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The El: A Novel
WINNER OF THE CHIRBY FICTION AWARD From the co-editor of the bestselling anthology Never Whistle at Night, a semi-autobiographical novel that follows a group of teenage gang members as they trek across Chicago to a momentous meeting, inspired by the cult classic The Warriors
“Cool and real as hell.” —Tommy Orange, bestselling author of There There
An ordinary day in August 1979 dawns hot and humid in Chicago. Teenager Teddy is living with his dad after being kicked out of his mom’s house due to his gang activity. But Teddy has thrived in the Simon City Royals, and today, he'll be helping to lead a posse of the group's younger members south across the city to Roosevelt High School to attend a gathering of gangs forming “the Nation”—a bold new attempt at joining forces across racial lines. This holds particular importance for Teddy, as his branch’s only Indigenous member.
But when the meeting breaks up in gunshots and police sirens, Teddy must guide the Royals back across hostile territory, along secret routes and back alleys, and stop by stop on the thundering tracks of the El. In the face of violence from rival gangs and a secret Judas in the Royals’ ranks, Teddy is armed only with a potent combination of book smarts and street smarts, and by the guiding spirit of Coyote, who has granted him the power to glimpse a future only he may survive to see.
Immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the author’s beloved city, The El will transport you to that singular sun- and blood-soaked day in Chicago. It is a love letter to another time, to a city, and to a group of friends trying to find their place and make their way in a world that doesn’t want them.
“Cool and real as hell.” —Tommy Orange, bestselling author of There There
An ordinary day in August 1979 dawns hot and humid in Chicago. Teenager Teddy is living with his dad after being kicked out of his mom’s house due to his gang activity. But Teddy has thrived in the Simon City Royals, and today, he'll be helping to lead a posse of the group's younger members south across the city to Roosevelt High School to attend a gathering of gangs forming “the Nation”—a bold new attempt at joining forces across racial lines. This holds particular importance for Teddy, as his branch’s only Indigenous member.
But when the meeting breaks up in gunshots and police sirens, Teddy must guide the Royals back across hostile territory, along secret routes and back alleys, and stop by stop on the thundering tracks of the El. In the face of violence from rival gangs and a secret Judas in the Royals’ ranks, Teddy is armed only with a potent combination of book smarts and street smarts, and by the guiding spirit of Coyote, who has granted him the power to glimpse a future only he may survive to see.
Immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the author’s beloved city, The El will transport you to that singular sun- and blood-soaked day in Chicago. It is a love letter to another time, to a city, and to a group of friends trying to find their place and make their way in a world that doesn’t want them.
Audible Audio
Published August 12, 2025
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About the author
Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
24 books145 followersTheodore C. Van Alst Jr is the author of Chicago-set award-winning story collections Sacred Smokes and Sacred City as well as the editor of The Faster Redder Road: The Best UnAmerican Stories of Stephen Graham Jones. His co-edited (with Shane Hawk) Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology was published in September 2023 by Vintage / Penguin Random House and has been a finalist for the Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, Locus, and Shirley Jackson Awards. His Southern Gothic novella Pour One for the Devil was released by Lanternfish Press in March 2024 and his third collection of linked stories, Sacred Folks, was published Fall 2024 by the University of New Mexico Press. His debut novel, The El, will be published by Vintage / Penguin Random House in 2025. His work has appeared in Southwest Review, The Rumpus, Chicago Review, The Journal of Working-Class Studies, Massachusetts Review, Indiana Review, Apex Magazine, Red Earth Review, Indian Country Today, and elsewhere.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
May 8, 2025
[2.5 stars] I really wanted to like this book, but it fell short for me, but not in terms of length because if it was any longer I maybe would have given up.
Set over the course of a single day, we follow Teddy and his gang through the streets of Chicago mostly via their stops on the El. Told primarily Teddy’s point of view with other narrators sprinkled in, I really enjoyed that Teddy’s perspective was told in the past tense with a reflective style versus the other narrators speaking in present tense.
Unfortunately, the story being told over a single day, there is so much detail within each conversation and scene, and I found myself increasingly bored. Additionally, with the amount of detail through group names, nicknames, handshake descriptions, etc. I found myself a little lost trying to keep track of everyone.
“All we are are our stories. Sure, stories are truths we tell to keep ourselves sane, but they're also lies we tell to keep others from losing it, too.” Pg 119
Set over the course of a single day, we follow Teddy and his gang through the streets of Chicago mostly via their stops on the El. Told primarily Teddy’s point of view with other narrators sprinkled in, I really enjoyed that Teddy’s perspective was told in the past tense with a reflective style versus the other narrators speaking in present tense.
Unfortunately, the story being told over a single day, there is so much detail within each conversation and scene, and I found myself increasingly bored. Additionally, with the amount of detail through group names, nicknames, handshake descriptions, etc. I found myself a little lost trying to keep track of everyone.
“All we are are our stories. Sure, stories are truths we tell to keep ourselves sane, but they're also lies we tell to keep others from losing it, too.” Pg 119
August 3, 2025
The co-editor of my favorite horror anthology, Never Whistle At Night is back with an auto-fiction tale set in Chicago that was inspired by the cult classic film, The Warriors.
Fast paced, action packed, and plenty of humorous moments, The El makes for one entertaining read. I enjoyed all of the relatable characters but Teddy was my favorite. The 1979 Chicago setting was perfect. Theodore’s vivid descriptions of the city made me feel as if I were there alongside the kids. I loved the indigenous representation and I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book!
If you're looking for a fast, fun, and unputdownable read, then look no further than The El.
The El by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. will be available August 12. Many thanks to Vintage Books for the gifted copy!
Fast paced, action packed, and plenty of humorous moments, The El makes for one entertaining read. I enjoyed all of the relatable characters but Teddy was my favorite. The 1979 Chicago setting was perfect. Theodore’s vivid descriptions of the city made me feel as if I were there alongside the kids. I loved the indigenous representation and I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book!
If you're looking for a fast, fun, and unputdownable read, then look no further than The El.
The El by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. will be available August 12. Many thanks to Vintage Books for the gifted copy!
April 8, 2025
I requested this one when I saw the author was the same dude who'd edited 'The Faster Redder Road,' and right out the gates, I have to say, this was probably the best novel I've read this year. Yeah, maybe it has some roots in 'The Warriors' or even 'The Outsiders,' but really, it's its own thing, written in a way that captures a time and place I don't know much about, but the characters, though, no matter where you're from, you know them right off the bat. It's so great to see dialogue written this way, the way most people speak, to feel like someone else has a use for those gold cigarette pack twists (I use them to floss my teeth), and digs RC cola, has Tom and Jerry on the tube, got called Speedy for ass scooching so fast as a child, leaves that light above the stove on for comfort, eats Hungry-Man dinners, and knows the best way to make a bus show is to light one up. Not only are the characters universally relatable, in my opinion, at least, but the trains and the sun, they're characters here, too, and the story is so grounded that they could've walked and talked and I'd believe it. 'Our society can't handle truth tellers, not the ones who can bring folks together, anyway,' and I think that says it all, Folks. I'll be checking out whatever else this author puts out, because this was a total blast.
September 3, 2025
I LOVE YOU ROGERS PARK!!!! What a treat to begin a book and realize it’s centered around your block and the places you’ve lived and built your life. This book felt like a fever dream— everything was happening, nothing was happening, and I simultaneously did and didn’t have any idea what was happening. This really gave life to the chaos of the CTA, and it was really neat to experience that through a very different life and in a different time. The writing style was a bit disjointed, it took a minute to get used to but it felt really correct for this story.
July 30, 2025
Thank you Vintage for my free ARC of The El by Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. — available Aug 12!
» READ IF YOU « 🚊 love unique, urban coming‑of‑age stories 🧡 prefer character-driven tales from multiple POVs 🌆 want to hang out on the gritty streets of 1979 Chicago
» SYNOPSIS « On a hot August day in Chicago, Teddy—a leader of the Simon City Royals gang—heads to the El train. He and two dozen of his crew are trekking across hostile territory to a gathering for multiple gangs in the city, where they’ll talk about forming a large cooperative “Nation.” But the day doesn’t go as planned, and Teddy will have to navigate dangers and betrayals to get safely back home, with a little supernatural help.
» REVIEW « This is a raw, immersive ride through the eyes of a true Chicago urbanite. I’ve actually never been to the city (stop yelling) and I’ve never been a teenage boy or gang member either, so maybe this book wasn’t written for me, and that’s okay. It’s hard to top Ted’s prose, and there are so many lines in here that stood out for me. Pour One For the Devil is still my favorite of Ted’s stories, but I love how different a vibe this book was!
Teddy as a character was my favorite part of the story. His internal monologue is sharp and gripping at times, though you have to look for it between the usual teenage boy thoughts—which also makes it even more true-to-life, methinks? I also loved Coyote and his interactions with Teddy, and truly eff Pepper forever and ever and ever.
The ending of this little story was easily my favorite part; it was so perfectly apt after everything that had just occurred. I will point out that this is definitely a novel that prioritizes mood over plot—it’s more about the vibes and the experience than it is anything else. So if you’d like to take a trip on the El in 1979, look no further for your time machine.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
» READ IF YOU « 🚊 love unique, urban coming‑of‑age stories 🧡 prefer character-driven tales from multiple POVs 🌆 want to hang out on the gritty streets of 1979 Chicago
» SYNOPSIS « On a hot August day in Chicago, Teddy—a leader of the Simon City Royals gang—heads to the El train. He and two dozen of his crew are trekking across hostile territory to a gathering for multiple gangs in the city, where they’ll talk about forming a large cooperative “Nation.” But the day doesn’t go as planned, and Teddy will have to navigate dangers and betrayals to get safely back home, with a little supernatural help.
» REVIEW « This is a raw, immersive ride through the eyes of a true Chicago urbanite. I’ve actually never been to the city (stop yelling) and I’ve never been a teenage boy or gang member either, so maybe this book wasn’t written for me, and that’s okay. It’s hard to top Ted’s prose, and there are so many lines in here that stood out for me. Pour One For the Devil is still my favorite of Ted’s stories, but I love how different a vibe this book was!
Teddy as a character was my favorite part of the story. His internal monologue is sharp and gripping at times, though you have to look for it between the usual teenage boy thoughts—which also makes it even more true-to-life, methinks? I also loved Coyote and his interactions with Teddy, and truly eff Pepper forever and ever and ever.
The ending of this little story was easily my favorite part; it was so perfectly apt after everything that had just occurred. I will point out that this is definitely a novel that prioritizes mood over plot—it’s more about the vibes and the experience than it is anything else. So if you’d like to take a trip on the El in 1979, look no further for your time machine.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 4, 2025
I just feel like if you’re gonna have 15 different 1st person perspectives, you should try to change their voices from character to character
February 24, 2025
Sorry ... got about 20 percent of the way through and had to put this down. Not my cup of tea at all. Rough language, slang I don't understand, and characters who don't interest me in the least. Might interest others, but definitely not up my literary standards.
October 1, 2025
“Chicago has always been Indian Country.”
So Teddy, a half native teen, tells us in this novella that blends The Warriors with Tommy Orange’s There There. Set over the course of one hot summer day in 1979 Chicago, Teddy and his friends are on a journey to cross the city to join a massive gang unity meeting.
Their quest is a perilous one, as the ragtag group of teenage boys use CTA trains and buses to cross rival territories, inciting violent fights along the way, trying mightily to evade the police, and then battling through chaos to get back home safely.
Teddy, their self-appointed leader and protector is the main narrator, but this story is told in a cacophony of marginalized and diverse voices. Gritty, mystical and full of heart, this book is a fierce ode to urban Native culture and an unabashed love letter to Chicago.
Written by award winning author and editor of Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, Van Alst, Jr. has penned a rich and searing coming of age story about stories and the notion of home that will transport readers and stay with them long after they’ve finished it.
So Teddy, a half native teen, tells us in this novella that blends The Warriors with Tommy Orange’s There There. Set over the course of one hot summer day in 1979 Chicago, Teddy and his friends are on a journey to cross the city to join a massive gang unity meeting.
Their quest is a perilous one, as the ragtag group of teenage boys use CTA trains and buses to cross rival territories, inciting violent fights along the way, trying mightily to evade the police, and then battling through chaos to get back home safely.
Teddy, their self-appointed leader and protector is the main narrator, but this story is told in a cacophony of marginalized and diverse voices. Gritty, mystical and full of heart, this book is a fierce ode to urban Native culture and an unabashed love letter to Chicago.
