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Midway
224 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 26, 2026
I purchased this first edition from Galleon Books shortly after its release. Upon reading it now, I found the second edition at my doorstep. Apparently, the artwork was incorrect, and the errors were corrected. Thanks, Lee. In retrospect, I feel both covers work, given Brent Mason's narrative of Midway.
Ever wanted to see the lives of a carny? I have fond memories of living in the Midwest and the downtown turning from nothing into a carnival. There was something totally alive, industrial, and seemingly devoid of technology. Looking back, obviously conservative and, here, American. Brent’s novel showcases the entirety of a person's work span in the throes of setting up, essentially accumulating money, breaking down, and moving to the next location.
The main character, Wyatt, is the Ishmael of the novel, allowing the reader to meet some interesting yet restricted characters such as Trish, Des, Jonah, Billybob, Greg, Bruce, and Petr. Like all vocations, there is this innocent ideal of glory and wonder until you spend enough time there to hate every aspect of it. Like Melville’s Moby Dick, which I recommend to everyone if anything at all, I call it The Office before The Office (starring Steve Carell) because of its “on the job” Birds-Eye view of daily production. Replace the boat with the Midway, and there is not much to differ.
What I didn’t really enjoy was the number of chapters that were basically transitions, which I felt could have been cut entirely or revised into a chapter before/after. An example of this is the chapter where Wyatt wakes up and makes coffee before everyone else. That’s it. Also, the character development of Petr, a cheeky rival of Wyatt, seems to focus solely on his artistic success, suggesting that it connects him to the other characters and that we really only know this about him, as it is referenced constantly.
Lee warned me a few years back that this is not my cup of tea, but I believe he was wrong. There is worth here to be found in the dirty pits of carny clown life. And a lot of drugs. It showcases a microcosm of advertising and competitive vampirism that, unfortunately, mirrors every breath of our lives. It’s up to you, the reader, to decide whether you want to read this, but I could easily recommend it.
Brent Mason also likes Kerouac’s On the Road.
Order here: https://galleonbooks.ca/direct-orders/
Ever wanted to see the lives of a carny? I have fond memories of living in the Midwest and the downtown turning from nothing into a carnival. There was something totally alive, industrial, and seemingly devoid of technology. Looking back, obviously conservative and, here, American. Brent’s novel showcases the entirety of a person's work span in the throes of setting up, essentially accumulating money, breaking down, and moving to the next location.
The main character, Wyatt, is the Ishmael of the novel, allowing the reader to meet some interesting yet restricted characters such as Trish, Des, Jonah, Billybob, Greg, Bruce, and Petr. Like all vocations, there is this innocent ideal of glory and wonder until you spend enough time there to hate every aspect of it. Like Melville’s Moby Dick, which I recommend to everyone if anything at all, I call it The Office before The Office (starring Steve Carell) because of its “on the job” Birds-Eye view of daily production. Replace the boat with the Midway, and there is not much to differ.
What I didn’t really enjoy was the number of chapters that were basically transitions, which I felt could have been cut entirely or revised into a chapter before/after. An example of this is the chapter where Wyatt wakes up and makes coffee before everyone else. That’s it. Also, the character development of Petr, a cheeky rival of Wyatt, seems to focus solely on his artistic success, suggesting that it connects him to the other characters and that we really only know this about him, as it is referenced constantly.
Lee warned me a few years back that this is not my cup of tea, but I believe he was wrong. There is worth here to be found in the dirty pits of carny clown life. And a lot of drugs. It showcases a microcosm of advertising and competitive vampirism that, unfortunately, mirrors every breath of our lives. It’s up to you, the reader, to decide whether you want to read this, but I could easily recommend it.
Brent Mason also likes Kerouac’s On the Road.
Order here: https://galleonbooks.ca/direct-orders/
December 8, 2025
Second edition - my review from the first edition:
It was perhaps a little foolish to accept this novel based on what, 30 pages? Foolish to write the author and say hey, let's do it, hoping the little eager homunculus running (away with) things didn't mess up, didn't just get lazy and say shit, why read it when you can gamble? Deal with disaster later? And then there's even a contract and oh ho, this better be good - but you know what? I could tell. Not my first rodeo, carnival, circus show. And those early lines, that opening paragraph - the atmosphere, the layers, and then I found myself reading it (to edit!) and finding the sinister and the magical mixed with the painfully quotidian - a life lived, yes, yes, you could tell. This was going to be good, deep, layered, surprising.
It reads like a dream in places - a nightmare at times - like a memory that haunts the author. (Author rolls his eyes.) It's the story of Wyatt, of Good vs Evil in the Milk Can Game, the magical appearance of Miss Stampede, the lizard boy, and layers and layers underneath. It's like Dante's Hell (the title, huh?), but with prizes.
An extraordinary novel; not a whole lot happens, but it's all you can handle.
Quotable: A smart, funny, strange, and deeply literary near-memoir (with hallucination) that does a masterful job of portraying the (de)evolving group dynamics amongst deeply flawed characters, all too smart for their own good, and one sacrificial lamb. All bow down to the Clown.
It was perhaps a little foolish to accept this novel based on what, 30 pages? Foolish to write the author and say hey, let's do it, hoping the little eager homunculus running (away with) things didn't mess up, didn't just get lazy and say shit, why read it when you can gamble? Deal with disaster later? And then there's even a contract and oh ho, this better be good - but you know what? I could tell. Not my first rodeo, carnival, circus show. And those early lines, that opening paragraph - the atmosphere, the layers, and then I found myself reading it (to edit!) and finding the sinister and the magical mixed with the painfully quotidian - a life lived, yes, yes, you could tell. This was going to be good, deep, layered, surprising.
It reads like a dream in places - a nightmare at times - like a memory that haunts the author. (Author rolls his eyes.) It's the story of Wyatt, of Good vs Evil in the Milk Can Game, the magical appearance of Miss Stampede, the lizard boy, and layers and layers underneath. It's like Dante's Hell (the title, huh?), but with prizes.
An extraordinary novel; not a whole lot happens, but it's all you can handle.
Quotable: A smart, funny, strange, and deeply literary near-memoir (with hallucination) that does a masterful job of portraying the (de)evolving group dynamics amongst deeply flawed characters, all too smart for their own good, and one sacrificial lamb. All bow down to the Clown.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews