Stellar novel from a very promising up and coming author. A bleak, paranoid drama about what happens when you never grow out of your childhood fastidiousness and you’re left a broken adult, feeling unseen in a world that doesn’t even care enough to notice. Probably the most I’ve felt like shit since I read No Longer Human.
“I think of the kinds of people that can pass through your life without your permission. You have no clue what they’re capable of, what they’ve done. These are the people we share the world with, our streets and highways.”
Sad to say that I found this incredibly relatable. Ehrnfelt nails the feeling of living your life at arms distance, as if you’re driving somewhere but the only destination ahead is playing video games after work by yourself. Seeing social interaction as optional, acquaintances as disturbances to your peace— I’ve been trying to abandon that frame of mind since I was in high school.
“I was the one driving and I hardly remember getting here. This is to say nothing of this past year, the last five, the last fifteen. All of it sorted and gone just as quickly as this trip.”
This doesn’t read at all like the author’s second book. His already steady voice creates an unwavering tone that never falters for even a page. Can’t wait to see what he writes next.