Written by award winning author and editor of Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, Van Alst, Jr. has penned a rich and searing coming of age story about stories and the notion of home that will transport readers and stay with them long after they’ve finished it.
May 18, 2025
A lot can happen in one day. Teddy, an Indigenous kid, living in Chicago, is part of a gang. As he leads his friends to a gathering of gangs, the reader becomes immersed in his Chicago world. Teddy's book and street smarts makes him such an interesting character and each of his friends, all have distinctive thoughts and voices that carry the day. This is an ode to Teddy's past, as well as a love letter to, not only Chicago, but to the El, that connects Teddy's worlds.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
August 25, 2025
The El by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., after reading never whistle at night I couldn’t wait to read this book and although I knew it was semi autobiographical after reading the summary it still sounded pretty interesting. Once I started reading it I found it confusing how it would just go from one person‘s POV to another not to mention the strange colloquialisms and local verbiage they use also the extended explanations of handshakes houses they saw and other things that should’ve been minor but took up way too much word space. I also didn’t like that just like in the real world they thought violence was nothing and fighting another gang was just a part of daily life. I know other people said it’s because they were left without options but one boy was from a family where his parents were still married and they lived in a nice home not to mention Teddy‘s parents both worked and even though they didn’t live together they still kept a job so I called BS on that. usually buy the end of a book I am rooting for the protagonist if they’re likable enough but by the end of this book I was just over it and glad I was finished. I do believe some people will love this book I am not a biography reader in general so if that sounds like something you would be into then you should definitely read it. I usually love reading books from people who live differently than I do but this one was just confusing and yeah I was just glad it’s over. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#TheodoreCVanAlstJr, #TheEl,
November 16, 2025
Although I didn't really enjoy this. It felt chaotic and sometimes felt like I was reading streams of consciousness
I'll give it 3 stars for this gem of a quote
"Stories are living things, told and exercised, reviewed by the People for accuracy, for humor and usefulness. Accuracy and insight, timeliness and necessity. All those things evolve over time."
I'll give it 3 stars for this gem of a quote
"Stories are living things, told and exercised, reviewed by the People for accuracy, for humor and usefulness. Accuracy and insight, timeliness and necessity. All those things evolve over time."
December 18, 2025
A beautiful book about belonging, identity, urban growth and gentrification, public transit, and cycles of violence. A book about the grit and grime but written with so much clarity.
August 16, 2025
Voicey little niche Chicago gang story. I liked it alright I guess.
Read
November 24, 2025I love Rogers Park. I love Chicago. I love the El. I love all of their stories and people and dreams and hopes and fears.
November 14, 2025
wow i really didn’t enjoy that ♥️
November 2, 2025
Too much stuff and characters. Difficult to follow.
August 16, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Once you’re gone, it’s up to those left behind to tell your story. Keep your fingers crossed and hope they get it right, or get it glorious, depending on what you’re into. All you can do is write as much of your own story that’ll stick before everyone else gets a chance at it. If they even remember you.”
The El is a blend of the author’s personal story and a fictional account of events that unfold over one day in 1979. It follows a teen boy named Teddy, the only Indigenous member of the Simon City Royals gang, as he leads a group of members across Chicago to attend a meeting with other gangs at Roosevelt High School. The intent is for these gangs to form a unified group known as “the Nation.”
Like many, I read to experience lives through the eyes of the storyteller, and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘭 did not disappoint. I was riveted from the beginning, impressed with the strategic planning Teddy employs to guide his group safely across town.
The boys find the meeting pretty dull and I related to Teddy’s thoughts on bureaucracy “I started to peace out just like I’d do in meetings for the rest of my life, learning early on that “meetings” were just an excuse for people in love with the sound of their own voice to inflict it on people who’d rather be doing anything else.’
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘭 is a raw, unfiltered look at a complex lifestyle steeped in violence, racial divide, and unique culture. Using multiple POVs, the El was written with humor and heart and offers a thought-provoking reading experience.
🎧 Audio notes: I paired the book with the audio, and this version, featuring a 14-narrator cast, is phenomenal. The narrative uses the local dialect of each character, so if the 1970s Chicago gangbanger vernacular proves challenging, I highly recommend giving the audiobook a listen.
August 18, 2025
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Netgallery, and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Synopsis: Teddy, a Simon City Royal (gang member), leads a motley crew of other affiliates across Chicago to a big meet-up, which is an attempt to unite with other Chicago gang members. Despite their high hopes, the meeting doesn't go as planned. Teddy is tasked with getting the Royals back into safe territory, all with the help of his guiding spirit-Coyote.
Overall: I liked this book! The way this book centers around the El is brilliant. At the end, I pictured the El like the vein as the life source for the entire city. Enter these kids desperately trying to follow that vein home so they can survive. The cast in this story is diverse which I appreciated and the story centers around an Indigenous MMC. Van Alst Jr. gives us a glance into the mind of someone we might just shrug off as "troubled" and helps us understand there's more to the picture than we can see on the surface.
This book was very entertaining and will definitely worth a pickup!
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: Teddy, a Simon City Royal (gang member), leads a motley crew of other affiliates across Chicago to a big meet-up, which is an attempt to unite with other Chicago gang members. Despite their high hopes, the meeting doesn't go as planned. Teddy is tasked with getting the Royals back into safe territory, all with the help of his guiding spirit-Coyote.
Overall: I liked this book! The way this book centers around the El is brilliant. At the end, I pictured the El like the vein as the life source for the entire city. Enter these kids desperately trying to follow that vein home so they can survive. The cast in this story is diverse which I appreciated and the story centers around an Indigenous MMC. Van Alst Jr. gives us a glance into the mind of someone we might just shrug off as "troubled" and helps us understand there's more to the picture than we can see on the surface.
This book was very entertaining and will definitely worth a pickup!
Rating: 4/5
August 10, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
The El deals with a culture that I'm pretty unfamiliar with, so I found the novel interesting in that aspect. There are long stretches of a short novel where almost nothing happens plot-wise, but it is a very good character study. Each character (and there are many) had a unique voice, which is hard to pull off. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I didn't love it. 3 stars
The El deals with a culture that I'm pretty unfamiliar with, so I found the novel interesting in that aspect. There are long stretches of a short novel where almost nothing happens plot-wise, but it is a very good character study. Each character (and there are many) had a unique voice, which is hard to pull off. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I didn't love it. 3 stars
September 10, 2025
A quick page turner that I read right before I got to Chicago (timely!) Gave me a similar vibe to listening to Kendrick’s GKMC but for Chicago in 1979.
Tommy Orange hasn’t missed for me yet (his blurb was the reason I got this)
Tommy Orange hasn’t missed for me yet (his blurb was the reason I got this)
November 24, 2025
First, I think this is a wonderful book. Second... I wish I'd read it myself, rather than listening to the audiobook. I'll mention why below.
The sergments of this book in the head of Teddy, the main character, are memorable and moving. You can feel and see Chicago from an entirely new angle through his insights, the history he lived through and the interactions with other characters, other gangs, his mother and the various bosses he had are well written and paint some amazing pictures. I didn't get as much from any of the other voices that were provided, one reason this is four instead of five. I don't recall anything that could not have been Teddy giving the same information about others...
The audiobook though. Way too many narrators. I get that having a guy from the Warriors as one of the voices is cool, but he had such a small part, and the gravelly way his voice shifted the names between scenes was grating.
Shaun Taylor-Corbett was perfect for Teddy. That is the best part of the audiobook, and also exacerbates my problem with it. If two characters are traveling together, and you end up in both of their POVS, you end up with four characters. Each of them does a voice for the other, and for themself, and it's a mess. There are times when having a big cast helps, but in this case, Teddy is so much more charismatic, has so much more of the story, than anyone else, that it was nothing but a distraction and, at times, particularly when he and Mikey are traveling together and there are four voices to keep track of, it's enough to give you a headache.
I highly recommend this book, but would suggest the paperback or ebook edition.
The sergments of this book in the head of Teddy, the main character, are memorable and moving. You can feel and see Chicago from an entirely new angle through his insights, the history he lived through and the interactions with other characters, other gangs, his mother and the various bosses he had are well written and paint some amazing pictures. I didn't get as much from any of the other voices that were provided, one reason this is four instead of five. I don't recall anything that could not have been Teddy giving the same information about others...
The audiobook though. Way too many narrators. I get that having a guy from the Warriors as one of the voices is cool, but he had such a small part, and the gravelly way his voice shifted the names between scenes was grating.
