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Raw: A Love Story
Reality TV hunk and People magazine's "sexiest man alive", Sepp Gregory goes on a book tour to promote his debut novel, a thinly veiled autobiography. Not that Sepp has actually read the book, he doesn't have to, he lived it! The book becomes a sensation, a New York Times bestseller, and, surprisingly, it even gets rave reviews from serious critics. Aside from Harriet Post, that is.
One of the blogosphere's most respected critics, Harriet hears the host of her favorite, high-brow, radio show gush about Sepp’s abdominal muscles on-air and fears the end of civilization is upon us. She takes matters into her own hands and sets off to reveal the truth behind the bestseller and to show Sepp as the buff fraud he really is. But then Harriet reads Totally Reality, Sepp’s novel, and it’s totally great. Now she needs to find Sepp’s ghostwriter and find out why he’s wasting his talent.
She finds him, appropriately enough, at the Playboy Mansion, where he’s supposed to be interviewing Sepp’s former television love Roxy Sandoval for his next, highly lucrative, project. Reality and "reality" collide, and a tragic accident sends Sepp and Harriet off on a sex-fueled roadtrip through the southwest. The mind meets the body, and both will be changed forever. Raw: A Love Story is Mark Haskell Smith at his best, dangerously sexy and wickedly funny.
One of the blogosphere's most respected critics, Harriet hears the host of her favorite, high-brow, radio show gush about Sepp’s abdominal muscles on-air and fears the end of civilization is upon us. She takes matters into her own hands and sets off to reveal the truth behind the bestseller and to show Sepp as the buff fraud he really is. But then Harriet reads Totally Reality, Sepp’s novel, and it’s totally great. Now she needs to find Sepp’s ghostwriter and find out why he’s wasting his talent.
She finds him, appropriately enough, at the Playboy Mansion, where he’s supposed to be interviewing Sepp’s former television love Roxy Sandoval for his next, highly lucrative, project. Reality and "reality" collide, and a tragic accident sends Sepp and Harriet off on a sex-fueled roadtrip through the southwest. The mind meets the body, and both will be changed forever. Raw: A Love Story is Mark Haskell Smith at his best, dangerously sexy and wickedly funny.
276 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2013
12 people are currently reading
641 people want to read
About the author
Mark Haskell Smith
19 books196 followersMark Haskell Smith is the author of seven novels with one word titles, most recently Blown and Memoires, and three nonfiction books including Rude Talk in Athens and Naked at Lunch.
He lives in Los Angeles. He likes Mexican food.
He lives in Los Angeles. He likes Mexican food.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 18, 2014
I don’t write many book reviews because I used to do it for a living, but I was driven to write about this one because it’s unique and funny. It’s a fast read with a wonderfully quirky plotline that skewers our culture.
“Raw” focuses on reality star Sepp Gregory, who became known for his washboard abs and his sexploits with Roxy Sandoval on Sex Crib. Smith describes that show as, “Kind of like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, except instead of looking for true love by going on dates and skydiving and horseback riding and taking French cooking lessons until you’re the only man standing, Sex Crib was about hooking up as much as you could.”
Sepp has written a thinly veiled novel called "Totally Reality," which comes off as autobiography while layering in philosophy. Of course, the guy can barely read, and certainly can’t understand philosophy. A Brooklyn novelist going for easy money has ghostwritten the book.
When the book comes out and it’s wildly popular, a minor literary celebrity, a young woman named Harriet Post with a literary blog, sets out to uncover the real writer and blow this book and its publisher out of the water. She feels popular culture has devolved, and someone has to stand up for quality. She’s ashamed serious book critics have liked the book—something is terribly wrong—and they need to know it was ghostwritten.
What Harriet is not prepared for, though, is how well-written the novel is. It’s truthful and clever (like Haskell’s book itself). She’s fallen in love with the ghostwriter, whoever it is.
