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Iltday
Skeet Jeffcoat Deveaux works at the video store, likes toaster waffles and the Wizard of Oz, and lives with his grandpa. Life isn't easy, but it's nice enough. Except for one thing. Sometimes, wedged in between midnights, there comes a secret day - Iltday - a day of the week only Skeet experiences. And somewhere from within those secret pockets of time, some thing wants out...
156 pages, Paperback
Published July 6, 2023
3 people want to read
About the author
Tim Boiteau
18 books4 followersTim Boiteau lives in Michigan with his family. He is the award-winning author of several novels, including The Nilwere. You can find his short fiction has in many ezines, magazines, podcasts, and anthologies, notably Daily Science Fiction, Kaleidotrope, and The NoSleep Podcast. He is also Editor at Every Day Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 9, 2025
This one is more like a 4.5 star but close enough.
I think the strength of it lies in the first-person narration. I love a good "unreliable narrator" where the unreliability is obvious from the get-go. In the case of this book, we are reading the journal of a young man named Skeet. Skeet has a mental handicap along with an oppressive optimism that causes him to white-wash a lot of the messy things going on around him. "Messy" often in a very literal sense, as he lives with his hoarder grandfather who's a bitter and sometimes, unkind, old man. Another example of the obvious unreliability of Skeet's account of things is that he categorizes his slacker co-worker at the video rental place as his best friend, despite the other kid's continual verbal abuse and occasional physical abuse. Skeet even has enough presence of mind to admit that he often does not like his co-worker, but as it's the peer he spends the most time with, the title of "best friend" remains without a worthy challenger.
Despite his obvious troubles, Skeet remains sunny and playful, and I was genuinely intrigued as he took us through the unsettling specifics of his day-to-day. The character is himself, very likeable, and the naïve but inquisitive tone of Skeet's observations is well-maintained throughout. This whole attitude of his is somewhat framed by Skeet's obsession with the Wizard of Oz, a film he returns to so often that the physical tape of his VHS copy is badly worn. This also gives some context to Skeets hyperfixation with color, and how he feels the color of the world shifts from day to day.
According to what we read in Skeet's journal, each day has it's own color, and some he prefers more than others. We are also told that there is an extra day of the week that only he experiences, the titular "Iltday". Although Iltday does not come with the same regularity as the other days, Skeet seems to have a sinking suspicious that the next Iltday is on the horizon.
There is little else I can say without spoiling things, so I won't. But, suffice to say, although Skeet is obviously confused about many things in life, he seems to know what he's talking about with this extra day of the week.
I think the strength of it lies in the first-person narration. I love a good "unreliable narrator" where the unreliability is obvious from the get-go. In the case of this book, we are reading the journal of a young man named Skeet. Skeet has a mental handicap along with an oppressive optimism that causes him to white-wash a lot of the messy things going on around him. "Messy" often in a very literal sense, as he lives with his hoarder grandfather who's a bitter and sometimes, unkind, old man. Another example of the obvious unreliability of Skeet's account of things is that he categorizes his slacker co-worker at the video rental place as his best friend, despite the other kid's continual verbal abuse and occasional physical abuse. Skeet even has enough presence of mind to admit that he often does not like his co-worker, but as it's the peer he spends the most time with, the title of "best friend" remains without a worthy challenger.
Despite his obvious troubles, Skeet remains sunny and playful, and I was genuinely intrigued as he took us through the unsettling specifics of his day-to-day. The character is himself, very likeable, and the naïve but inquisitive tone of Skeet's observations is well-maintained throughout. This whole attitude of his is somewhat framed by Skeet's obsession with the Wizard of Oz, a film he returns to so often that the physical tape of his VHS copy is badly worn. This also gives some context to Skeets hyperfixation with color, and how he feels the color of the world shifts from day to day.
According to what we read in Skeet's journal, each day has it's own color, and some he prefers more than others. We are also told that there is an extra day of the week that only he experiences, the titular "Iltday". Although Iltday does not come with the same regularity as the other days, Skeet seems to have a sinking suspicious that the next Iltday is on the horizon.
There is little else I can say without spoiling things, so I won't. But, suffice to say, although Skeet is obviously confused about many things in life, he seems to know what he's talking about with this extra day of the week.
January 3, 2024
This was a super interesting concept but the book just wasn’t for me.
The writing style, which I know was intentional, just made the book annoying to read and the story just feels flat.
Like I said, it was still an interesting concept and just because I personally didn’t enjoy a book doesn’t mean you won’t. So definitely check it out if the synopsis intrigues you!
The writing style, which I know was intentional, just made the book annoying to read and the story just feels flat.
Like I said, it was still an interesting concept and just because I personally didn’t enjoy a book doesn’t mean you won’t. So definitely check it out if the synopsis intrigues you!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews