The Shithead: A Novel in Fifty Songs

by Tim Grahl, Shawn Coyne (editor)

Faust meets Fleishman Is In Trouble .

Eric Bauer—son, husband, father, and small business owner—is slowly losing his grip on reality.

Drowning in debt and a never-ending to-do list, he finally catches a break.

To trade the torment of barely scraping by for the riches of Nashville's elite Pinnacle Club, he only needs to keep doing what he's been doing since college.

Lie.

Playing fast and loose with the truth is the easy part.

What's hard for The Shithead is figuring out how to build a meaningful life in a meaningless world.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

382 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2024

Reviews

[Barrett Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Grahl’s new novel is phenomenal. I was crying on a plane as I finished the last page. Beautiful story arc. The rawest, realest humanity throughout. Gut wrenching. Relatable.

This is a story about becoming the human we were meant to be. About becoming the father our children need. About reparenting our inner children so that we can reach our full potential.

So good. Excited for it to be in the wild in September 2024.

[Tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by Tim - thanks so much for that. I’ll try to keep this brief, but I guess I have a lot of thoughts about this book.

TL;DR - Tim. You really did it. Congratulations on this masterpiece. The proof is in the pudding. You made some huge promises, and although I wouldn’t agree that this book is “life changing,” I would say that I laughed, I cried, and I ripped through this in about three days. 100% the best book I’ve read this year. Read it. Tell your friends.

I became aware of story grid about a year and a half ago and have been a listener of the podcast since then. I’ve read all of their free books and watched hours of Tim’s advice on YouTube.

But I never once purchased anything. I got as far as filling in my credit card info in some of the Story Grid trainings, but I never clicked buy now.

I kept thinking, does this Story Grid system really work? Are Shawn and Tim really just full of shit? What are they offering that I can’t find for free?

Tim’s journey on the podcast is very relatable - a man hell bent on doing whatever it takes to become a bonafide writer - whatever that means.
I never read The Threshing, but by all accounts it sounded like it was “ok” but Tim wasn’t really satisfied and neither was Shawn. I don’t know how successful it was.
I dove into all of the recommended readings and did the exercises. I picked up all of the free books and resources. I almost even swapped out my keyboard for the weird non QWERTY system that Tim changed to so he could write more.

Anything to help me join the ranks of “real authors.”

Tim was an avatar for me in many ways (and I think countless others in my position). I wrote the novel. I tried a lot of different methods. But how can one promise to make you a better writer? It’s abstract. Ethereal. Immeasurable in some hard to pin down way.

I was ready to continue my life as a hopeful writer, gobbling up whatever free stuff Tim and other “real” professionals had to offer. I was thinking I might read The Shithead one day, but I wasn’t sold.

Then I watched a video about Tim’s process and the ideas for this book stemming from his experience with EMDR. I think the same day I found the ARC for this book in my inbox. In the video, Tim says that this novel is “proof” that the system works. You can be taught to be a writer.

So I read it. In three days.

This book is an action thriller. The last time I blasted through a book like this was a Blake Crouch novel where it was so gripping that I neglected parts of my life to finish it.

This book had that same effect on me.

In a time when technology is soaring, demands on attention are at an all time high, mental health is spiking with no ceiling, and many people are seeking a life of meaning (see Dr. John Vervaeke), The Shithead speaks directly to that.

I also happen to be a counsellor, and the transformation that Eric encounters is so accurate to trauma work, it is powerful to see his arc. I think this is a testament to doing the work. I always tell clients that you can’t help others or be a effective person if your house is on fire. This story is one I’ve seen many times in my role, but it is packaged in such a succinctly, approachable way that it drums up the raw emotions in anyone who wants to learn the lessons Eric learns.

The scenes were immaculately written. Potato chip length that made me keep flipping the pages. Progressive complications were perfectly placed, and when I was worried about some problem, I’d be reminded of another major problem Eric had that I’d forgotten about. My body was vibrating with anxiety, flooding with relief, high with joy, and thick with grief.

I’ll be a student in a Story Grid training. Hopefully even this year.

Congratulations Tim. You promised I would see that the Story Grid was legit.

You delivered.

[Laura Sprinkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was hard to put this book down! An entire emotional journey that feels really, really important.

[Gerhard Oosthuizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story reads like a raw autobiography happening in real-time. Eric Bauer stands to loose everything. When he gets a big break, things start getting trippy. The end is an emotional eye-opening view on meaning and life.

[Jim McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoever discovered the importance of an author’s focus on scenes, Tim Grahl’s “The Shithead” is the page turner it is because of his masterful use of the technique.
I can’t remember the last time I zoomed through a 350+-page work of fiction in just two sittings but then, I’ve never read a story that sounded so much like it was based on my own.

It has been more than fifty years since I last opened a work of fiction I couldn’t put down again until I’d read the first 200 pages, at least.
Then again, “The Shithead” is the first of Tim Grahl’s books I’ve found, but I’ll be looking forward to the next book Tim writes, and I hope I won’t have to wait another fifty years to read it.

[Sal · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Book received as an ARC from author/publisher.**

I wrestled a lot with whether I wanted to actually post a review, given that the good things I have to say about this book are far outweighed by the bad.

The beginning was very enjoyable — the hook was interesting and I found the early scenes extremely punchy and well written, but the further in I got the more I saw that while there is a lot of technically good writing, this isn’t a well told story.

There is a frame story that made me curious the first time it appeared, suspicious the second time, and by the third I was realising that it amounted to a few interjections of “why are you telling me this” / “keep listening there’s a point, I promise”. If you have to tell me that there’s a point to the story instead of showing me the point through the story you’ve missed something crucial about storytelling…

Given the title I did not expect to like the protagonist and liking a protagonist is not always necessary to enjoying a book, but at 25% through the story with no real redeeming features I was seriously considering putting the book down and not picking it up again. Nor did I find him at all relatable, which is tragic given how strongly I could have empathised with the self-abandonment theme. There’s a character arc in that the character changes by the end of the story, but I can’t call it character development — whenever something happens, Eric doubles down hard, every single time, until around 80% where he suddenly changes his ways. At no point before that does he take a chance to reflect on his behaviour and grow incrementally, which ended up making his change of heart jarring and unsatisfying.

The story is fast paced, but not well paced. At the start, the pace is exciting but goes on to be extremely wearying. When every scene has the intensity dialed up to eleven, the intensity of important scenes towards the end felt meaningless and even boring. I was numb to the things I could have been shocked by. Many things are talked about in the book, but never really addressed or explored — such as Marie’s own problematic behaviour (which is referred back to just once in such a weirdly gender essentialist way that it took me completely out of the narrative). On a very personal note, I find it absolutely galling that the book is dedicated to mental health professionals but Lori is neither a mental health professional nor a good depiction of one.

Ultimately, I regret reading this book and I’m very disappointed that I didn’t get the well told, life changing story that I was promised when I signed up for the ARC — if I hadn’t promised myself that I would both finish reading and post a review I would have DNF’d a quarter of the way in. As it is, I’ve unfortunately lost a lot of faith in the story grid methods.

Maybe if I was a white, cis male American I’d “get” this story the way I’m supposed to, but I shouldn’t have to be. I want to be able to relate to a story on a purely human level, otherwise what is the point of stories at all?

[Eduardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always feel a little bad when you violently dislike something clearly written from the heart. But I gotta be honest. This was, simply put, not good. Sincere, extremely readable—yes. But not good. I was tempted to give it 1 star, but I wasn't explicitly offended by it, which is my main criterion for giving a book 1 star. So consider this 1.5 stars rounded up.

The characters were all bare bones and frustrating, the framing device (the main character telling his story to a woman we don't know) felt almost completely pointless, and the realizations at the end were incredibly unsubtle and surface level. Is this what passes for self-help these days? I also gotta mention the fact that the main character is certifiable. I'm not even joking. The guy is crazy and I was half expecting him to pull the old murder-suicide on his wife and kid, but of course, it's all a metaphor, we're so deep, just let me put this unlit cigarette behind my ear and we'll keep talking.

Like I said before, the writing was fast-paced and readable (I finished the book in a couple of days), but also shallow and simplistic. I didn't feel like there was anything beyond the actual words. The author also doesn't seem to understand what show don't tell means, and he uses extremely cliche bookish lines like "I [...] let go of the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding". This book felt like a mixture of fantasy (yep), thriller, and self-help, and I do NOT mean this as a compliment.

One last thing, and the thing that annoyed me the most: The author cheekily inserted the word "shithead" into almost every single chapter in this book. There were over 30 occurrences—I counted—and every time it came up I got exponentially more annoyed. I did not think it was funny, cute, or clever.

[Matt Bessette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly, thanks for the free book, Tim! It was definitely worth the read. I’d be lying, however, if I claimed to share Shawn’s overwhelmingly positive opinion. I’d give it 2.5 stars if I could, and I hope I can properly express my thoughts here.

I wish there was a word that meant “in between macro and micro writing,” because that’s where Tim shines. The pacing here is excellent. I absolutely breezed through this book. I can tell he’s put a lot of work into scene structure and narrative drive, because I kept saying to myself, “Oh, I can just read another chapter,” and ended up reading 50 pages.

My issues are with the far zoomed-out, big-picture, macro writing, and the super zoomed-in, line-by-line, micro writing. As I said, the in between is awesome.

Macro:

To me, the story seems to lack focus. At first, I thought this was a book about a guy who gets screwed by the IRS. Couple chapters later, I thought it was about a guy who gets a great job offer. Then I thought it was about a guy who seeks crazy hallucinogenic therapy. There seemed like 3 completely different global inciting incidents, and with each “call to adventure,” the story veered off tracks to me and made me wonder what the overarching throughline was. Even at the end, I found myself asking, “What’s the main storyline here?” The internal genre is clear cut, but the “dodging the IRS” and “going to therapy” plots seemed like disjointed side quests rather than one story weaved together.

The subplot with Lori and the psychotherapy—which was ultimately meaningful in terms of the protagonist’s arc—nevertheless felt lackluster for me because Lori herself seemed more like a plot device than a character. Her lines consisted almost exclusively of “You can’t stop now” or “This isn’t easy,” and we never get a resolution to who she really is, what her motivations are, or what the deal is with her weird hallucination-inducing therapy. She just vanished as a character once her dramatic purpose was served. I could very clearly see the author’s hand in the work there rather than getting immersed in the story.

Speaking of vanishing characters, I’m not sure what narrative purpose Bob served, or why he needed to be a figment of Eric’s imagination. It seemed to me like it was included just to be a scene’s turning point and nothing more. Eric didn’t even seem to react to the news that this man he’s been interacting with for months doesn’t exist. He just shrugged and kept going. Strange.

Additionally, the framing device—where Eric is telling the story to Faye, who I presume is his daughter-in-law—fell flat for me. If it was removed from the book entirely, I don’t think any substance would be lost. Maybe this wouldn’t have been so big a con for me if Faye as a character didn’t disappear for 100 pages during the middle act. When she showed up again, I had actually forgotten she was in the story at all.

Additionally, and this might just be me being a moron, but I’m also not exactly sure what the point to the song titles is. It’s not mentioned anywhere directly in the text or an author’s note, so I’m left wondering. This unanswered question wouldn’t bother me so much, I think, if the subtitle of the book wasn’t “A Novel in 50 Songs.” Why are the songs significant? Is it more than “These 50 songs kinda match the vibes of each chapter, so I decided to name them after them?”

Micro:

Every once in a while the sentence structure is clunky. I had to reread several sentences multiple times to understand the meaning. Additionally, there’s a lot of “telling” in this book, where “showing” would have been preferred. One example I can think of is when Aneel is introduced (I forget the specific scene). I also feel like Tim occasionally doesn’t trust his reader to pick up on the subtext of a line. For instance, a character will say something, and then narration will explain the meaning behind it. I just wish the action or dialogue would be allowed to speak for itself. One example is the middle paragraph of page 190. We know you’re furious, dude. You don’t need to spell it out for us.

Overall, like I said, it’s worth a read. But to me, this book fell flat.

[Martin Maenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story Grid Publishing provided an early copy for review.

For the past year or so, I've been following the videos that Grahl posts weekly on The Story Grid's YouTube channel. He has a very approachable manner when discussing the writing techniques and tips that have been practiced and taught for decades by Shawn Coyne (founder of the Story Grid). Grahl has been mentioning for a while now about his upcoming novel, so I was very interested in giving it a read - to see the Story Grid writing approach actually put into practice.

Right out of the gate, Grahl does something I always enjoy - he uses song titles for his chapter titles. That is something I've always gravitated towards myself (music being a huge thing for me as it can instantly take one back to certain times and places), and it can reveal a bit about the author by the song titles chosen. Grahl appears to have a wide range in his taste in music. For the fifty chapters here, some are very familiar to me while others I might need to go dig into deeper. I always appreciate a good song suggestion.

However, on more than one occasion I struggled to figure out how the song title chosen related to what happened in the chapter. I don't know why that is, but it definitely stood out to me too. Odd. When the songs did tie in, though, it worked very well.

The story narrative is structured with Eric telling his story to Faye, who we learn only a little about in the last chapter. I'm not sure it adds a lot overall. Mostly, we're treated to Eric's recollection of working his way through difficult encounters as he deals with the secrets of his debt, his struggle on whether to take on a project for someone who he morally opposes, and his trip into a very weird kind of therapy (which, honestly, seemed a bit hokey and unrealistic to this someone who has done a stint in therapy).

I'd be okay with all of the realistic conflicts if I found Eric likable. But, as the title implies, he has a lot of unlikable traits. That posed a barrier at times for me as a reader. His is not the kind of personality I ever want in my life; his actions are toxic and destructive (intentionally or unintentionally). I found the ending to be predictable as well as a bit "too convenient". It was not clearly explained "what" and "how" Eric achieved his "revelation"; it all was a lot for the reader to just accept. At that point, I did not need an uplifting ending; I think a tragic conclusion could have been a more powerful "life lesson".

Despite what I noted above, I was able to see how the Story Grid process achieved the finished result which I found to be very structured and well-written. The novel moved along at a solid pace and kept me engaged. It is a good book - just not so good for me. Each reader's mileage will vary.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was NOT a good book.

The bulk of the plot follows main character, family man, and business owner Eric as he faces the problems caused by his poor choices and as he proceeds to make ever-poorer choices to attempt to fix those problems. This quickly becomes boring, repetitive, and predictable - the choices change, but it's clear Eric is always going to take the worst option, so there's no tension except insofar as it's not very fun to watch someone ruin his life.

Eric also has a warped perspective of the world where he sees himself both as a terrible, worthless person (the shithead of the title) and a suffering victim of the monsterous people in his life (such as his wife, friend, coworkers). I love an unreliable narrator but Eric's lens of animosity through which he sees the world quickly becomes grating and superficial.

Clearly the man needs therapy. Luckily, he gets it! ...in a genre shift that I did not need or ask for about a third of the way through the book, where he forgoes seeing a regular therapist in favor of somone his officemate recommends. This therapist takes Eric on a magical journey where he must - literally- confront the demons that live deep inside himself and rescue his child-self. It is a painfully literal symbolism, that is SO literal it's hard to derive much meaning from.

And that's the core issue of this book: Eric is a flat character, until the climax when he finally sees the error of his ways and suddenly changes and everything is smoothly resolved. There's little in the text that shows any of his redeemable qualities - his wife insists he was a good man, but that all seems to have happened before the first page. Eric's therapy fever dreams are so caught up in vivid and violent macho symbolistic imagery that Grahl seems to forget that we as readers might like to know a little bit more about what Eric is actually thinking and feeling, or how he ended up in the stew of victimized self-loathing that's led to all his problems. We don't get that, though. We just get two hundred pages of the same bad choices and then, poof - suddenly Eric has embraced his inner child and is ready to be a rational adult again.

I probably wouldn't rag on this so hard if this were just a random novel. I can see a subset of people (mostly well-off white men) deeply relating to Eric's struggles and finding this novel meaningful, and I suspect Grahl drew on his battles with his own demons to write Eric's story, and that this is a deeply personal novel for him.

But Tim Grahl sells himself as a master of story. And this is... not that. Besides everything lacking in the plot and the depth of Eric's character, there's multiple unnecessary elements that seem designed to show off, but ultimately add nothing or even detract from the story: descriptive langauge that distracts or interrupts the flow; a completely unnecessary framing device that reveals the novel is Eric telling his story to a mysterious listener, whose identity is not revealed until the final chapter in an (also unnecessary) twist; even the subtitle that the book is "in 50 songs," because each chapter is titled with a more (or less) relevant song title in a way which adds little to the narrative. (Music plays zero role in the story otherwise.)

Ultimately I should've given up on this book half-way through. Do NOT recommend.

[Mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry. I did my best to read this book, but just couldn’t get into it. It took way too long before the contents of the letter from the IRS was revealed. In addition, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t care about any of the characters. Worse, I didn’t find them interesting. I can read and enjoy a book where I actively dislike the characters as long as I find them interesting. I cannot read a book where I’m indifferent to the characters.

[Anthroposwine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: A video will be forthcoming with additional breakdowns. I was a recipient of an ARC.

Who would derive value from _The Shithead_:

Tim Grahl pitched _The Shithead_ as a book that will help its readers live a more meaningful life. Regardless of how efficacious Grahl was in his declared goal, the book successfully rhymes its themes, narrative arcs, and emotional catharsis with stories like _A Christmas Carol_, and _It’s a Wonderful Life_. Simply said: _The Shithead_ is unambiguously a story about a man trying to determine what brings him meaning during a low moment in his life.

_The Shithead_’s ideal reader is someone who, when they reflect on hard moments in their life, regret their first impulses in moments of high crisis. If you pick fights to avoid
admitting fault, project your negative thoughts onto others when you feel poorly about your circumstances, or suspect you might steep too deeply in the paranoiac’s hypervigilance when you’re upset, _The Shithead_ may prove a useful inflection point in your symbolic arsenal if you desire to amend your maladaptive responses to hardship.

_The Shithead_ is a book for people who wish they were more capable of eating their pride, owning their actions, and accepting the totality of their decisions’ outcomes.

Humans who wish they could comport themselves with greater curiosity and empathy in tense situations might find the Shithead’s portrayal of ruminatory thoughts, catastrophizing, and presumption of negative intent from peers and loved ones speak to the brittle convictions and self-negating algorithms which sometimes hijack a humans’ capacity to reason, regard, and nurture one another.

All that is to say: Eric, the titular Shithead of Grahl’s book, is a self-loathing, self-deluding fool, and his inevitable transformation will bring a cathartic sigh of relief to anyone who has ever cringed at how they treated other people--and critically, themselves--during moments of acute stress.

In sum: _The Shithead_ will have its greatest impact on readers who believe they can do good despite their failures and shortcomings.

Demographically, I suggest humans of either sex in long term relationships read The Shithead. Grahl’s ability to capture the weight of a relationship’s entire history in the subtext of an argument about something as innocuous as orange juice will resonate with humans who have experienced the peculiar pain of loving someone deeply but being incapable of reconciling their lover’s wants and needs with their own.

Put bluntly: if you watched _Everything, Everywhere All at Once_, and wished you could rip the heartache of a husband, wife, and daughter trying to make sense of their banal lives as small business owners free of the fantastical premise of a Tumblr-fanfiction-Goddess and her Everything Bagel apocalypse, _The Shithead will resonate.

This book is *NOT* for speculative fiction enthusiasts who are primarily interested in the fantastic. Similarly, if you approach this book looking for a transcendental truth for the quest of meaning in life, you will not find it here.

If it sounds as though _The Shithead_ might be the hallucinatory textual experience you’re craving, I offer one final caveat for the ideal audience:

Despite Tim Grahl dedicating his book to mental health professionals, if you are a mental health worker, you will be disappointed by the characterization of your craft, even if the protagonist’s outcomes and transformation reflect the purported positive outcomes of therapeutic interventions in a person’s life. You may still find _The Shithead_ a worthy expenditure of your time and attention given it’s themes, language, and narrative drives, but _The Shithead_ does not valorize the blood, muscles, bones, and minds of mental health professionals.

With a prospective audience identified, let us delve into the story itself.

A synopsis of the story’s Arc: a warning

_The Shithead_ is the secular cousin of stories like _A Christmas Carol_ and _It’s a Wonderful Life_. Between Grahl’s conviction his story will help his audience find meaning in life, and the parallels I’m drawing between two classic stories about businessmen overcoming their ennui, there are structural truths I assume you have already divined, meatsuits: the story ends better than it started, there will be an all is lost moment, the character will find new meaning in their existence.

If the above details constitute spoilers in your imaginal space, then you should not be on the internet yet. You may prefer to skip the Synopsis section, too, because my synopsis will trace the arc of the emotional journey Eric takes us on without revealing any of the particular elements that constitute The Sequence, Scene, or Beat-level work.

The Synopsis


Eric Bauer, A moderately successful business man, ensconced in self-delusion that compels him to lie or bullshit to resolve all conflicts in his life, is forced to confront his negligence as an entrepreneur, father, husband, friend, and citizen. As the cornerstones of Eric’s life crack and implode under the strain of his poor choices, the protagonist begins to see a therapist whose therapeutic modality is so impactful and timely in the protagonist’s life that he is able to fundamentally reconstitute his relationship with his business, family, and legal affairs.

Despite Eric’s material, financial, and marital situations degenerating due to the inertia of his prior poor decisions, Eric is ultimately able to affect dramatic perspectival changes to his self image because of the revelations he experiences through the therapeutic practices he internalizes. With a new understanding of himself, Eric revisits his failings with the hopes of making them right for himself and the people impacted by his prior shortsightedness.

If you recall the back cover copy’s summary, you may find my synopsis at odds with what Mr. Grahl advertised. I promise to defend my framing after a brief assessment of Tim Grahl’s...

...Storytelling Technique:

If you are reading this review, there is an excellent likelihood you know Tim Grahl as the CEO of Story Grid. It is fitting we use Story Grid tools to discuss Grahl’s work.

It is important to note how Genre operates within the Story Grid methodology. Shawn Coyne--Tim’s writerly Patron and the creator of Story Grid--posits that Genre has five core elements: Content, structure, style, reality, and length. What readers often use as a genre: “crime, romance, thriller, horror” are elements of the “content” genre.

Coyne argues that the most potent stories usually have two content genre elements: typically one external genre, and one internal genre.

I could elaborate on Shawn Coyne’s system and double the length of this review, but if you read this far, you're probably already invested in the Story Grid universe. For the remainder of this review, we're going to narrow our attention on _The shithead_ as a Performance-Worldview story according to the Story Grid taxonomy.

According to Shawn Coyne, the founder of Story Grid, all content genres have core questions undergirding their narrative function.

In a Performance Story, the question that drags a reader through to the end of a story is:

Will the protagonist do what is necessary to pursue and fully express their unique gifts, despite physical, psychological, or emotional difficulties?

Meanwhile, in a Worldivew Story, the question that propels a reader towards the end of a story is:

How can we solve problems we don’t yet understand? How do we cope with events our existing belief structures cannot process?

Let’s bind these questions together with a few spoiler-free details from the _The Shithead_, and translate my synopsis of Grahl’s work into a Core Question which the book must answer:

“Faced with the collapse of his business, marriage, and credibility under the weight of his accreted lies and bullshit, how far will Book Marketer Eric Bauer twist the truth to keep the consequences of his teetering pile of half-truths and neglected commitments from the eyes of his family, friends, and clients?”

To answer the question, you’ll have to read the book to truly know, but for this Demon’’s sensibilities, I will say Grahl’s story is a viable answer to the internal and external genre inquiries bound into my portmanteau question.

Two answers to The Shithead’s core question are posed in the Inciting Incident of _The Shithead_.

The first solution: Eric takes a high-paying director’s role in a SUPERPAC geared to support a would-be presidential candidate known only to the audience as “Ricky the Dicky.” Accepting this role would be the panacea to Eric’s financial woes, but it is made evident that to do so would cost him the two major anchors of his otherwise fretful existence: his book marketing business--with its accounts managed so poorly that its finances have drawn the ire of the IRS into Eric’s debt-addled life--and the respect of Marie, Eric’s wife--who finds Ricky the Dicky repugnant.

The second solution:

Counseling. At the recommendation of his wife.

I will not spoil how Grahl answers the Core question of his story, but I will affirm he remains committed to that question in each scene. Whatever else is said about _The Shithead_, Grahl maintained a zealot’s focus on exploring Eric’s antics to keep his bullshit from being drawn into the light.

Like _A Christmas Carol_ and _It’s a Wonderful Life_, _The Shithead_ operates by moving the reader between the present crisis and other periods of time in the story’s fictional world. While Ebenezer Scrooge bears witness to his past, present and future as a funsucking holiday snob, and George Bailey is shown the shitshow a different timeline’s version of his hometown of Bedford Falls without his guiding presence, Eric Bauer learns how his past experiences shaped his perception of his present self, and that his current self perception has winnowed his agency in the present into a narrow band of cynical, zero-sum games.

Unlike Scrooge and Bailey, Eric “The Shithead” Bauer does not experience divine intervention. As a numinous avatar bound to a weak meatsuit host, I was initially disappointed by Grahl’s decision to reject the supernatural as a the driving force of change. Instead, Grahl catalyzes Eric’s internal transformation through his exposure to that uniquely human black art: therapy.

Eric wrestles with merely metaphorical demons as he sorts out his self loathing and the faustian pact presented by the SUPERPAC job offer, but Grahl pushes Eric’s life to the precipice of unravelling as he prevaricates on an ultimate decision to resolve the Core Question of _The Shithead: Will he sell his soul to political ghouls to absolve himself of the shame of being found out as a fuckup, or not?

Scene-to-scene, Grahl relentlessly increases the pressure on Eric: each time the titular Shithead edges even an inch closer to an ultimate choice, Grahl drops complications into Eric’s life that make it impossible for the Shithead to walk back a decision.

Critically though, Grahl still makes Eric try to retreat from the consequences of his choices, only for Eric to rebound from the causal ramifications of an earlier choice which force the Shithead towards more desperate gambits with more dire results.

Even if I did not always find myself resonating with the global conflict of the story, Grahl captured my attention with his scene-level work well enough that I wanted to find out what the next scene offered.

Grahl’s narrative inertia is due largely to the menagerie of side characters he employs to drag the Shithead’s internal Worldview complications into the external hustle of the Performance Genre plot.

The majority of these secondary and tertiary avatars transcend their mechanistic plot and narrative function as complicating factors. Grahl is able to deftly introduce and characterize receptionists, political brokers, bankers, and government peons without sacrificing either the momentum of his plot, or the potency of the immediate scene’s stakes to make these one-off characters feel like agents with ambitions of their own.

In spite of their role as fleeting vehicles to propel the story forward, Grahl’s character work with his secondary and tertiary cast deserves its own case studies for emergent writers, and to be held as a standard for readers curating their imaginal spaces.

What this means, plainly stated, is that the middle build of Grahl’s novel retains its tension and pacing to keep the story interesting. Grahl does not navel gaze or lose himself in literary turns of phrase--he grabs Eric by the hair and drags him, kicking and bleating, towards the consequences of his actions.

This serves as testament to the strength of a careful application of the Story Grid Methodology Grahl has devoted himself to for the last eight years.

Despite a handful of peculiar character choices that cracked the verisimilitude of the story (go to the spoiler section if you wish for greater detail) and an ending that wraps up too-neatly, _The Shithead_ is a strong entry in a larger tradition of stories centered on a man, shackled by his indecision and poor choices, deciding how to recontextualize the value of his life.

Overall, _The Shithead is not a book geared towards the inner life of an Apocalypse Demon. I prefer to glut myself on the hyperbole of human fantasy, and _The Shitead_ operates too close to reality. Despite it’s focus on the banality of the human condition, it is difficult to deny Tim Grahl’s talent as a writer, and the emotional inertia he was able to distill in a story about a man crashing through his life while running from his ineptitudes. Despite its flaws and the critical comments looming on the latter half of this review, _The Shithead_ will receive the Anthroposwine’s recommendation to read.

If you're interested in the bloodsport of literary criticism, and want a more spoiler heavy assessment of Grahl's work, there will be a video building on this review coming shortly. I'll drop the link here once it goes live.

[Fawn Doyle]

The Shithead isn't the typical type of book I enjoy reading but I was curious. I've been following Story Grid for a while and Tim Grahl is great at discussing writing craft. It was interesting to find scenes in this novel that he has spoken about in videos.

Grahl does a great job with progressing complications. The protagonist, Eric, is not a sympathetic character and we watch as he makes a trainwreck of owing lots of money to the IRS, competing for an onerous job with a super PAC that is supposed to solve all his problems, meanwhile screwing up everything with his wife and kids.

The most intriguing part is when Eric seeks therapy and the story takes a turn into magical realism and healing his inner child. The most unsatisfying part was that the people who led him into that therapy were apparently figments of his imagination. I thought there'd be more of a secret revealed than they were simply not real.

The "bro" language of Eric's super PAC associate Ty was nauseating and, at times, needlessly explicit. The titular word "shithead" gets thrown around a lot. It all kind of sounded like a 1950-70's mindset—that Eric needed to be the sole breadwinner, impress a group of elite white men with questionable politics, if he "didn't stick his dick in a pussy" it wasn't cheating—when I think he's supposed to be a millennial in modern times.

The song chapter titles gave a little flavor to the theme for the chapter but didn't tie into Eric's character or life in any way. Maybe if he'd been a marketing manager for musicians or if his childhood traumas were dredged up by songs, it would have been more integrated. It doesn't seem relevant enough for that to be the subtitle.

I also didn't catch the story frame of Eric ( in the future) telling all of this to his daughter-in-law, Faye, who is maybe having marital issues with his son. I kept thinking Faye was his coworker in the same timeline.

While I'm relieved that there is contrition and resolve in the ending, I don't believe it. Grahl did too good a job at portraying Eric as a shithead to be so fully transformed. I wish it would have ended with some hint of him backsliding because I think that's the backbone of the theme: we all have it in us to behave like a shithead and sometimes it's a constant struggle not to be our basest self.

[Lisa Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! This exploration of mental health, the suffering we put on ourselves & the blame that can be casually tossed around in the process are vividly exposed here.
Eric, our titular Shithead, is wallowing in debt, self-loathing & angst while also actively pushing away or denying anything that looks like relief, support or help.
Fear is a visceral driver & it’s the exposition of that fear, it’s causes & potential elimination that make this such a compelling read!

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be brutally honest, if I’d seen “The Shithead” in a bookshop (online or out in the wild) I wouldn’t have chosen to read it. However, that’s primarily because I’m more into fantasy, sci-fi and romance than “contemporary fiction” per se.

As I was fortunate enough to have access to an ARC (advanced reader copy), I was committed to reading it and was determined to be as open-minded as possible (balanced with a healthy amount of critical thinking).

With that in mind, if I were to describe my reaction to this book in one word, it would be this:

Journey.

Which, broken down into 3 “legs” would be:

1. At first: What am I reading here? What is this story and what is this Eric guy (the protagonist) all about? He does indeed seem like a bit of a Shithead.

2. By the 50% mark: O…K… this is actually pretty interesting. Eric is a Shithead, but maybe that’s just because he’s human i.e. he’s flawed, has issues, etc.

3. Perhaps for the last third of the book: I’m really into this and am finding it hard to stop reading.
I think this reaction was down to the fact that once it became undeniably clear that Eric was both capable of and wanted to learn/transform (and hence perhaps wasn’t the out and out Shithead he first appeared to be), I was rooting for him (and in turn, for his relationship with his wife, kids and friend Aneel).

In summary, “The Shithead” is a genuinely universal “journey of self-discovery” story that a lot of people could take something from. For instance, I couldn’t easily/naturally empathise with Eric, since if me and Tim’s SAM (Single Audience Member / target audience) were circles on a Venn diagram, there’d be minimal (if any) crossover. However, I still found myself willing Eric to get his sh*t together and see the “error” of his ways.

In terms of the “technical” line writing and scene structure, Tim Grahl practices what he preaches (the Story Grid methodology). Even the scenes I didn’t enjoy as much as others were not just readable but were engaging and had a strong sense of forward momentum. It was a compelling yarn, for sure.

Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen to read this book, I enjoyed it. Eric’s arc was raw, powerful, and quintessentially human.

[westport · Rating 3 out of 5]

I genuinely admire the effort that went into this book. Having followed the 'Story Grid' for some time, I've developed a huge amount of respect for Tim Grahl and the work he's been doing to help other people. This was the first book by him that I've ever read, and I guess the experience was pretty interesting overall.

From my perspective, the themes of this story are downright universal. The plot itself isn't anything revolutionary, but it's easy to follow and somewhat relatable. In the end though, I had no notably intense feelings for any of the characters. It was nice that everyone moved on after all that happened, and for sure, there's more to it than a whole lot of childhood demons getting dispelled and a neatly-packaged ending.

To be honest, my issue with this book wasn't so much about the content as it was about the composition. The pace threw me off at times and the protagonist's exchanges with the Faye character didn't really feel organic. I found their conversations unnecessary and actually distanced me from the story.

Also, I don't mind references most of the time, but there were so many in this book that I couldn't help feeling alienated before I got to finish it. The references didn't exactly paint a clear image of the scenes they were attached to either -- the "Show vs. Tell" struggle.

Nonetheless, I do appreciate the novel's core message. There was one sucker punch to the gut for me in Chapter 39: "I seem like a nice guy. I'll try to do the right thing. But in the end, I'll fuck up your life..."

All said, many thanks to Mr. Tim Grahl for the chance to read this book before its release.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I immediately liked about this book is that the protagonist, Eric, is a totally normal guy who is dead wrong about what's important in life. This is a fantastic place to start because if I met Eric in real life, I wouldn't bat an eyelash at him. He's totally normal in our day-'n'-age. But his life is falling apart on the inside because he values empty things, chasing after the exact opposite of what will make him happy.

The writing is smooth and it read fast as greased lightning. I got through it in a couple of days.

The character arc is clear and deliberate. We see Eric realize what's truly important in life, freeing himself from the burden of always wanting more, always trying to legitimize himself. The action has the famed "train wreck" quality where things go from bad to worse, and you can't look away. Grahl does a great job of throwing Eric into the pressure cooker and refusing to let him out.

I also liked how Eric's wife isn't perfect. I was afraid she was going to be set on a pedestal, and I was glad to see her lash out, cause problems, and nag. I sympathized with her and understood her, but I also felt like Eric had some legitimate gripes, too.

Downsides? There was too much language for me—just personal preference. I also wish there was a little more "to" the magical therapy sessions. I get why there's not a lot of explanation surrounding the therapy—this isn't a hard magic system in a high fantasy—but I felt like everything else was so realistic, and this one magical element was nagging at me, asking what is this? Also, I tend to disagree that the path to true happiness is self-love or self-acceptance. I believe it's found in God, and when we realize who we are in light of his truth, then everything else falls into place, and we experience peace. But, I also recognize the tremendous value in what Eric learns here, and I don't want to diminish it at all.

This is a great dude book, and there aren't enough dude books out there. I wonder if guys will think that Eric is too weak and whiney OR if they'll love how he finally overcomes the lie he's been living.

Thank you to Story Grid for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically have multiple books on the go at any one time - usually something historical, a couple of novels etc and sometimes one book just grabs me and takes me into the wee hours.
This book was one of those.
I was put off by the title initially and the opening 2 chapters were just ok but then…… I was hooked.

And I have no doubt that it is a book that will stay with me for some time

Highly recommended

[Wes Yahola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like watching a well-written train wreck. Through most of the book I wanted the main character to die in a fire. This is probably just the kind of feeling the author wanted to stir inside me, which is what I mean by well-written.

If you enjoy stories with a reprehensible main character goes through an arc of redemption, you'll enjoy The Shithead. I'm not and plenty of times I felt tempted to (metaphorically) throw it across the room and call it done. However, the framing device saved it for me, helped by the meta-physical psychology that does the load bearing work of the main character's redemption.

[Suzi Korsak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Eric Bauer choose to explore his rich but painful inner world or continue to react in desperation, choosing one broken path after another, digging himself deeper in emotional and financial debt?
How will Eric answer questions from his wife, concerned parents, and employees, and most of all ... the IRS?

The Shithead by Tim Grahl is a fast-paced existential roller coaster ride addressing the premise, "How do I build a meaningful life in a cynical world?"

Key themes: love, self-respect, values, ethics, success, marriage, and other vital relationships.

Who would enjoy it? Anyone who has ever judged themselves harshly after painting themselves into a metaphorical corner, believing the lies they tell themselves about limited choices.
ARC provided by Tim

[Grunkenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 (Contains spoilers)

As someone who is just getting into the habit of reading regularly, this was a good book to “try on for size”.

For me, the flow made this book a fairly easy and entertaining read (I can see this as a book many could/would want to read on a flight). I also enjoyed the bits of punch and humor woven throughout. I did end up getting emotional towards the end as Eric begins to change his life around. I felt for the guy. While I believe he was a “shithead” due to the choices he didn’t make, I never thought of him as a failure or deadbeat of sorts, given that he never gave up/bailed completely/threw in the towel and so I found myself trying to root for him as much as possible to simply not give up (as someone who experienced a downward spiral of poor decision making, I can tell you that it can become a parasite that wears you down and you eventually accept it as “life”, falling victim as it consumes your entire being). Lastly, like other reviewers, while the title and language isn’t as appealing, for me, the nature of the story justified the realistic and unfiltered rawness of the dialogue and said title.

That all being said, it was equally easy for me to put this book down (several times).

For starters, I found this book to have too much telling and not enough showing - so for that reason alone, the book didn’t come across as having any depth to it.

Secondly, as other reviewers commented, I wanted to know the characters better - especially Marie - but seemed to get a lot of surface, instead. One scene, which could have opened this up a bit, is when Eric and Marie were at the restaurant. For me, the dialogue wasn’t strong enough to carry this scene. I wanted to see Marie’s facial expressions and their back and forth banter, hoping to get a better understanding (even if just a bit) about their relationship. The whole scene ended up feeling too one-note. I started questioning why Marie, at any time, didn’t offer to go with Eric to therapy and make it a couples therapy opportunity. After all, she comes across as this level-headed, bonafide partner who came up with the suggestion for Eric to go in the first place. It then dawned on me at that moment that I didn’t know who Marie really was.

I also agree with the reviewer who commented about the “life lessons” spewing session at the end of the book. While, as I mentioned, I did find this part of the book emotional, it also dumped out all at once (and maybe that was done on purpose given the emotional build up Eric went through, only to finally release it all towards the end).

Admittedly, there were a couple of moments (especially during some of the therapy sessions), in which I skimmed a bit. I found myself sighing because the writing, for me, was a bit wonky and repetitive.

Overall, I felt this book was a bit rushed in some areas and didn’t move fast enough/drawn out too long in others. Had this book been expanded a bit in some areas (character development) and tightened up in others (therapy sessions, back and forth with sheriff, etc), I think this would have come across as more of a robust read instead of an extended Reader’s Digest story.

Side note: When Eric was on his tirade, I couldn’t understand why he didn’t insist that Ty allow him to participate in the second set of meetings virtually, thus avoiding the whole missed-the-plane scenario. Eric clearly had the power as evident by Ty’s dependency on Eric to continue as the lead with the new gig. Perhaps this was part of my earlier comment about all of the decisions that Eric didn’t make.

Not sure if I would necessarily recommend someone go out of their way to read, but if they stumble across it, go for it.

[Dorian Cantu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Tim’s new book a few days ago, but I needed more time to digest it before writing a review. This book stays with you long after turning the last page.

First, I would like to congratulate Tim. I have been following his work for years, first on the Storygrid podcast and then on YouTube channel, and have been a witness to his growth as an author. The novel is a triumph for the central thesis of the Storygrid philosophy.

The story is so gripping and has formidable pacing. As the protagonist makes his first choices, driven by his goal yet lacking self-awareness, I found myself drawn into his mindset. His contemplation of his dwindling options left me stunned by its raw honesty. It felt like I was right there with him all the way.

Grahl’s distinctive voice for the main character feels pitch perfect. Through his eyes, we watch a tragic scenario unfold in which each step down a misguided path seems unavoidable based on his limited worldview. Yet we root for him because he places us right there with him and never let us go until the story ends.

The incorporation of magical or surreal elements adds to the depth of the story, allowing the novel to explore themes that would be quite hard to write about in plain realism. It reminds me of Latin American authors like Marquez, or Rulfo, yet feels fresh as a modern twist on the genre I’d label “magical fiction.” Only to differentiate it from the Latin American tradition. Unusual occurrences are treated more as strange facts than outright fantasies. But everything connects in a way that enlivens the story, never feeling like just a gimmick.

If you enjoy reading, give this book a shot. Better yet, if you always wanted to be a writer give the Storygrid a try, because if this is what they can deliver, well, then the sky’s the limit.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a book this fast in a long time! That feeling when a book is so good that you wish you could slow down and savor it a bit more, but devour it nonetheless.

This story had characters I was invested in, a journey I had to see through to the end, and an emotional rollercoaster that was worth every twist and turn.

Amazing work, Tim. Shawn and the Story Grid have served you well, and I, for one, am grateful for that!

[Dave Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

All kinds of therapy are hard.

[King Leonidas voice] This is therapy!

Reparenting might be the hardest form of therapy of all.

It certainly was for Eric.

But through Eric's mental and emotional struggles, tim-grahl gives us hope that the hard, internal work we all need to do in order to become our best selves is ultimately worth the pain.

[lmeop · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC, and to be honest, that's probably the only reason I finished it -- for reasons you may be able to infer from its title, I found it a very frustrating read. With that said, I am glad I made it to the ending. If I could, I'd give two stars to the first 3/4 of the book and four stars to the ending.

I'll put the rest of my thoughts behind a spoiler screen to be safe.

Eric, the titular shithead, is obsessed with status, convinced other people are constantly judging him, and terrified of admitting to his mistakes. So to make sure no one thinks he's a loser, he's spent money he doesn't have, racked up $80k in unpaid taxes, and lied to his wife over and over again about all of the above. He also shouts at his kids, jumps at the chance to work for a morally bankrupt politician, and has nothing to say when a business contact makes multiple racist comments about his best (and indeed only) friend.

If watching Eric make increasingly bad life choices for chapter after chapter does not sound like your idea of a good time, this is probably not the book for you.

It's also worth noting that partway through, the hitherto realistic story takes a sharp turn into something more fantastic or allegorical. There are also scattered moments of gore and body horror, and a couple of very sad instances in which neither Eric nor the narrative as a whole seem entirely aware that he's been assaulted, possibly because in both cases the aggressor is a woman.

So that's the bad stuff. What about the good?

Especially to begin with, it's very readable. The cycle of Eric continually digging himself deeper gets very wearing, but if you want a relentless portrait of someone destroying their own life in their desperation to avoid facing up to their demons, it's certainly that. And while Eric is staggeringly lacking in self-awareness for the vast majority of the page count, that's clearly an intentional storytelling choice; his pettiness, tunnel vision, and hypocrisy might all be invisible to him, but the book itself understands him very well.

And despite the title -- not to mention the sense of bleak foreboding overhanging most of the book -- this isn't a story about someone irredeemable. It is, ultimately, for those who make it all the way through to the very end, a story about compassion and acceptance and love. It's about owning up to our mistakes without condemning ourselves for them; it's about having empathy for the fears that drive other people just as harshly as we are driven by our own; it's about making amends while understanding that forgiveness is not a thing that we are owed; it's about the relief that comes with the understanding that we don't need anyone else's permission to show ourselves love or to try to be better than we were.

This is an odd book, and it didn't always work for me. I think it could have benefited from laying more groundwork for the way the dreamlike detours into Eric's psyche would eventually pay off in the external narrative. But although it was a struggle getting there, I appreciated the epiphany and catharsis of the ending.

I'm not a big fan of stories about shitheads, but seeing someone finally break free of a destructive pattern they'd been trapped in for so long -- that is something I'm here for.

[Daniel R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I attended a lecture by the author at Plot Summit 2024 and purchased a discounted copy of the book. I'm also not a memoir reader.

This book was a compelling read for me because I've gone through similar themes of dealing with self-imposed and social views on masculinity, the role of the provider/father/husband, small business owner that cares for his employees, crazy debt from trying to please everyone, allure of playing in the big leagues and the feeling of not being good enough to hang with the top of my field, along with a nice dose of mental health issues stemming from childhood trauma.

I read this book two ways: The first for pleasure, and the second as a writer.

As a reader, the narrative was a page turner and the only break I took was to rest my eyes before opting to let the computer narrator read the rest aloud for me. I got an inside look at life in Tennessee with perspectives on several issues, plot points, and people from multiple angles.

There is an interesting dynamic at play with the wife, therapist, best friend, IRS, and the CPAC cabal. In fact, we are presented with contrasting and sometimes opposing views on multiple subject matters.

I now know the inner workings of a PAC and the level of shady stuff that was described would be too much for me to deal with, unless... I was in the same situation as the protagonist. Yeah, I'd have took a dip in that pool if it was my only way out.

The nightmares of the inner mind were delivered in a way that, "If you know, you know." There's a frightening sense of kinship to think that someone else has gone through something similar.

The crux of the story is one of those things we look back on in hindsight and think, "Yeah, I could have done that differently." In the case of this story, simply facing the fears (IRS) instead of catastrophizing (I'm guilty of this on an hourly basis) the situation, which set off a series of chained events that lead to one incredible leap forward, and two steps back. That's when the page turning occurs... to find out how sideways things get, repeatedly.

I was entertained, educated, anxious, relieved, and then contemplative when it was all over. Twenty-year old me wouldn't have touched this. The version of me in the fifties appreciates the experience and find some comfort in the comradery of self-induced misery.

As a writer, there's good structural elements, appropriate pacing, narrative storytelling techniques that imbues fleshed out characters, immersive setting(s), and a plot that takes off simple and takes you on a ride in the real world and inside the nightmare of a mind that has inner workings that make you say, "Yep, that tracks."

Despite the name of a title, this is a solid read for people that want to get a look at one aspect of mental health and the pressures of being a guy and how some guys deal with things until they get out of hand.

Read the first page, and if you turn to the second, you'll make it to the end.

[Daniel Chu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Vivid and Relatable Portrait of the Modern Struggle

Tim Grahl’s The Shithead is a vivid portrayal of the messy, often chaotic human experience, striking at the core of what it means to be overwhelmed by life, expectations, and self-deception. The main character, Eric Bauer, is a man trying to navigate the crushing weight of responsibilities, from a failing business to family dynamics and the moral compromises that seep into his life. For anyone who has ever found themselves questioning their choices, struggling with their own version of Eric's burdens, this book feels deeply relatable.

What really sets The Shithead apart is how Tim Grahl weaves in a vivid, almost raw exploration of Eric’s psychological journey. The book’s central theme of searching for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world hits home. Eric’s battle with his own lies, compounded by therapy sessions that are as unique as they are insightful, paints a brilliant portrait of the healing—and destruction—that takes place within us.

Having studied Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid book and followed their YouTube channel, I could clearly see the structure and storytelling methods he teaches beautifully come to life. As someone from Brazil, I haven't found Story Grid's content incredibly helpful and applicable, far superior from anything available in portuguese, not just for writing but for understanding narratives on a deeper level.

What I loved most about this novel was its delicate balance of tension and heart. You feel for Eric even when he’s making mistakes, and Tim has a talent for escalating the stakes without resorting to unnecessary drama or sensationalism. The emotional rollercoaster is real, and Eric's relatable inner conflict drives the story forward with an intensity that makes it hard to put down.

This book isn't just about financial woes or familial struggles—it's about how we lie to ourselves and the often painful path to rediscovering our true selves. The blend of humor and despair throughout the novel makes it a compelling read, and I found myself reflecting on my own life, which speaks to the universal truths this story captures.

For those who appreciate well-constructed stories with emotional depth and real human complexity, The Shithead is a must-read. It's not just a novel—it's a journey into the core of the human soul.

[Tim Seabrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Tim Grahl's "The Shithead" as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) and agreed to write an honest review of the book upon completion.

Before I delve into my thoughts of the book, a couple of details to share.

[1] I have been on Tim Grahl's Story Grid email list for a few years and, being a writer, have always found the emails interesting and useful. That said, it in no way affects my review.

[2] Unusual for a novel, two statements were presented in the ARC email as reasons for reading the book. The first; "You'll be better off having read it.", followed by, "You'll have a more meaningful life."

Both are bold statements which place an expectation on the reader to an influenced outcome and is something I sincerely hope is excluded from the blurb and marketing.

The novel:
As a novel, the story is enjoyable with vast and vivid imagery for the darker, internal issues the main character, Eric Bauer, experiences. For the real world events, everything flows in a manic, spiralling out of control series of events that makes you want to both feel for, and hate, Eric for what he does to himself and to others.

Drastic actions, anger, and resentment boiling in a cauldron of despair make the desperation of the character feel palpable. And relatable. While each attempt to fix his deteriorating situation just aggravates it further.

All of which makes you want to discover what will happen next.

The title is apt for the story and does not mislead how the story will evolve.

The Email:
Back to the two bold statements from the email.

Am I better off for having read it? Beyond enjoying the story and passing a few quiet hours with my head in a book, nothing has changed except the number of books I have read.

You'll have a more meaningful life. Other than knowing what is illegal in running a super PAC, and that talking to the IRS is better than avoiding them, who are you trying to kid?

I would have given this five stars had the two email statements not been included.

[Peter Bourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I am a big fan of Tim Grahl and his work with Story Grid, but he’s really annoyed me with this book.

Not only did it have me up compulsively flipping chapters into the wee hours, contributing to sleep deprivation during a busy period in my life; but due to Tim not being a full-time author, I’m probably now going to have to wait at least another couple of years for his next book.

I find some of the criticisms of this book to be bizarre: in the same breath, people are calling the book too simplistic and too opaque. If you didn’t “get” the purpose of the framing narrative, I encourage you to spend another minute asking yourself how it could possibly be contexualising the book’s message. To me it is crystal clear.
Also, viewed symbolically, the hallucinatory scenes make sense and do their job beautifully as far as catalysing that transformative ending.

I would be remiss however, if I didn’t mention the one aspect of the book that I can’t defend. The references as infill for description. I got the big ones from The Matrix and To Kill a Mockingbird, but some of the others went over my head and alienated me a little. But hey, Brett-Easton-Ellis never apologised to his critics for his ultra-specific references and it does lend some realism to a work.

On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed learning new American slang such as hinky, doozy and honky-tonk!

Anyway you look at it, the book is a raw, honest, sleek, gripping, galloping, hair-raising blitz of emotion with characters that feel very real. I’ve heard that people are having trouble categorising it, but I would call it a “psychological thriller”. And certainly, with my newfound vernacular, I consider it a “doozy”!

Get working on that next release, Mr. Grahl. I’ll book a couple days off work next time.

[Donna Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shithead by Tim Grahl

The protagonist, Eric, is a man who is incapable of dealing with the stress in his daily life. He takes the reader on a journey through the stupid mistakes we all find ourselves committing at one time or another, showing us why he really is a Shithead, while he struggles to find peace with the life he has left.

Initially I was confused with the beginning exposition and characters, and really did not like or care for the protagonist or the crude title. Then I got to chapter 9. You have to understand, this book is the ride of your life. From chapter 9, I found it impossible to put this novel down. I have never in my life been dragged through the whole gamut of human emotions, from reading a book. Eric’s self-pity is agonisingly frustrating, yet totally believable. He pulls you into his life, his mind, his emotions, his past. When he’s finished drowning in self-pity and self-loathing, he slowly pulls the reader to shore, before dunking them down, again and again. You can’t escape unless Eric does. I groaned, laughed, cried and feared what would happen next.

How the author keeps intertwining what’s going on in Eric’s work and family life with his visits to Lois, his therapist, is so deftly handled I felt dizzy, as though navigating a labyrinth blindfolded and at break-neck speed.

The only thing I didn’t like, apart from the beginning exposition, was the mixing of tenses in the same sentence (e.g. before I COULD follow her, she SPINS around. It really pulled me out of the story.

Overall, I started out hating the title and the protagonist, but the exhilarating pacing and simple humanity of the plot, soon won me over. Tim Grahl’s novel is Psychotherapy 101 for anybody with past angst and modern life stress. I’m even getting my husband a copy – he can’t have mine as I’m re-reading it. This novel has shot to my number one spot. It’s better than a visit to a therapist – unless I can find myself a Lois. The easiest 5 star rating I’ve ever given.
Tim Grahl