Shaun Taylor-Corbett was perfect for Teddy. That is the best part of the audiobook, and also exacerbates my problem with it. If two characters are traveling together, and you end up in both of their POVS, you end up with four characters. Each of them does a voice for the other, and for themself, and it's a mess. There are times when having a big cast helps, but in this case, Teddy is so much more charismatic, has so much more of the story, than anyone else, that it was nothing but a distraction and, at times, particularly when he and Mikey are traveling together and there are four voices to keep track of, it's enough to give you a headache.
I highly recommend this book, but would suggest the paperback or ebook edition.
December 27, 2025
This is a quiet book, but not a gentle one. It moves slowly, deliberately, paying attention to small moments that most stories would skip. The writing doesn’t try to charm you. It observes. It watches people the way you do on public transport—faces half-lit, thoughts unfinished, stories implied but never explained.
What I liked is its restraint. Van Elst doesn’t push emotion; he lets it sit there, awkward and unresolved. Loneliness hangs in the air like stale metal and dust. Conversations feel incomplete on purpose. You sense that everyone is carrying something heavy, even when nothing dramatic is happening. That honesty gives the book its weight.
At the same time, the slowness can test your patience. The lack of clear direction may feel frustrating, even empty, if you’re looking for momentum or payoff. This is not a novel that reaches for you. You have to lean toward it, meet it halfway, and accept that it won’t explain itself.
Still, certain images linger: the hum of the tracks, the repetition of movement, the feeling of being surrounded by people and yet entirely alone. The El is less a story than a mood, less a journey than a loop.
I didn’t always enjoy reading it, but I felt it. And sometimes that quiet discomfort stays longer than pleasure ever could.
What I liked is its restraint. Van Elst doesn’t push emotion; he lets it sit there, awkward and unresolved. Loneliness hangs in the air like stale metal and dust. Conversations feel incomplete on purpose. You sense that everyone is carrying something heavy, even when nothing dramatic is happening. That honesty gives the book its weight.
At the same time, the slowness can test your patience. The lack of clear direction may feel frustrating, even empty, if you’re looking for momentum or payoff. This is not a novel that reaches for you. You have to lean toward it, meet it halfway, and accept that it won’t explain itself.
Still, certain images linger: the hum of the tracks, the repetition of movement, the feeling of being surrounded by people and yet entirely alone. The El is less a story than a mood, less a journey than a loop.
I didn’t always enjoy reading it, but I felt it. And sometimes that quiet discomfort stays longer than pleasure ever could.
December 7, 2025
very boring, is all i can say really. the only reason i pulled through is because i started this for a reading challenge and wasn't about to start a new one because i dnf'ed this. but yeah, so boring. and the writing was SO repetitive it pissed me off so bad. bet that if i had the ebook and i searched up "folks" it would show you 200 hits. and a 100 for "holmes" and "shit". genuinely pissed me off because it was so incredibly distracting. also so many pov's and oftentimes they seemed irrelevant and i don't think they added anything. sometimes they'd be as short as like one sentence only.
December 28, 2025
Unfortunately, this one was very boring for me. There were simply too many characters, most of them uninteresting and lacking any distinctive traits. I can imagine that for readers who grew up in Chicago, the story might feel like a pleasant walk down memory lane, but for someone who didn’t, all the detailed descriptions of streets, buildings, trains, and neighborhoods felt tedious rather than immersive.
The dialogue was also painfully flat. I understand that it may be realistic and reflect how gangsters actually talk, but when nearly every sentence contains ‘homes’ or ‘folks’- and I’m really not exaggerating- it becomes downright diabolical…
The dialogue was also painfully flat. I understand that it may be realistic and reflect how gangsters actually talk, but when nearly every sentence contains ‘homes’ or ‘folks’- and I’m really not exaggerating- it becomes downright diabolical…
November 15, 2025
If "The Catcher in the Rye" and "Clockwork Orange" has a baby. I gave both those books 1 stars as well. Enough said
November 17, 2025
there were moments i really liked but i had a hard time following - i think this was bc i listened to the audiobook
December 1, 2025
I think this could’ve benefited from including only Teddy’s perspective
December 25, 2025
Absolutely fantastic. All Chicago residents and former residents should read this book.
November 5, 2025
Good story. Loved the writing!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews