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Gus.
We have all had days where we exist in a liminal headspace trying to figure out just how real our surroundings are. Joel changes his life to try to make everything easier and finds himself trapped not knowing if anything around him is real.
71 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2024
4 people want to read
About the author
Jason Garden
3 books5 followersIn the indipedent music scene for over ten years. Drummer on ten releases, contracted viral meningoencephalitis just before his 25th birthday, and has been in a wheelchair since.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 22, 2024
First, of course, I must admit my conflict of interest here! Ole Jason Garden is a rather near and somewhat dear friend of mine. Secondly... my name is Joel!? So this is clearly the author, Mr. Garden's, deep penetrative assessment of my existential plight! Not only that, a character named Elaine appears at some point as a love/romantic interest... Why that's my MOTHER'S NAME!? Am I.... in love with my mother?
...
Of course, I am reading too far (between the words, around the words, and having a good laugh at it while I go). I doo think in some capacity my name might have been some of the inspiration for this character, but anyone familiar with Jay Garden can find quite a bit of his own personality coming through in our lead here! Beyond his penchant for gallows humour, existential nihilistic jokes and love for the caffeine that makes reoccurring appearances in almost every chapter... it's a fictional extrapolation of our author indeed!
I also sense (and this is where it's a treat) that what we have here is a fictional exploration of some of the core questions the author has himself wrestled with. What the heck is going on here? What is reality? What is it like to have our bodies and minds betray the stability of our perceptions?
Things get a bit shifty in the second half, with a nice employment of what is referred to in literary circles as the "unreliable narrator". And things DO get a bit disjointed, though I feel that is perhaps the very purpose. Shifting perspectives, characters coming in and out of reality, and questions that feel impossible to answer, are the core questions of the book.
It's all conveyed with a grittiness that feels real and a humour that keeps its bite from feeling fatal. It's all unnerving and unreal while feeling casual and uncannily familiar.
I do feel like the story spirals into a whirlpool of questions and perhaps feels like the start of more revisits with our hero Joel (it's okay, I'm also still trying to sort out what to make of my life so far).
I think Jason has created a parallel universe where he can use the power and distance of fiction to explore his frustrations, disorientations and questions. The story feels unfinished in some sense because perhaps there are still revelations waiting to occur for the author too.
It's an engrossing read, and pulls you along by a thread even as it begins to unravel itself! Mostly, I'm just grateful to see someone use creativity as an exploration of personal trauma. It doesn't shy away from those existential questions that pick apart our perceptions.
I think there is more to come!
...
Of course, I am reading too far (between the words, around the words, and having a good laugh at it while I go). I doo think in some capacity my name might have been some of the inspiration for this character, but anyone familiar with Jay Garden can find quite a bit of his own personality coming through in our lead here! Beyond his penchant for gallows humour, existential nihilistic jokes and love for the caffeine that makes reoccurring appearances in almost every chapter... it's a fictional extrapolation of our author indeed!
I also sense (and this is where it's a treat) that what we have here is a fictional exploration of some of the core questions the author has himself wrestled with. What the heck is going on here? What is reality? What is it like to have our bodies and minds betray the stability of our perceptions?
Things get a bit shifty in the second half, with a nice employment of what is referred to in literary circles as the "unreliable narrator". And things DO get a bit disjointed, though I feel that is perhaps the very purpose. Shifting perspectives, characters coming in and out of reality, and questions that feel impossible to answer, are the core questions of the book.
It's all conveyed with a grittiness that feels real and a humour that keeps its bite from feeling fatal. It's all unnerving and unreal while feeling casual and uncannily familiar.
I do feel like the story spirals into a whirlpool of questions and perhaps feels like the start of more revisits with our hero Joel (it's okay, I'm also still trying to sort out what to make of my life so far).
I think Jason has created a parallel universe where he can use the power and distance of fiction to explore his frustrations, disorientations and questions. The story feels unfinished in some sense because perhaps there are still revelations waiting to occur for the author too.
It's an engrossing read, and pulls you along by a thread even as it begins to unravel itself! Mostly, I'm just grateful to see someone use creativity as an exploration of personal trauma. It doesn't shy away from those existential questions that pick apart our perceptions.
I think there is more to come!
Displaying 1 of 1 review