Sepp hasn’t even read his own book, but he goes on a book tour, including radio and TV shows. Harriet manages to sneak into a book party at the Playboy mansion in L.A., and there she veers from her mission of talking with Sepp and getting him to reveal the ghostwriter by falling for a young man sitting alone in Hef’s library. What she doesn’t know is that this guy is the very ghostwriter she’s after. When she’s just about to learn who he is, crazy things happen. The story zooms off in unexpected ways.
When I’m strongly recommended a book these days, I usually download a free sample onto my Kindle. In that way, if I don’t like it, it doesn’t take up space nor have I spent money. One of my own novel’s readers recommended Smith’s books, saying we have similar sensibilities. I downloaded a sample of Smith’s novel "Baked," which is about a pothead botanist who has perfected a strain of marijuana that’s so good, it wins the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. After he wins, someone steals all his plants back in Los Angeles, and the police, of course, can’t be called on to help. Thus, he becomes his own detective and crosses paths with bad guys.
When the free sample of "Baked" ended at Chapter Five, I had to find out the rest, and I ordered the book. I found it hilarious, Vonnegutesque without the science fiction, and I read his other novels, "Salty," "Delicious," and "Moist". "Raw" is as delightful as his others. He manages to make each book distinct, yet the humor and cultural observations are fabulous. I hope you try one of his books.
“Raw” focuses on reality star Sepp Gregory, who became known for his washboard abs and his sexploits with Roxy Sandoval on Sex Crib. Smith describes that show as, “Kind of like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, except instead of looking for true love by going on dates and skydiving and horseback riding and taking French cooking lessons until you’re the only man standing, Sex Crib was about hooking up as much as you could.”
Sepp has written a thinly veiled novel called "Totally Reality," which comes off as autobiography while layering in philosophy. Of course, the guy can barely read, and certainly can’t understand philosophy. A Brooklyn novelist going for easy money has ghostwritten the book.
When the book comes out and it’s wildly popular, a minor literary celebrity, a young woman named Harriet Post with a literary blog, sets out to uncover the real writer and blow this book and its publisher out of the water. She feels popular culture has devolved, and someone has to stand up for quality. She’s ashamed serious book critics have liked the book—something is terribly wrong—and they need to know it was ghostwritten.
What Harriet is not prepared for, though, is how well-written the novel is. It’s truthful and clever (like Haskell’s book itself). She’s fallen in love with the ghostwriter, whoever it is.
Sepp hasn’t even read his own book, but he goes on a book tour, including radio and TV shows. Harriet manages to sneak into a book party at the Playboy mansion in L.A., and there she veers from her mission of talking with Sepp and getting him to reveal the ghostwriter by falling for a young man sitting alone in Hef’s library. What she doesn’t know is that this guy is the very ghostwriter she’s after. When she’s just about to learn who he is, crazy things happen. The story zooms off in unexpected ways.
When I’m strongly recommended a book these days, I usually download a free sample onto my Kindle. In that way, if I don’t like it, it doesn’t take up space nor have I spent money. One of my own novel’s readers recommended Smith’s books, saying we have similar sensibilities. I downloaded a sample of Smith’s novel "Baked," which is about a pothead botanist who has perfected a strain of marijuana that’s so good, it wins the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. After he wins, someone steals all his plants back in Los Angeles, and the police, of course, can’t be called on to help. Thus, he becomes his own detective and crosses paths with bad guys.
When the free sample of "Baked" ended at Chapter Five, I had to find out the rest, and I ordered the book. I found it hilarious, Vonnegutesque without the science fiction, and I read his other novels, "Salty," "Delicious," and "Moist". "Raw" is as delightful as his others. He manages to make each book distinct, yet the humor and cultural observations are fabulous. I hope you try one of his books.
December 4, 2013
This is the first of Haskell Smith's books that I've read, but I found it compulsively readable.
Raw is about the point where highbrow meets lowbrow--the kind of thing that makes the internet such a delectable and addictive treat. Sepp Gregory is a tanned and toned reality TV star on a book tour for his novel (that he didn't write and hasn't even bothered to read). Harriet Post is a priggish literary critic determined to take down both ghost writer and reality star for their literary crimes. Add some public nudity, a lot of sex, two lovers on the run in the desert, and you've got a page-turner. This is a book where things happen.
Raw critiques snobbishly high-minded literary culture as much as that of reality TV. And Haskell Smith writes with an eye to the fact that there's a draw--and a powerful one--for people to be a part of either world. There's a similar kind of arrogance that exists for those who've made it in literary circles or in front of the camera, and a desperate grasping at the gold ring of fame for those on the outskirts. Raw goes after that arrogance and desperation, while managing to stay fun, sexy, and smart.
I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway from Grove Atlantic.
Raw is about the point where highbrow meets lowbrow--the kind of thing that makes the internet such a delectable and addictive treat. Sepp Gregory is a tanned and toned reality TV star on a book tour for his novel (that he didn't write and hasn't even bothered to read). Harriet Post is a priggish literary critic determined to take down both ghost writer and reality star for their literary crimes. Add some public nudity, a lot of sex, two lovers on the run in the desert, and you've got a page-turner. This is a book where things happen.
Raw critiques snobbishly high-minded literary culture as much as that of reality TV. And Haskell Smith writes with an eye to the fact that there's a draw--and a powerful one--for people to be a part of either world. There's a similar kind of arrogance that exists for those who've made it in literary circles or in front of the camera, and a desperate grasping at the gold ring of fame for those on the outskirts. Raw goes after that arrogance and desperation, while managing to stay fun, sexy, and smart.
I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway from Grove Atlantic.
February 14, 2014
I have yet to read a really smart, biting satire about reality television, and after reading Raw, I still haven't. It's not really Smith's fault: the target is so huge that you could throw the dart anywhere and land it. Reality television is so ridiculous that attempts to satirize it usually come off as obvious and oversimplified, and this is no exception.
Smith's playful takedown of highbrow literary culture fares a bit better, but I never fully bought Harriet as a character to deliver those takedowns. Or maybe I'm just sensitive to the celibate-librarian-who's-really-a-nascent-sex-kitten stereotype that I didn't want to buy it.
Then the book kind of abandons the piercing satire element and veers off in an entirely different direction. There's something kind of meta about it: Smith is writing a book about contrived, melodramatic (but fun) TV shows by presenting a story that becomes contrived and melodramatic (but fun).
I can't bring myself to give this book 2 stars, though. Despite my misgivings, Raw was the perfect book to read while snowbound, filled with twists and good humor, and I breezed through it in two sittings.
Smith's playful takedown of highbrow literary culture fares a bit better, but I never fully bought Harriet as a character to deliver those takedowns. Or maybe I'm just sensitive to the celibate-librarian-who's-really-a-nascent-sex-kitten stereotype that I didn't want to buy it.
Then the book kind of abandons the piercing satire element and veers off in an entirely different direction. There's something kind of meta about it: Smith is writing a book about contrived, melodramatic (but fun) TV shows by presenting a story that becomes contrived and melodramatic (but fun).
I can't bring myself to give this book 2 stars, though. Despite my misgivings, Raw was the perfect book to read while snowbound, filled with twists and good humor, and I breezed through it in two sittings.
February 10, 2015
A humourous and wry look at reality television, it's "stars" and their subsequent 15-minutes of fame, and the cult of celebrity our culture has created around these unfortunately untalented people. Not even the publishing industry is safe from Haskell Smith's mockery. It's also hilariously raunchy, but not in a "Fifty Shades of Grey" kind of way. What's not to love?
August 3, 2016
12/20
Loufoque, surprenant mais beaucoup trop vulgaire, ce roman est une découverte sympathique, à l’opposé de tout ce que l’on a pu lire jusqu’alors. Une analyse réaliste du monde de l’édition actuel et de notre société, portée par des personnages parfois difficiles à apprécier.
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
Loufoque, surprenant mais beaucoup trop vulgaire, ce roman est une découverte sympathique, à l’opposé de tout ce que l’on a pu lire jusqu’alors. Une analyse réaliste du monde de l’édition actuel et de notre société, portée par des personnages parfois difficiles à apprécier.
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
December 22, 2013
This, another fantastic bit of fiction by Mark Haskell Smith, is quite possibly his best! The characters are interesting, there are plot twists, lots of "guilty pleasure" kind of stuff, and the always smart and entertaining character dialogue. In a word? Awesome! By the way, it was a pleasure meeting you at Vroman's Bookstore, Sir! Thanks for the autographed copy!
January 17, 2014
Umm, yeah, not sure what to say about this one. Writing is good, the author's intention is clear (no lack of satirical social commentary) here, but then it veers off into such WTF territory (no other way to describe it) that I'm going to make sure the co-worker who pawned this off on me is likewise forced to experience it. :)
June 9, 2014
When women write trash, it's "chick lit". When men do, it's "satire".
However, Mr Haskell Smith should be applauded for the dexterity of his vocabulary skills: in no sentence in this book is the same synonym for "penis" used twice.
However, Mr Haskell Smith should be applauded for the dexterity of his vocabulary skills: in no sentence in this book is the same synonym for "penis" used twice.
December 19, 2013
For some, Smith may go a bit too far and come off as lewd or crude at times. But even if you can't handle all of what he dishes out, you can't deny one simple fact of his novels: They're fun.
Seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole of this novel because it is nonstop fun. It's all sorts of entertaining with Smith's darker humor, one liners, and bizarre situations. Even better, this one moves at such a brisk pace that you can't help but cruise right along with each of the characters.
And speaking of, this has one of my favorites from Smith. Sepp is too wonderful, and Smith has does an excellent job humanizing this reality TV star that, on the surface, simply seems like your stereotypical hot-guy-with-no-brains. But Smith creates such a sincerity and genuine likeability to Sepp that when his slow gears do start turning, it's nothing short of wonderful. The simple and straightforward views Sepp has on life are, indeed, profound. I haven't loved a character this much in awhile.
As is the norm, Smith's books aren't for everyone, but that's what makes them so appealing. He's not catering to everyone; he's having fun; we're having fun; everyone goes home happy. So, do yourself a favor, pick up this book and go ahead and enjoy this simultaneously insightful and entertaining read.
Seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole of this novel because it is nonstop fun. It's all sorts of entertaining with Smith's darker humor, one liners, and bizarre situations. Even better, this one moves at such a brisk pace that you can't help but cruise right along with each of the characters.
And speaking of, this has one of my favorites from Smith. Sepp is too wonderful, and Smith has does an excellent job humanizing this reality TV star that, on the surface, simply seems like your stereotypical hot-guy-with-no-brains. But Smith creates such a sincerity and genuine likeability to Sepp that when his slow gears do start turning, it's nothing short of wonderful. The simple and straightforward views Sepp has on life are, indeed, profound. I haven't loved a character this much in awhile.
As is the norm, Smith's books aren't for everyone, but that's what makes them so appealing. He's not catering to everyone; he's having fun; we're having fun; everyone goes home happy. So, do yourself a favor, pick up this book and go ahead and enjoy this simultaneously insightful and entertaining read.
January 11, 2014
Needless to say, I enjoyed this book more than I expected once I had begun it but as much as I had thought when I saw the cover. So, in judging the book by its cover I was affirmed in my assumption about 50 pages in. This little novel, with its rather hilarious twists and characters, also inspired my love of true literature as opposed to a quick story and I have thus reset my goals for 2014 with this in mind.
Reading this novel almost made me sad when I realized that in the last year of working in a public library, I had actually "dumbed" my reading choices down in order to better make recommendations to the public based on their demands. I also have been reading nonsense due to the fact that our library district simple doesn't carry some of the greatest (in English, we seem to have plenty of it in Russian) authors or works. So even in its humorous commentary on reality and the desire of the masses, I was a bit ashamed of myself for making such adjustments to my own taste as well as inspired to find my home again within the pages of books that may have "nothing happening" but contain magic and emotion all the same.
