding the orca, Lolita, took some getting used to. It seemed a little odd at first, but it all came together in the end! I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that while I don’t know if this will be for everyone, if you’re a fan of contemporary fiction that makes you think & presents some deep questions, I’d definitely recommend it!
*Note: I know nothing about Moby Dick and Scarface😆, but that didn’t take anything away from the story, so don’t let that deter you if you’re like me!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own!
Read
August 4, 20252024 Finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Fiction
all fiction finalists below (each read in 2024 & loved, but still needed to read this one!! & now I need to finally watch Scarface someday too!) https://events.latimes.com/festivalof...
Headshot: A Novel
Rita Bullwinkel
Viking
Season of the Swamp: A Novel
Yuri Herrera translated by Lisa Dillman
Graywolf Press
Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Novel
Jennine Capó Crucet
Simon & Schuster
All Fours: A Novel
Miranda July
Riverhead Books
James: A Novel
Percival Everett
Doubleday
all fiction finalists below (each read in 2024 & loved, but still needed to read this one!! & now I need to finally watch Scarface someday too!) https://events.latimes.com/festivalof...
Headshot: A Novel
Rita Bullwinkel
Viking
Season of the Swamp: A Novel
Yuri Herrera translated by Lisa Dillman
Graywolf Press
Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Novel
Jennine Capó Crucet
Simon & Schuster
All Fours: A Novel
Miranda July
Riverhead Books
James: A Novel
Percival Everett
Doubleday
October 5, 2023
Picked up an ARC because the premise was amazing…. I was so right 🤩 This is one of my fav reads of 2023 and it doesn’t even come out til next year
March 14, 2024
After much back and forth and a reread of the ending, I’m giving this 4.5 stars.
abandoned
April 7, 2024I'm the wrong audience for this book - I don't do sentient animals and I've never seen Scarface.
July 16, 2025
Felt like I was reading a book for my middle school social studies class, in a good way! But unfortunately just ok. Would have been great if they had dropped the gimmicks. I think the words “of course it’s a metaphor” should never be written in a book.
February 25, 2024
Very very funny and also very bizarre. Lots of stuff going on but it all works in the end. The writing style took a second to get into, but once you get into it it’s great. Lolita the whale made me😢😢😢 3.75
February 26, 2024
gifted by the publisher
Growing up in Miami has shaped Izzy Reyes into someone who dreams of money, power, and respect. After his business impersonating Pitbull failed, Izzy embarks on an absurd quest to transform into a modern-day Tony Montana, as seen in Scarface.
FRIEND is an off-beat "anti-immigrant" story that follows a Cuban American's fever dream and resists the tropes of trauma porn or generational divide while examining Izzy's inheritance via inventive storytelling. There's so much going on in FRIEND, with frequent references to Putbull & Scarface (which I was quite lost) and narratives from a captive orca.
I'm not sure if I fully got everything happening in the book, but the unique storytelling kept me engaged, and the ending is especially poignant. FRIEND is a little hard to categorize, but if THE BEE STING (Paul Murray) and REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES (Shelby Van Pelt) have a tragicomic baby, that would be FRIEND.
Growing up in Miami has shaped Izzy Reyes into someone who dreams of money, power, and respect. After his business impersonating Pitbull failed, Izzy embarks on an absurd quest to transform into a modern-day Tony Montana, as seen in Scarface.
FRIEND is an off-beat "anti-immigrant" story that follows a Cuban American's fever dream and resists the tropes of trauma porn or generational divide while examining Izzy's inheritance via inventive storytelling. There's so much going on in FRIEND, with frequent references to Putbull & Scarface (which I was quite lost) and narratives from a captive orca.
I'm not sure if I fully got everything happening in the book, but the unique storytelling kept me engaged, and the ending is especially poignant. FRIEND is a little hard to categorize, but if THE BEE STING (Paul Murray) and REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES (Shelby Van Pelt) have a tragicomic baby, that would be FRIEND.
June 5, 2024
If I told you that an obsession with Scarface, a Pitbull impersonator, and a spiritual connection between a whale and a man all combined together to make a surprising and strangely delightful book, would you believe it?
March 21, 2024
You had me at "Moby Dick meets Scarface" and the main character being a failed Pitbull impersonator from Miami. 5/5 Dalés
March 3, 2024
Where to begin with this book? It was sheer madness at times, quietly poignant at others and there were more than a few chuckles throughout as well.
As the title suggests, this book is heavy on the Scarface references, I have not seen the movie, and I do think this went against me at first. The protagonist is Izzy, a young Cuban immigrant, orphaned when his mother died during their dangerous entry into the US. Searching for his place within the humid streets of Miami, he gets the (utterly bonkers) idea that he is going to model his life after Tony Montana, shady business contacts, Michelle Pfieffer-esque girlfriend and all. Apparently in the film Tony gets himself a pet tiger, and this is where the second voice in the novel comes in... Lolita, the (sadly) famous orca who had lived in the Miami Seaquarium for more than half a century before her death last year.
Throughout the book we hear from Lolita herself, she tells of her tankmate Hugo who committed suicide by repeatedly swimming headfirst into the tank walls, she shares memories of her family in the wild, remembering the day that she was captured and brought to the tiny tank and trained to perform in exchange for food. After he sees her performing Izzy becomes convinced that she must be his own exotic pet and Lolita also feels a special connection to Izzy. I found myself one hundred percent suspending my belief and was engrossed in Lolita's story, I almost didn't want to leave her to find out what madcap idea Izzy was chasing and could have just read about her for days!
Izzy's plan to become the new Tony Montana serves as a structure throughout the novel but there isn't a huge amount of plot, as such I did struggle to make a real connection with Izzy, he's not a particularly likeable character and doesn't give much emotionally. I did also struggle with some of the niche Miami references and I'm sure some of the jokes went over my head due to my own lack of knowledge. It's hard to say I enjoyed the story as for the most part I felt a bit detached from it but I did enjoy the writing style. It's quick paced, funny and the ending was nothing short of sublime.
As the title suggests, this book is heavy on the Scarface references, I have not seen the movie, and I do think this went against me at first. The protagonist is Izzy, a young Cuban immigrant, orphaned when his mother died during their dangerous entry into the US. Searching for his place within the humid streets of Miami, he gets the (utterly bonkers) idea that he is going to model his life after Tony Montana, shady business contacts, Michelle Pfieffer-esque girlfriend and all. Apparently in the film Tony gets himself a pet tiger, and this is where the second voice in the novel comes in... Lolita, the (sadly) famous orca who had lived in the Miami Seaquarium for more than half a century before her death last year.
Throughout the book we hear from Lolita herself, she tells of her tankmate Hugo who committed suicide by repeatedly swimming headfirst into the tank walls, she shares memories of her family in the wild, remembering the day that she was captured and brought to the tiny tank and trained to perform in exchange for food. After he sees her performing Izzy becomes convinced that she must be his own exotic pet and Lolita also feels a special connection to Izzy. I found myself one hundred percent suspending my belief and was engrossed in Lolita's story, I almost didn't want to leave her to find out what madcap idea Izzy was chasing and could have just read about her for days!
Izzy's plan to become the new Tony Montana serves as a structure throughout the novel but there isn't a huge amount of plot, as such I did struggle to make a real connection with Izzy, he's not a particularly likeable character and doesn't give much emotionally. I did also struggle with some of the niche Miami references and I'm sure some of the jokes went over my head due to my own lack of knowledge. It's hard to say I enjoyed the story as for the most part I felt a bit detached from it but I did enjoy the writing style. It's quick paced, funny and the ending was nothing short of sublime.
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