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Pillow
Most of the things Pillow really liked to do were obviously morally wrong. He wasn't an idiot; clearly it was wrong to punch people in the face for money. But there had been an art to it, and it had been thrilling and thoughtful for him. The zoo was also evil, a jail for animals who'd committed no crimes, but he just loved it. The way Pillow figured it, love wasn't about goodness, it wasn't about being right, loving the very best person, having the most ethical fun. Love was about being alone and making some decisions.
Pillow loves animals. Especially the exotic ones. Which is why he chooses the zoo for the drug runs he does as a low-level enforcer for a crime syndicate run by André Breton. He doesn't love his life of crime, but he isn't cut out for much else, what with all the punches to the head he took as a professional boxer. And now that he's accidentally but sort of happily knocked up his neighbor, he wants to get out and go straight. But first there's the matter of some stolen coins, possibly in the possession of George Bataille, which leads Pillow on a bizarre caper that involves kidnapping a morphine-addled Antonin Artaud, some corrupt cops, a heavy dose of Surrealism, and a quest to see some giraffes.
Pillow loves animals. Especially the exotic ones. Which is why he chooses the zoo for the drug runs he does as a low-level enforcer for a crime syndicate run by André Breton. He doesn't love his life of crime, but he isn't cut out for much else, what with all the punches to the head he took as a professional boxer. And now that he's accidentally but sort of happily knocked up his neighbor, he wants to get out and go straight. But first there's the matter of some stolen coins, possibly in the possession of George Bataille, which leads Pillow on a bizarre caper that involves kidnapping a morphine-addled Antonin Artaud, some corrupt cops, a heavy dose of Surrealism, and a quest to see some giraffes.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2015
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223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 26, 2017
Most of the things Pillow really liked to do were obviously morally wrong. He wasn't an idiot; clearly it was wrong to punch people in the face for money. But there had been an art to it, and it had been thrilling and thoughtful for him. The zoo was also evil, a jail for animals who'd committed no crimes, but he just loved it. The way Pillow figured it, love wasn't about goodness, it wasn't about being right, loving the very best person, having the most ethical fun. Love was about being alone and making some decisions.
Okay, this is why I bother to read literary longlists: if Pillow hadn't been longlisted for the 2016 Gillers, I would probably never have heard of or read this book, and that would have been nearly as sad as the fact that a year after its release this helluva fine book only has eight reviews on Goodreads. I read so much dreck in a year that I'm nearly angry when I find the hidden pearls; why didn't anyone direct me here before this? Pillow probably isn't a perfect read – and I need the qualifier “probably” because as a surrealist roman noir, I can't say that I get all of the novel's allusions – but I can definitely state that author Andrew Battershill swung for the fences, writing a book that was thoughtful and interesting and jam-packed with savoury/hilarious mouthfuls; this is everything I want in a book. While I acknowledge that this wouldn't be to everyone's taste, Pillow deserves a wider audience than its eight measly reviews would suggest.
Pillow is a former boxing champ, and after taking a few too many jabs to the skull, he's currently only good for looking intimidating in the background as brighter members of the “Bureau” conduct their criminal affairs. When a transaction goes awry on the same day that Pillow learns his casual girlfriend is pregnant and in need of support, he (and his scrambled, slow-moving brain) joins those who would double- and triple-cross the big boss in order to find and disappear with the goods. On the one hand, this might seem like pretty standard crime fiction, but on the other, as this big boss is named for André Breton – the founder of Surrealism as a cultural movement – and as many of Breton's henchmen are named for various surrealist writers, artists, and filmmakers (about all of whom I know nothing), there's a constant friction between language and situations that seem fantasy-based and brutal actions whose violence anchors the whole to our own, sorry reality. (I'm probably not remembering Pulp Fiction exactly right, but the overall vibe is like greasy-haired John Travolta doing the Batusi in one scene – definitely surreal – and then jabbing a needle of adrenaline through the OD-ing Uma Thurman's sternum in the next; a scene that seem ultrareal because of the bizarreness that preceded.) Throughout it all, it was the language that delighted me. The following is a pure Chandleresque pastiche:
Her sergeant, Michael Simon, was no wider than a highway and no uglier than a piece of roadkill. He had giant, bulging eyes and a few foreheads, a healthy helping of jowl hanging off a stingy slice of chin. He looked like someone who smelled like the inside of a crowded shipping container.
And I loved that way that these metaphors were repeatedly stacked upon each other to stretch from just enough to too much to an obviously overdone amount that, in the end, felt just right:
As soon as Pillow arrived at the Bureau, Breton hustled him right back out to help roust Jack Prevert, a degenerate gambler who owned a sewing-supply shop. Jack Prevert looked like a suicidally depressed guppy with hair plugs. Jack Prevert made it seem possible to smoke roll-your-owns at the bottom of the sea. Jack Prevert shovelled chips onto the table like he was bailing out a rowboat. Jack Prevert looked you in the eyes the same way most people look out their windshield on the Autobahn.
And I loved the dialogue (the backwards punctuation is as it appears):
'Okay. To sum it up, you're at home, you're doing some kind of horrible sex thing and you realize that you're late for a stolen centaur-coin sale, and your lunatic friend in a morphine coma has stolen your centaur coins, so you decide to pack him up and bring him to the buy of the coins he's stolen. I get all that, ish, y'know? But why do you give him a dinner fork? That's...that's where I'm lost on this one.'
'He must have had it in his sock.'
'How is that the first thing you say? Just right to the sock? “Hey, sorry I almost got your eye stabbed, Pillow.” Nope? Just out with the sock idea.'
'The foot is the most human part of the body. Think of apes.'
'Okay, I'm about done with you. You know I love apes, you know that about me, Georges, but now is not the time. So, since this is a majillion percent your fault, you're going to help me with this situation here. I need both hands, so you open the door. I'll handle Artaud, and you stay out of the way, sound good?'
(Out of context that might not seem like the best example, but I totally laughed out loud at this exchange.) This book isn't character-driven, but I appreciated that the few women in it weren't cartoonish; they were all strong and purposeful (and like with the reality-anchoring violence, the pregnant girlfriend, Emily, keeps reminding us that, sure, Pillow is off [hilariously, ineptly] trying to recover the coins for the benefit of his unborn child, but if people are going to in fact get hurt, Emily [who is a real, noncriminal person] won't be any more impressed in actuality than I [a real, noncriminal person] would be.) And on a tangent that begs to be noted: my edition of Pillow is printed on heavy, textured stock (in the endnotes this is described as “Zephyr Antique Laid paper, which was manufactured, acid-free, in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, from second-growth forests. This book was printed with vegetable-based ink on a 1965 Heidelberg KORD offset litho press. Its pages were folded on a Baumfolder, gathered by hand, bound on a Sulby Auto-Minabinda and trimmed on a Polar single-knife cutter”) and I include all of this to make the point that everything about this book (starting with the artisanal craftsmanship and, obviously, including every carefully selected word) feels intentional and thoughtful; this is not rush-to-market mass appeal pulp fiction (as it were), and I appreciated that both as a tactile and as an intellectual experience. In the end, this doesn't feel like a true five star, life-altering read, but I'm rounding up because Pillow deserves more attention than it seems to have garnered; I'm delighted that it appears on the Giller longlist, like it better than many of the titles that made the shortlist, and recommend it to anyone who is tired of reading the same paint-by-numbers book over and over again.
December 7, 2015
Elements of film noir and classic crime fiction weave dreamlike throughout a convoluted narrative that simply should not work, yet Battershill fully commits to the conceit and batters it into gloriously bruised shape. Pillow is a delightful protagonist, slightly dim yet smarter than he thinks, and his interaction with Emily crackles, aided in no small part by Battershill’s magnificently heightened dialogue. Pillow, like its gangsters, is a surreal experience. It’s also a crackling good read that I’ll soon be revisiting.
Read the rest of the review at The Redeblog.
Read the rest of the review at The Redeblog.
September 26, 2019
I read it really on a surficial level as I had no idea about the surrealism influences. I love weirdness but every character is weird in an over the top and different way so just be prepared. It can be a lot to take in. I liked Pillow and quite a few of the other characters despite my lack of connection with boxing or crime rings, lol. I had some laughs, was shocked at times, got a little lost at times. There is really a lot going on here.
January 13, 2016
A funny, rich, and ultimately sad little book. Exceptionally creative writing, recommended.
May 6, 2018
The surrealist aspects of this book had me rushing to Wikipedia as my knowledge was woefully inadequate for me to fully appreciate it. The violence in the book was disturbing but somewhat ameliorated by the dialogue. Many of the characters have names drawn from the Surrealist Movement of the 20th century and they all speak in a very intellectual manner even as they are beating each other up or killing someone, often by mistake. So in a curious way, I found the story quite compelling. It is very different from anything else I have read and I do recommend that anyone looking for a literary crime novel give it a try.
November 13, 2017
As I write the review for this book, I am torn. AS a reading experience, I can't say that I enjoyed it. However, it wasn't because it was poorly written. It is very well written. It is simply not my type of book. Having said that, there was no point when I wanted to stop reading the book because I liked the main character Pillow and I wanted to know what happened to him. This book had a strange visceral effect on me as I read it.
February 18, 2021
Yeah, this is a pretty dang good book. One I picked up on a whim, sat on for 4 years and then picked up again on a whim.
Pillow is an excellent story of an ex-boxer now-mobster called Pillow. He's a little soft in the head now, but still smarter than most people give home credit for. When he tried to pull his own heist behind the backs of his mob buddies, the police and his girlfriend, things go poorly for him.
Pillow is a great character, and while he's far from a good guy, he does his best. Pillows arc is somewhat predictable in the book, but not to a fault. Andrew Battershills writing really helps to get across where Pillow is in his own mind, with weird descriptions that seem to come straight from Pillow himself. I completely bought him as a character.
The story is kind of bare bones, but again not in a way that's bad. You may guess every plot point as you're reading, but just getting there is the real treat.
I think the moral of the story is to not take things for granted. Pillow says that after his boxing career his new favourite thing became the whole wide world, rounding every corner and seeing something new. And using that to care for family and friends.
I 100% recommend this to people who like a good crime mystery story and non conventional storytelling, Battershills himself calls homage to old 1920's to 1950's surrealist writings.
Pillow is an excellent story of an ex-boxer now-mobster called Pillow. He's a little soft in the head now, but still smarter than most people give home credit for. When he tried to pull his own heist behind the backs of his mob buddies, the police and his girlfriend, things go poorly for him.
Pillow is a great character, and while he's far from a good guy, he does his best. Pillows arc is somewhat predictable in the book, but not to a fault. Andrew Battershills writing really helps to get across where Pillow is in his own mind, with weird descriptions that seem to come straight from Pillow himself. I completely bought him as a character.
The story is kind of bare bones, but again not in a way that's bad. You may guess every plot point as you're reading, but just getting there is the real treat.
I think the moral of the story is to not take things for granted. Pillow says that after his boxing career his new favourite thing became the whole wide world, rounding every corner and seeing something new. And using that to care for family and friends.
I 100% recommend this to people who like a good crime mystery story and non conventional storytelling, Battershills himself calls homage to old 1920's to 1950's surrealist writings.
Want to read
November 20, 2015PW Starred: Pillow, the unsuspecting hero of Battershill's unusual debut novel, is a former boxer with a love of animals and the zoo. He makes ends meet as a low-level thug in a criminal syndicate run by, of all people, André Breton, the founder of Surrealism. After Pillow's would-be girlfriend Emily reveals she's pregnant and an antique coin heist goes wrong, the enforcer conceives of a plan to find and flip the coins under Breton's nose—one final score before getting free of the organization. But Breton is extremely clever, and his gang, consisting of luminaries such as Louis Aragon and Georges Bataille, aren't to be trifled with either. Pillow is no fool, but he is linear, putting him at a distinct disadvantage when confronted with surrealist thinking. He serves the audience surrogate, swimming through a sea of abstraction in an otherwise stolid genre. The dichotomy between Pillow and Breton is brought to the fore via Battershill's surefooted, diamond-sharp writing. The author's use of metaphor and imagery is exquisite; he plays with surrealism with such a light step so as to appear effortless—as if it were an entirely common extension of hardboiled crime fiction. This debut is accomplished and highly entertaining. (Nov.)
February 5, 2017
Pillow is a former successful boxer who has blown through fame and fortune and who now lives with massive headaches, blackouts and moments of lucidity. His only work is as an enforcer for a criminal gang, and even that work is sporadic as Pillow is unable to stay focused for very long and once he becomes physical he is unable to stop. His girlfriend, with whom he hopes to build a new future is pregnant. He sees the opportunity to finance this future by stealing some rare coins which are actually the property of his boss, and which a pair of crooked cops are also after.
The plot follows Pillow making one bad decision after another.
I felt the confusion of the protagonist as Battershill takes us along on the journey into darkness. We start and end at the zoo, which Pillow figured was “just aboout the best thing a person could do with a day.” Light and bright in the opening as he is smiling and laughing and then sudden flashes that this is not what the story is going to look like. We end at the zoo in total darkness.
This is a powerfully told story of the tragedy of concussion.
The plot follows Pillow making one bad decision after another.
I felt the confusion of the protagonist as Battershill takes us along on the journey into darkness. We start and end at the zoo, which Pillow figured was “just aboout the best thing a person could do with a day.” Light and bright in the opening as he is smiling and laughing and then sudden flashes that this is not what the story is going to look like. We end at the zoo in total darkness.
This is a powerfully told story of the tragedy of concussion.
April 14, 2018
In my opinion, one of the best things about book clubs is that they force me to read books I would never read and, by doing so, expose me to all different kinds of books. Pillow is a book I would have never, ever picked up on my own - a retired boxer who becomes part of a crime syndicate who is working on a double cross involving ancient coins? Believe me when I say that none of this appeals to me.
However...this book worked for me. And while it isn’t one I would re-read (or even normally recommend), I have read far, far worse. I had the opportunity to speak with the author and that was such an enlightening conversation and one that enhanced my reading experience. Being an admittedly not very intellectual reader, I appreciated the care and thought that went into this book, particularly surrounding the Surrealism themes, which I was absolutely unaware of until after the fact.
This debut book got tons of glowing reviews and I wouldn’t dare to disagree with them. If you are looking for a quirky, intelligent read, this is the book for you.
However...this book worked for me. And while it isn’t one I would re-read (or even normally recommend), I have read far, far worse. I had the opportunity to speak with the author and that was such an enlightening conversation and one that enhanced my reading experience. Being an admittedly not very intellectual reader, I appreciated the care and thought that went into this book, particularly surrounding the Surrealism themes, which I was absolutely unaware of until after the fact.
This debut book got tons of glowing reviews and I wouldn’t dare to disagree with them. If you are looking for a quirky, intelligent read, this is the book for you.
February 6, 2017
Pillow is a retired boxer working as a low-level mob enforcer. He's a pacifist vegan who loves giraffes. I honestly can't think of another CanLit character I'd be more likely to date. (The original Rocky is my favourite movie/love story of all time.) Pillow the book is a clever, fast read with lots of zingingly original images. The mob being made up of famous surrealists is a bonus, destabilizing the typical mafia narrative and giving the book an unpredictable dreamlike quality that's heightened by Pillow's own punch-drunk ruminations on life, love and zoo animals...
April 6, 2018
The thing about Pillow is...it's surreal. I got into it no problem but never knew exactly where I was. I mean, where exactly is this story set? The smart dialogue could be British, lower London perhaps but it doesn't really matter; definitely urban jungle and Pillow is fascinating. He's this big huge ex-fighter, working now for his local syndicate. With a cast of characters very well drawn, this story weaves quite an adventure. A delight for sure!
April 17, 2018
A mash up of hardboiled genre and surrealism via concussed brain. Protagonist Pillow, a now ex-famous boxer reduced to playing muscle for a mobster, gets in a stew when his girlfriend gets pregnant and he makes a play for some antique coins. The tension of whether Pillow is clever or just deluding himself keeps the novel going through the wacky bits (not that they aren't enjoyable in and of themselves).
January 27, 2016
Nice one about a doomed big dumb guy, told with style.
July 3, 2019
DNF. Potential was good, lots of clever characterization, but after a while I felt like I was reading prose best appreciated under the influence, of...... something. Much of the dialogue and stream of consciousness was very bizarre, yet only one of the characters were portrayed as actually stoned. I was reminiscing of highschool parties where are the cool high people read aloud poetry I didn’t understand... after a while I just stopped trying to understand what this author was going for. Meh
July 6, 2018
I prefer detective stories with unusual or slightly defective personalities when the authour then has you look at the world through that lens. This book does that on two levels; once through the eyes of Pillow and then in conjunction with his surreal landscape. Stylish writing and a lot of fun to read.
February 18, 2022
Splashing out a 5 because I thought it was clever and it made me laugh. It was certainly true to its absurdist inspirations, and I really enjoyed it.
Great writing, interesting characters and an ending that was way more satisfying than it had any right to be.
I listened to this for free and I feel like I lucked out.
Great writing, interesting characters and an ending that was way more satisfying than it had any right to be.
I listened to this for free and I feel like I lucked out.
July 2, 2018
This book was not good. The characters were basic and difficult to visualize or understand. The plot, protagonist's back story and references to the zoo were all weak.
January 31, 2019
A fresh period relevant read, I enjoyed and will seek out further material of Andrew Battershrill. 👍
January 27, 2019
While a treat for anyone interested in surrealist literature/art, the story is a dark spiral of mixed dream and reality that will leave an impression on any reader. Skeptical at first (I'm not usually one for violence), I came to really enjoy this book and the continued poor choices of the characters.
February 27, 2017
Meh.....
I think I just didn't get this writer.....the writing was good, I did not enjoy the story.
That's all there is to it.
I think I just didn't get this writer.....the writing was good, I did not enjoy the story.
That's all there is to it.
January 21, 2023
Nowadays, I see a lot in the news about head health; concussions and sports injuries are taken very seriously, the effects of brain injury are researched across the globe. When I was young, I remember learning the lesson that you shouldn’t go to sleep after you’ve hit your head until you’ve seen a doctor. I’m not sure how accurate that statement is, but it fits in with childhood lessons, nudged between the three Rs and that my not finishing dinner was directly resulting in starving children in Africa.
In all seriousness, brain injuries are, well, serious. One that I haven’t seen represented in literature all that often, though I suppose I’ve never gone looking for it.
Pillow by Andrew Battershill offers a fresh perspective. The narrator, a man named Pillow, has sustained a brain injury from his days as a professional boxer. The implications in his present day? He thinks slowly, has difficulty concentrating, and his mood is significantly altered from “before.” As readers, we’ll learn all of these attributes over the course of Battershill’s narrative.
I enjoyed being in Pillow’s head, attempting to follow his reasoning, reading his thoughts on the mundane and on significant human feelings like love. Because we’re getting Pillow’s perspective, we don’t know what other characters are thinking, just his interpretations of their actions and words.
So, as his plans to steal and sell a set of collectible coins starts to unravel, you aren’t sure why certain events go wrong. You know that Pillow’s plan wasn’t as thorough or fool-proof as you thought, but the perspective doesn’t allow for outside consideration.
The truly heart-breaking moments of this novel take place in the final chapters. We witness Pillow’s mental and physical break down; we see his relationships break off into smaller and smaller pieces until there’s nothing left; we’re scared of him and his actions—and of what he might do next. I couldn’t put the book down during these moments.
Recently, I came across a documentary called A Change of Mind. It chronicles the research and real-life stories of patients living with brain injuries. Often, patients find themselves changed somehow. A good person might do something “out of character” or they may not be able to do simple tasks like going to the grocery store.
This book and documentary opened my eyes to the dangers of undiagnosed brain injuries. So props to Battershill for exploring this issue in such an entertaining way, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Oh, and p.s. there are giraffes.
In all seriousness, brain injuries are, well, serious. One that I haven’t seen represented in literature all that often, though I suppose I’ve never gone looking for it.
Pillow by Andrew Battershill offers a fresh perspective. The narrator, a man named Pillow, has sustained a brain injury from his days as a professional boxer. The implications in his present day? He thinks slowly, has difficulty concentrating, and his mood is significantly altered from “before.” As readers, we’ll learn all of these attributes over the course of Battershill’s narrative.
I enjoyed being in Pillow’s head, attempting to follow his reasoning, reading his thoughts on the mundane and on significant human feelings like love. Because we’re getting Pillow’s perspective, we don’t know what other characters are thinking, just his interpretations of their actions and words.
So, as his plans to steal and sell a set of collectible coins starts to unravel, you aren’t sure why certain events go wrong. You know that Pillow’s plan wasn’t as thorough or fool-proof as you thought, but the perspective doesn’t allow for outside consideration.
The truly heart-breaking moments of this novel take place in the final chapters. We witness Pillow’s mental and physical break down; we see his relationships break off into smaller and smaller pieces until there’s nothing left; we’re scared of him and his actions—and of what he might do next. I couldn’t put the book down during these moments.
Recently, I came across a documentary called A Change of Mind. It chronicles the research and real-life stories of patients living with brain injuries. Often, patients find themselves changed somehow. A good person might do something “out of character” or they may not be able to do simple tasks like going to the grocery store.
This book and documentary opened my eyes to the dangers of undiagnosed brain injuries. So props to Battershill for exploring this issue in such an entertaining way, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Oh, and p.s. there are giraffes.
February 12, 2016
I liked aspects of this book a lot; the tale of a not-terribly bright, increasingly head-injured narrator is really very well done, and it had me rooting for him even though he does terrible, terrible things -- a terrific main character, really. But the other characters are just props -- and the surrealist references seem a little forced. I found the ending disappointing, too, unless I'm just not getting the reference. I think Andrew Battershill is pretty fabulous, though, and I look forward to his next book; I kind of think the plot got the better of him in this one.
February 13, 2016
Overall a disturbing book. Likely a glimpse into a CTE brain. Pillow is brilliant, but his brain can't be brilliant all the time. Sometimes all it can do is be present. I wanted to read the book but at the same time didn't want to read it; I know it would end badly for Pillow. The name Pillow was awkward by the way; I couldn't figure out what it signified for the character. I'm glad I don't have to be spending time with Pillow any more though I somehow feel guilty about that.
November 15, 2016
An edgy yet funny crime novel told through the lens of surrealism. I found it original, while also a nice homage to other writers of the genre. That said, there are moments that are needlessly disorienting to the reader and some of the jokes fall flat. Also, I think if I had a better grasp of surrealist thought I'd appreciate it more. Good first effort and I am curious where the author chooses to go creatively after this.
March 6, 2025
Enjoyed how weird this was. Surrealism is new to me and i am undecided how i feel about it.
I adored the main character; Pillow. He is such a quirky sweetheart. The portrayal of Pillow's life with a Traumatic Brain Injury seems like a very realistic portrait. As the plot unfolds i wanted to give Pillow a hug many, many times.
Also, the book is divided into three sections. The final section read like a fast paced thriller.
I adored the main character; Pillow. He is such a quirky sweetheart. The portrayal of Pillow's life with a Traumatic Brain Injury seems like a very realistic portrait. As the plot unfolds i wanted to give Pillow a hug many, many times.
Also, the book is divided into three sections. The final section read like a fast paced thriller.
May 18, 2016
An okay book, it was hard to read, and frankly I only read it because the internet was out for a couple of days.
April 1, 2017
Beautifully fucking written. A tilt-headed look at the world. The story of a brain-injured boxer with a heart of gold who just happens to keep killing people.
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