Reading this novel almost made me sad when I realized that in the last year of working in a public library, I had actually "dumbed" my reading choices down in order to better make recommendations to the public based on their demands. I also have been reading nonsense due to the fact that our library district simple doesn't carry some of the greatest (in English, we seem to have plenty of it in Russian) authors or works. So even in its humorous commentary on reality and the desire of the masses, I was a bit ashamed of myself for making such adjustments to my own taste as well as inspired to find my home again within the pages of books that may have "nothing happening" but contain magic and emotion all the same.
February 27, 2015
This is the first time, in a long time, that I've read a book and didn't want to put it down. Raw is fast and funny and for me, easy to get lost in. The chapters are short and expertly written. I love how distinctive the voice of each character is. When there is a chapter or passage from Sepp's point of view (the main character), it reads and sounds nothing like Harriet or the rest of the characters. I also found the book to be incredibly funny, right up there with Baked, also by Smith.
It was nice reading something that wasn't predictable. I was genuinely surprised at the twists and turns and floored at a major turning point about halfway through the book. After that event, I almost put the book down as it seemed there would be no way to recover, but Mark Haskell Smith pulled it all together. Raw is fun, pure fun, with some nice commentary on reality and our perceptions of each other and ourselves. It's not heavy handed, just an enjoyable ride. Overall I loved the book from the very first page to the very last.
It was nice reading something that wasn't predictable. I was genuinely surprised at the twists and turns and floored at a major turning point about halfway through the book. After that event, I almost put the book down as it seemed there would be no way to recover, but Mark Haskell Smith pulled it all together. Raw is fun, pure fun, with some nice commentary on reality and our perceptions of each other and ourselves. It's not heavy handed, just an enjoyable ride. Overall I loved the book from the very first page to the very last.
November 21, 2013
I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway. I have never read anything before by this author. The title implies that it is a love story, but I found it more crude than romantic.
I had a hard time getting into this book. I am not a fan of reality T.V. so the theme of reality T.V. versus real life was not that appealing.
I found it hard to like any of the characters. I felt like they were all exaggerated with mostly unlikeable qualities. Are we suppose to be rooting for a librarian type character who feels intellectually superior to everyone and causes the death of another character?
For reality T.V. fans, you may enjoy this book, but it was not the type of book that I enjoy.
I had a hard time getting into this book. I am not a fan of reality T.V. so the theme of reality T.V. versus real life was not that appealing.
I found it hard to like any of the characters. I felt like they were all exaggerated with mostly unlikeable qualities. Are we suppose to be rooting for a librarian type character who feels intellectually superior to everyone and causes the death of another character?
For reality T.V. fans, you may enjoy this book, but it was not the type of book that I enjoy.
February 6, 2014
I’ve long been a fan of Mark Haskell Smith and have read most of his books. Raw, though, may be my favorite.
The satire and wisdom were executed flawlessly. Not only did he pull off a fascinating interplay of high and low-brow culture, but he also makes the reader think deeply while frantically turning pages and laughing out loud. But more than all of that, what really impressed me was how despite their satirical purposes, every character was so endearing. I wanted to personally know each and every one of them. well, maybe not all of them!
The satire and wisdom were executed flawlessly. Not only did he pull off a fascinating interplay of high and low-brow culture, but he also makes the reader think deeply while frantically turning pages and laughing out loud. But more than all of that, what really impressed me was how despite their satirical purposes, every character was so endearing. I wanted to personally know each and every one of them. well, maybe not all of them!
November 28, 2013
I was thrilled when I saw the announcement of a new Mark Haskell Smith novel. After devouring his other four novels, it was reasonable to expect that this would be something I'd dig...and it doesn't disappoint. There is an immediacy to Smith's fiction, a quickly yet vividly created world with interesting characters where something is instantaneously going on. It hits fast and doesn't stop, pulling me from first page to last, at the same time bringing a focus to illuminate topical aspects of modern life in a way that doesn't obstruct narrative. In short, I dig.
December 15, 2013
Mark's books are always just so much fun, sexy, clever, well written, and yet have this nasty little bite to them. And he makes it look so easy. Damn him.
RAW delivers on its promise to satirize reality television, publishing, and American pop culture in general. So much so I wanted to laugh and cry at the publishing life observations. And, dude, he made me shouting, "Holy shit," out loud at one point in the book.
RAW delivers on its promise to satirize reality television, publishing, and American pop culture in general. So much so I wanted to laugh and cry at the publishing life observations. And, dude, he made me shouting, "Holy shit," out loud at one point in the book.
December 28, 2013
This book was so delicious, I liken it to eating a thick cut steak- cooked black and blue- it's crusty on the outside and juicy on the inside. It's also a dark satire of reality tv shows- a genre I loathe and I think is the bell weather of the apocalypse. I read the book over a two day period, it was a great vacation from some of the political reading I do. Mark is a pal of mine, but I confess, I missed the last 2 books, I need to get them asap- he's really good.
July 23, 2015
Raw: "pure, unadulterated, hard core, serious, no kidding" (Urban Dictionary)
A delightful satire on vanity, stupidity, intellectual snobbery, reality TV and the internet. along with a few dozen other choice pretentious balloons that deserve a puncture, Raw is serious, tender, and hilariously funny. LOL funny.
A delightful satire on vanity, stupidity, intellectual snobbery, reality TV and the internet. along with a few dozen other choice pretentious balloons that deserve a puncture, Raw is serious, tender, and hilariously funny. LOL funny.
February 18, 2016
Reality TV. Literature. Murder. This is my kind of book.
I read this in a single sitting. RAW married highbrow and lowbrow entertainment, darkly and with laugh out loud moments. It felt wrought with inside jokes. Sepp, Harriet, Curtis, all of them embody caricatures of literature. MHS breathes life into them. RAW was terrible and lovely and funny and honest. I loved it.
I read this in a single sitting. RAW married highbrow and lowbrow entertainment, darkly and with laugh out loud moments. It felt wrought with inside jokes. Sepp, Harriet, Curtis, all of them embody caricatures of literature. MHS breathes life into them. RAW was terrible and lovely and funny and honest. I loved it.
May 15, 2014
This is one rockin' book of fun. Sepp Gregory is a bod-without-a-brain you come to love because he is an innocent babe who falls in with a brainiac snob. A couple so mismatched it works. A hilarious romp on a cross country book tour.
April 29, 2019
One of the funniest satires I have read in years poking its finger at the literary world, the publishing business and the phenomenon of the reality TV industry.
Mark Haskell Smith has worked his way onto my favorite authors list.
Highly Recommend this book!
Mark Haskell Smith has worked his way onto my favorite authors list.
Highly Recommend this book!
October 16, 2013
A fun romp and rumination on the hi and low brow of celebrity and reality with a literary twist.
February 12, 2014
This book was a delight. I wrote a little staff pick for this on The Millions:
http://www.themillions.com/2014/02/pl...
http://www.themillions.com/2014/02/pl...
March 27, 2014
Fun, sexy & hilarious!! There is even a jaded publicist character!!
February 19, 2019
Hilarious. The first book I’ve read that actually made me laugh out loud. Adore his writing intelligent and comedic writing style.
July 10, 2020
Another funny read by Mark.
November 20, 2020
I just couldn't get a grip of the story. Even tho there were funny moments, couldn't wait it to be over 💁🏻♀️
January 30, 2022
Pleasant audio book, good satire with some good swearing.
March 1, 2024
Took a while to build the story, but as with all MHS books, has incredible twists and turns.
December 4, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyable. Come for the mismatched love story, stay for the cultural critique. I'll be checking out the author's other work.
January 29, 2022
Extremely fun, tightly paced, Smith has a great sense of the layers of characters and personality and how they're often at odds yet still part of a whole, complete person.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews