Go Help Yourself

by Daniel Pope

Genres: Fiction

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Joseph Barden]

There’s nothing quite like getting to experience art made by your close friends. It’s one of the most fulfilling, uplifting, joyful opportunities you get as a reader/listener/etc.

That said, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone whether I knew Daniel or not. It is laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, heartfelt, and compulsively readable. It is a unique exploration of how we form identity in the jumble of contemporary life — and how we might move past what’s in our way.

Buy it, read it.

[Chloe Alberta]

I adored this funny, feverish, often disgusting, ultimately hopeful heart-tug of a novel. Corbin’s belief in his total lack of redeeming qualities sometimes seems all in his head and sometimes seems fair enough, creating a fun push and pull between how he sees himself and your readerly hope that he’ll get better (or worse, if you’re a sicko. And this book leaves room for sickos.). The sharpness and humor of the writing drives the story forward with a lot of energy without sacrificing some really lovely sentences. For me, the defining triumph of this book is the way the relationships are drawn. The way the characters in this book manipulate and enable each other, sometimes trying to make the other better, sometimes trying to make themselves feel good; the intentions and the actions are mismatched in a way that creates yummy tension and raises the stakes of each interaction, casual or intense. Daniel Pope writes the complications of love and loathing (for others, for the self) with the best of them. Can’t believe this is a debut, can’t wait to see what he writes next.

[Mitzi W. Carletti]

Remarkable first novel. It was raw, funny and human. I enjoyed every bit. Truly a talented writer.

[Jordan Hamel]

An incredible debut. Sharp, heartfelt, witty, packed with gorgeous prose. Pope has created a distinct and fully realised world stuffed full of self-loathing, self-help, and self-activated charcoal, a world I didn't want to leave.

[LyndaIn Oregon]

This is a tough one. The writing is exquisite, beautifully crafted wordsmithing in which every phrase feels exactly right and the metaphors are fresh and sharp without being forced. And Pope’s deliciously snarky takedown of smarmy self-help books in general is solid gold.

But… the protagonist is an utter putz – a self-involved, poor-me slacker with a serious substance-abuse problem and a tendency to puke a lot. So there’s that.

Corbin Moore is a would-be – or maybe just a wannabe – writer who is never seen to produce a single line of text until well past the midpoint of the book, when his resentment of his mother – the wildly successful author of a series of those self-help books Pope is deflating – overflows in a drug-induced tantrum. An unhinged series of events eventually springs from that resentment and ends up propelling Corbin into a bizarre kind of internet fame – though not in any way he appreciates. Mostly he just continues to paddle around in a cesspool of anger, resentment, and self-pity fueled by a toxic mix of pot, amphetamines, and body dysmorphia with occasional side trips down the memory lanes of childhood trauma.

And through it all is the recurrent theme of the crows who sweep in and out of Corbin’s life as harbingers of … something. Fate? Retribution? The possibility of redemption? Or are they just a bit of black humor (pun intended) that flap around aimlessly and crap all over Corbin’s parade? The symbolism is all very dramatic, but except for one surreal incident, doesn’t really seem to go anywhere.

Corbin’s journey is dark, thunderous, and intermittently interrupted by winged furies swooping in to snatch away that which he has come to believe in. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe, as Corbin eventually decides, “even the bullshit was bullshit”.

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

[ben]

i was a lucky enough egg to be asked by University of New Orleans Press to assist in copy-editing this brilliant book. when i tell you that by the middle of this book, you'll be so glued to Corbin's day-in and day-outs that you won't even realize the temporal passage of time around you, i mean it so sincerely. Corbin's having a tough time throughout a lot of this book, and Pope's treatment of him is so gentle. you might find yourself being like, "oh, Corbin! why would you go and do a thing like that?" but then you're like, "i think he needs a hug." Pope also channels his perfect comedic timing through the voices of Corbin and many of the other characters, making all the troubles feel all the more real. that's what's so special here, though. Pope gives you permission to laugh WITH, not at, the struggles of a troubled psyche. it's easy to become invested in the challenges and successes of Corbin; you'll probably cry, just as much as you'll laugh. i think this is such a bold debut, full of psychological complexities and sonic humor! good job, Daniel, and thanks for trusting me to work with yr book!

[Nancy Glowinski]

I didn’t know what to expect with this book, an author whose voice I didn’t think I could relate to. But once I started, I buried myself in it and all of its frenetic and self amplified scenarios that were hilarious and human. I also have the author to thank for changing my views of crows.

[Sophie Zinser]

Explosive, dynamic, and rollicking first novel. Visceral descriptions of the vibrant victories and utter failures of human intimacy that stayed with me. I rooted for Corbin even when he was stubbing his toe at every turn. Also, I’ll never look at crows the same way again!