What do you think?
Rate this book
You Were Never Really Here
A former Marine and ex-FBI agent, Joe has seen one too many crime scenes and known too much trauma, and not just in his professional life. Solitary and haunted, he prefers to be invisible. He doesn't allow himself friends or lovers and makes a living rescuing young girls from the deadly clutches of the sex trade. But when a high-ranking New York politician hires him to extricate his teenage daughter from a Manhattan brothel, Joe uncovers a web of corruption that even he may be able to unravel. When the men on his trial take the only person left in the world who matters to him, he forsakes his pledge to do no harm. If anyone can kill his way to the truth, it's Joe.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2013
167 people are currently reading
5624 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Ames
41 books774 followersJonathan Ames is an American author who has written a number of novels and comic memoirs, and is the creator of two television series, Bored to Death (HBO) and Blunt Talk (STARZ). In the late '90s and early 2000s, he was a columnist for the New York Press for several years, and became known for self-deprecating tales of his sexual misadventures. He also has a long-time interest in boxing, appearing occasionally in the ring as "The Herring Wonder".
Two of his novels have been adapted into films: The Extra Man in 2010, and You Were Never Really Here in 2017. Ames was a co-screenwriter of the former and an executive producer of the latter.
Two of his novels have been adapted into films: The Extra Man in 2010, and You Were Never Really Here in 2017. Ames was a co-screenwriter of the former and an executive producer of the latter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 658 reviews
September 12, 2019
Re-watching the movie while waiting for "Joker" to finally hit theaters!
Joaquin Phoenix made me read this! :-) I think the guy has an amazing ability to seek out great roles in edgy, unique films with unusual storylines. For his lead role as Joe in "You Were Never Really Here" (in some countries released under the title "A Beautiful Day"), Phoenix won the Award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival 2017, and director Lynne Ramsay collected the Best Screenplay Award.
The movie is based on Ames' novella, which is a neo-hardboiled crime novel about Joe, an ex-Marine and former FBI agent who now works as a hitman saving young women and girls out of forced prostitution. Joe's weapon of choice: A hammer. When one of his jobs goes wrong and he finds himself caught in the dynamics between a corrupt politician and the mob, Joe fights back in a way only a man with nothing left to lose can.
Ames intentionally plays with clichés, but he pulls the strings and does not let himself get strangled by genre archetypes. Joe is one of the scariest good guys ever, and "he was aware that he was not completely sane, so he kept himself in rigid check, playing both jailer and prisoner." Mind you, there's more: "He had come to believe that he was the recurring element - the deciding element - in all the tragedies experienced by the people he encountered." And I have not even started on the things that have turned him into a self-hating Robin Hood.
So if you like to read dark crime and revenge stories, this is just the book for you. The movie trailer perfectly captures the spirit of the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6smn...
Joaquin Phoenix made me read this! :-) I think the guy has an amazing ability to seek out great roles in edgy, unique films with unusual storylines. For his lead role as Joe in "You Were Never Really Here" (in some countries released under the title "A Beautiful Day"), Phoenix won the Award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival 2017, and director Lynne Ramsay collected the Best Screenplay Award.
The movie is based on Ames' novella, which is a neo-hardboiled crime novel about Joe, an ex-Marine and former FBI agent who now works as a hitman saving young women and girls out of forced prostitution. Joe's weapon of choice: A hammer. When one of his jobs goes wrong and he finds himself caught in the dynamics between a corrupt politician and the mob, Joe fights back in a way only a man with nothing left to lose can.
Ames intentionally plays with clichés, but he pulls the strings and does not let himself get strangled by genre archetypes. Joe is one of the scariest good guys ever, and "he was aware that he was not completely sane, so he kept himself in rigid check, playing both jailer and prisoner." Mind you, there's more: "He had come to believe that he was the recurring element - the deciding element - in all the tragedies experienced by the people he encountered." And I have not even started on the things that have turned him into a self-hating Robin Hood.
So if you like to read dark crime and revenge stories, this is just the book for you. The movie trailer perfectly captures the spirit of the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6smn...
June 24, 2021
Sloppy, he thought. What the fuck is wrong with me?
Soon the one in the car would come looking. Joe didn't want any more fights, because you didn't win every fight. Joe figured they just wanted to know how he had gotten them and if others would follow, and then they would have killed him. But he didn't need to take them all out because they wanted information. He was just one man. Not the complete arm of justice. pg. 5
Short, brutal novella about a Marine who has turned to becoming a rescuer for hire. Specifically, he's called in to rescue girls who have been sold in to prostitution, sex slaves, sex trafficking etc. That's what he did for the FBI after he got out of the Marines.
Because of his life experiences (abusive father, Marines, working in FBI sex-trafficking division), Joe is deeply mentally ill. He's suicidal on one level. He's pretty much dead inside. He doesn't work out of passion or feeling, he works because he thinks he might as well be of use to other people before he kills himself.
This short novella focuses on one case - Joe being hired by a senator to rescue his daughter who was made a sex slave by the mob at age 13. He goes after the girl, but things go very very wrong when it becomes clear that the operation wasn't as straightforward as Joe was led to believe.
That's the synopsis. As for execution, Ames is a concise, brutal, masculine writer who delivers a great product that I would highly recommend for anyone who loves action films. It's like an action film on paper, but better because you can peek into the hero's head - something very hard to do on film.
The book is very dark, it reminded me of Joe Abercrombie's work - in which everything is as bleak and depressing as possible. Whether you like that sort of thing or not is your own affair. Ames certainly isn't as loquacious as Abercrombie. If you want a wider, more in-depth world, Joe Abercrombie is your man. If you want things to be more concise, Ames will deliver that for you.
Don't expect any happy outcomes here, you're warned. It's not a happy book.
Joe actually doesn't kill as much as you'd think he would, he's surprisingly merciful for being what he is. He kills some people in this, but others he leaves alive and he's not as eager to shoot everyone in the head as, say, Frank Castle is.
He hates himself and wants to die. Despite any similarities you see with Frank Castle, Joe is dead inside and also suicidal to some degree. Castle is passionate about what he is doing. Joe is a walking corpse.
Then there's this quote:
As he crossed the lobby, the girl at the desk smiled at him. Women responded to Joe. They could imagine how he would be in the dark. pg. 83
I'm baffled at Ames's attempt to sexualize Joe here. Joe is not a sexy person. I doubt women are looking at him with anything other than trepidation, he's clearly fucked-up. But male authors find if very difficult not to establish that their heroes are studs. It's a compulsion. Even if the hero has absolutely NOTHING regarding a sexual life at all in the book, the author has to MAKE SURE the readers know he is a sex god. Ridiculous. Really pathetic and totally unnecessary. Took me out of the story.
But I'll forgive it because the story is very well done for the most part.
Despite Ames's concise, to-the-point writing style, I do feel like he captures an essence of humanity. And that takes skill. Sure, he's over-the-top depressing, making a world where things are worse than normal (like Joe Abercrombie does), but he does offer keen insight into the human condition in some passages. That's the main reason this is getting a high rating from me.
Women and girls are nothing but props here. Well, to be fair, everyone is a prop except for the MC. Don't expect fully-fleshed out side characters in this. There isn't time. And females only exist in this novella to drive men's anger and vengeance and to be killed or raped. Just FYI. Not a feminist story.
TL;DRShort, brutal, masculine, concise storytelling. Recommended for those who love action movies. But depressing, do not expect any joy here or any happy endings. It's not that kind of book.
RELATED READING / WATCHING:
The Prone Gunman. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Manchette is one of the few male authors who turns the 'sexy action hero' trope on its head.
Vertical Run One of the most amazing books ever written, and the best in its genre IMO.
Ceremony by Robert B. Parker Very similar to this book except that Spenser has a heart and a soul and Parker is not as dismal as Ames and offers a much better conclusion to things. I recommend the whole Spenser series, BTW.
Equalizer starring Denzel Washington. Both are great, but the first one is more relevant to this book.
Punisher as available on Netflix. Amazing show, again, dark as it is it is more cheery and upbeat than this novel, but follows a lot of the same themes. I'd recommend watching Daredevil before Punisher if I were you. Both are excellent.
First Blood. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Good book. Employs the same writing style Ames is using here.
There's probably many more. You could say TAKEN with Liam Neeson, although I wasn't thinking of that film while reading this. It doesn't have the right tone.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
Joe m
Angel m
Moises m
Albert m
Lisa f
Paul m
Stephen m
Soon the one in the car would come looking. Joe didn't want any more fights, because you didn't win every fight. Joe figured they just wanted to know how he had gotten them and if others would follow, and then they would have killed him. But he didn't need to take them all out because they wanted information. He was just one man. Not the complete arm of justice. pg. 5
Short, brutal novella about a Marine who has turned to becoming a rescuer for hire. Specifically, he's called in to rescue girls who have been sold in to prostitution, sex slaves, sex trafficking etc. That's what he did for the FBI after he got out of the Marines.
Because of his life experiences (abusive father, Marines, working in FBI sex-trafficking division), Joe is deeply mentally ill. He's suicidal on one level. He's pretty much dead inside. He doesn't work out of passion or feeling, he works because he thinks he might as well be of use to other people before he kills himself.
This short novella focuses on one case - Joe being hired by a senator to rescue his daughter who was made a sex slave by the mob at age 13. He goes after the girl, but things go very very wrong when it becomes clear that the operation wasn't as straightforward as Joe was led to believe.
That's the synopsis. As for execution, Ames is a concise, brutal, masculine writer who delivers a great product that I would highly recommend for anyone who loves action films. It's like an action film on paper, but better because you can peek into the hero's head - something very hard to do on film.
The book is very dark, it reminded me of Joe Abercrombie's work - in which everything is as bleak and depressing as possible. Whether you like that sort of thing or not is your own affair. Ames certainly isn't as loquacious as Abercrombie. If you want a wider, more in-depth world, Joe Abercrombie is your man. If you want things to be more concise, Ames will deliver that for you.
Don't expect any happy outcomes here, you're warned. It's not a happy book.
Joe actually doesn't kill as much as you'd think he would, he's surprisingly merciful for being what he is. He kills some people in this, but others he leaves alive and he's not as eager to shoot everyone in the head as, say, Frank Castle is.
He hates himself and wants to die. Despite any similarities you see with Frank Castle, Joe is dead inside and also suicidal to some degree. Castle is passionate about what he is doing. Joe is a walking corpse.
Then there's this quote:
As he crossed the lobby, the girl at the desk smiled at him. Women responded to Joe. They could imagine how he would be in the dark. pg. 83
I'm baffled at Ames's attempt to sexualize Joe here. Joe is not a sexy person. I doubt women are looking at him with anything other than trepidation, he's clearly fucked-up. But male authors find if very difficult not to establish that their heroes are studs. It's a compulsion. Even if the hero has absolutely NOTHING regarding a sexual life at all in the book, the author has to MAKE SURE the readers know he is a sex god. Ridiculous. Really pathetic and totally unnecessary. Took me out of the story.
But I'll forgive it because the story is very well done for the most part.
Despite Ames's concise, to-the-point writing style, I do feel like he captures an essence of humanity. And that takes skill. Sure, he's over-the-top depressing, making a world where things are worse than normal (like Joe Abercrombie does), but he does offer keen insight into the human condition in some passages. That's the main reason this is getting a high rating from me.
Women and girls are nothing but props here. Well, to be fair, everyone is a prop except for the MC. Don't expect fully-fleshed out side characters in this. There isn't time. And females only exist in this novella to drive men's anger and vengeance and to be killed or raped. Just FYI. Not a feminist story.
TL;DRShort, brutal, masculine, concise storytelling. Recommended for those who love action movies. But depressing, do not expect any joy here or any happy endings. It's not that kind of book.
RELATED READING / WATCHING:
The Prone Gunman. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Manchette is one of the few male authors who turns the 'sexy action hero' trope on its head.
Vertical Run One of the most amazing books ever written, and the best in its genre IMO.
Ceremony by Robert B. Parker Very similar to this book except that Spenser has a heart and a soul and Parker is not as dismal as Ames and offers a much better conclusion to things. I recommend the whole Spenser series, BTW.
Equalizer starring Denzel Washington. Both are great, but the first one is more relevant to this book.
Punisher as available on Netflix. Amazing show, again, dark as it is it is more cheery and upbeat than this novel, but follows a lot of the same themes. I'd recommend watching Daredevil before Punisher if I were you. Both are excellent.
First Blood. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Good book. Employs the same writing style Ames is using here.
There's probably many more. You could say TAKEN with Liam Neeson, although I wasn't thinking of that film while reading this. It doesn't have the right tone.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
Joe m
Angel m
Moises m
Albert m
Lisa f
Paul m
Stephen m
April 11, 2018
I've always admired Jonathan Ames for how funny a writer he is. And now it turns out he can write a cold-blooded thriller, as well. I'm very annoyed and very impressed.
March 31, 2024
The open-ended conclusion worked for me. Joe is here. The anguish, affliction and throes of trauma nictitate in the silent, open air.
February 26, 2021
**3.8 stars**
“There were differences between memories and dreams. He had only dreams of things he had wanted to do, while Lespere had memories of things done and accomplished. And this knowledge began to pull Hollis apart, with a slow, quivering precision.”
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man
A few years before the days when people were fawning so much over the tragic life of Arthur Fleck in Todd Philip’s nevertheless extraordinary depiction, there were a handful of people who were shocked by Joe’s incessant tendency to end his own life, which was more than frequently interrupted by his octogenarian mother. I’m lucky that probably I’m still amongst those few, though I deliberately delayed in both reading and watching just because the title made me a tad bit uncomfortable.
If you care to be a fair bit judgmental you will find that there’s hardly anything new in the plot of a troubled assassin fighting against the odds to rescue a rich man’s daughter from sex trafficking. What’s fresh, and for that matter, surprisingly bona fide is that it shows a devastatingly realistic human side to a cold-blooded brutal assassin which, for a change isn’t difficult to relate to. It’s actually quite wrong to have so wrong an impression of a profession that is very much existent in reality, but most of us have, courtesy to Hollywood & Korea.
However, the storytelling isn’t at its absolute best, though for sure it’s well above average. It gets way too gory at parts, and is unnaturally dark simultaneously. But neither of that does feel artificial, or for that matter unnecessary and way out of control for an instant. The only disappointing aspect is that you are bound to get a feeling that it ends before it starts. Basically, it feels less of a novella and more of an unfinished novel, even if the ending is just taken for granted.
To sum it up, an entertaining yet slightly depressing story that will shake you more if you are familiar with the movie that went to the Cannes. On a word about the movie, I got an irrelevant lesson after watching it, and that is not to trust the IMDb for recommendations. The story gets visually quite impressive if you just relate it to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joe.
“Joe knew that all human beings are the star of their own very important film, a film in which they are both camera and actor; a film in which they are always playing the fearful and lonely hero who gets up each day hoping to finally strike upon the life they are meant to lead, though they never do.”
“There were differences between memories and dreams. He had only dreams of things he had wanted to do, while Lespere had memories of things done and accomplished. And this knowledge began to pull Hollis apart, with a slow, quivering precision.”
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man
A few years before the days when people were fawning so much over the tragic life of Arthur Fleck in Todd Philip’s nevertheless extraordinary depiction, there were a handful of people who were shocked by Joe’s incessant tendency to end his own life, which was more than frequently interrupted by his octogenarian mother. I’m lucky that probably I’m still amongst those few, though I deliberately delayed in both reading and watching just because the title made me a tad bit uncomfortable.
If you care to be a fair bit judgmental you will find that there’s hardly anything new in the plot of a troubled assassin fighting against the odds to rescue a rich man’s daughter from sex trafficking. What’s fresh, and for that matter, surprisingly bona fide is that it shows a devastatingly realistic human side to a cold-blooded brutal assassin which, for a change isn’t difficult to relate to. It’s actually quite wrong to have so wrong an impression of a profession that is very much existent in reality, but most of us have, courtesy to Hollywood & Korea.
However, the storytelling isn’t at its absolute best, though for sure it’s well above average. It gets way too gory at parts, and is unnaturally dark simultaneously. But neither of that does feel artificial, or for that matter unnecessary and way out of control for an instant. The only disappointing aspect is that you are bound to get a feeling that it ends before it starts. Basically, it feels less of a novella and more of an unfinished novel, even if the ending is just taken for granted.
To sum it up, an entertaining yet slightly depressing story that will shake you more if you are familiar with the movie that went to the Cannes. On a word about the movie, I got an irrelevant lesson after watching it, and that is not to trust the IMDb for recommendations. The story gets visually quite impressive if you just relate it to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joe.
“Joe knew that all human beings are the star of their own very important film, a film in which they are both camera and actor; a film in which they are always playing the fearful and lonely hero who gets up each day hoping to finally strike upon the life they are meant to lead, though they never do.”
April 6, 2013
If revenge is a dish best served cold, Joe (the main character of this story) is serving up some icy entrees. If this story were a person it’d be lying passed out face first on the floor of a dive bar in a puddle of various human (and some inhuman) liquids, covered in cuts and bruises and, upon hearing your approach, would stagger upright, spit out a tooth, take a double shot of whiskey and lurch outwards to pick a new fight with anyone. The shadow of death and hopeless despair hangs over this story - and I love it!
Jonathan Ames is best known for his excellent (and cancelled long before its time) HBO series “Bored to Death”, a comedic detective series about an inept amateur sleuth and his friends solving cute and silly mysteries while stoned, in and around Manhattan. This ominously-titled story “You Were Never Really Here” is the polar opposite to that show’s tone. This story is pitch-black noir at its finest.
Joe is a past-middle aged hitman with a troubled past. Beaten ruthlessly by a now-dead alcoholic father in his youth, he took his psychologically scarred self into the marines and got trained up to kill and fight, becoming the best. Leaving the army he went to work at the FBI and when he left he found employment working as an assassin-for-hire. Now living with his senile and deaf mother, he heads out on a case for a politician that goes pear-shaped when he realises too late the mob are involved and things aren’t as they seem. Now, Joe, a jaded and worn-out man, armed with a hammer, sets out to save an innocent girl’s life no matter what the cost to himself because he doesn’t have anything left to live for.
A highly skilled killer with a deathwish on a mission - is there anything better to read?
The unstoppable tough guy is a trope we’ve all read many times before, in books and comics and film, but it’s told again and again because when it’s done well, it’s compelling as hell and Ames’ writing is so good, that this story is well worth reading. The writing isn’t as lifeless and limp as Lee Child or James Patterson, though the story is similar to something both would write, but reads much more vibrantly and intelligently. It’s still exciting and dark and full of action but Joe as a character really feels like a person and Ames’ deft touch gives meat to the story which would otherwise in summary feel too straightforward to be interesting. Ames’ writing is Chandler-esque but modern - all the archetypes are here but feel updated and more visceral.
What’s amazing too is that it’s only around 50 pages long but feels like Ames got an entire 300 page novel reduced to the bare minimum in this story. By the end, I could’ve read another 200 pages easily. I’d gotten to know Joe and wanted to see him continue his avenging mission, right to the end - here’s hoping Ames decides to develop this short story into something more substantial, and if he does, I’m there.
If you enjoy Raymond Chandler, Michael Connelly, Frank Miller’s “The Hard Goodbye” (for Marv), Garth Ennis’ “The Punisher MAX” series, the movie “Taken”, and of course Jonathan Ames’ previous writings, this one is right up your alley. “You Were Never Really Here” is an amazing short story, well worth checking out. Read it wearing your best fedora.
Jonathan Ames is best known for his excellent (and cancelled long before its time) HBO series “Bored to Death”, a comedic detective series about an inept amateur sleuth and his friends solving cute and silly mysteries while stoned, in and around Manhattan. This ominously-titled story “You Were Never Really Here” is the polar opposite to that show’s tone. This story is pitch-black noir at its finest.
Joe is a past-middle aged hitman with a troubled past. Beaten ruthlessly by a now-dead alcoholic father in his youth, he took his psychologically scarred self into the marines and got trained up to kill and fight, becoming the best. Leaving the army he went to work at the FBI and when he left he found employment working as an assassin-for-hire. Now living with his senile and deaf mother, he heads out on a case for a politician that goes pear-shaped when he realises too late the mob are involved and things aren’t as they seem. Now, Joe, a jaded and worn-out man, armed with a hammer, sets out to save an innocent girl’s life no matter what the cost to himself because he doesn’t have anything left to live for.
A highly skilled killer with a deathwish on a mission - is there anything better to read?
The unstoppable tough guy is a trope we’ve all read many times before, in books and comics and film, but it’s told again and again because when it’s done well, it’s compelling as hell and Ames’ writing is so good, that this story is well worth reading. The writing isn’t as lifeless and limp as Lee Child or James Patterson, though the story is similar to something both would write, but reads much more vibrantly and intelligently. It’s still exciting and dark and full of action but Joe as a character really feels like a person and Ames’ deft touch gives meat to the story which would otherwise in summary feel too straightforward to be interesting. Ames’ writing is Chandler-esque but modern - all the archetypes are here but feel updated and more visceral.
What’s amazing too is that it’s only around 50 pages long but feels like Ames got an entire 300 page novel reduced to the bare minimum in this story. By the end, I could’ve read another 200 pages easily. I’d gotten to know Joe and wanted to see him continue his avenging mission, right to the end - here’s hoping Ames decides to develop this short story into something more substantial, and if he does, I’m there.
If you enjoy Raymond Chandler, Michael Connelly, Frank Miller’s “The Hard Goodbye” (for Marv), Garth Ennis’ “The Punisher MAX” series, the movie “Taken”, and of course Jonathan Ames’ previous writings, this one is right up your alley. “You Were Never Really Here” is an amazing short story, well worth checking out. Read it wearing your best fedora.
April 11, 2018
Novella
Made into a movie
Ex soldier
Ex fbi
Now Pi
On a mission to find a kidnapped daughter
Her father is a senator
It goes downhill ....
Made into a movie
Ex soldier
Ex fbi
Now Pi
On a mission to find a kidnapped daughter
Her father is a senator
It goes downhill ....
May 25, 2018
'You Were Never Really Here,' by Jonathan Ames is a really dark book about a young girl kidnapped by the mob and used for prostitution and the man, Joe, who's hired to save her. Joe is damaged and fully aware of his derangement. Former FBI and former Marine, the culprit of Joe's aberration is an abusive father, dead during the telling of the story, but readers will know that the abuse lives on in Joe's psyche. Joe is a hired gun, who works on the wrong side of the law. Rescuing girls that have been kidnapped into prostitution is how Joe makes his living. I can't help but wonder if Joe is saving these girls to try and save himself. Their vulnerability must resemble the vulnerability he felt as a young child being beaten by an adult.
"What Joe didn't grasp was that his sense of self had been carved, like a totem, by his father's beatings. The only way for Joe to have survived his father's sadism was to believe that he deserved it, that it was justified, and that belief was still with him and could never be undone."
In this story, Senator Votto hires Joe to rescue his thirteen year old daughter who's been missing for a year. Votto has received an anonymous text revealing his daughter's whereabouts, and he's hiring Joe to fetch her. This is not going to be an easy fetch.
I've never read anything by Ames. The movie trailer for the movie of the same name starring Joaquin Phoenix was my inspiration for reading this book. I thought I'd like to read the book before I watch the movie. This book shows the dark, gritty side of abuse and sex trafficking. This is a short book, less than 100 pages, a novella, and can be read easily in a part of a day. I took three days to read this story, reading it in short bursts. The writing is good; it's not great, but I so admire the author for being able to relate so much in such a short space. When I read the ending, I was like, What? Wow! and Really? Then, there's got to be a sequel. No, there's not. Not a sequel. Okay then. What did I just read? Well, it's powerful!
"What Joe didn't grasp was that his sense of self had been carved, like a totem, by his father's beatings. The only way for Joe to have survived his father's sadism was to believe that he deserved it, that it was justified, and that belief was still with him and could never be undone."
In this story, Senator Votto hires Joe to rescue his thirteen year old daughter who's been missing for a year. Votto has received an anonymous text revealing his daughter's whereabouts, and he's hiring Joe to fetch her. This is not going to be an easy fetch.
I've never read anything by Ames. The movie trailer for the movie of the same name starring Joaquin Phoenix was my inspiration for reading this book. I thought I'd like to read the book before I watch the movie. This book shows the dark, gritty side of abuse and sex trafficking. This is a short book, less than 100 pages, a novella, and can be read easily in a part of a day. I took three days to read this story, reading it in short bursts. The writing is good; it's not great, but I so admire the author for being able to relate so much in such a short space. When I read the ending, I was like, What? Wow! and Really? Then, there's got to be a sequel. No, there's not. Not a sequel. Okay then. What did I just read? Well, it's powerful!
July 27, 2016
This novella packs a punch in its short pages! You Were Never Really Here opens with some action and the pace never stops until the end. I had no idea what to expect when I started it, but by the end I was wishing it was a full novel because I didn’t want it to end.
I’m not going to lie, I was drawing comparisons with a certain Mr. Child and his Jack Reacher character while I was reading this book. Joe is very similar to Reacher which in itself if was enough to make me want more.
The plot, for such a short book, was gripping. The sex trade is never an easy one to tackle, and especially not when you add in corruption and murder. I found You Were Never Really here to be violent but unflinching read.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and like I said, I only wish it was longer. Seriously, that is my only criticism. Gripping, violent, fast and full of action it is a brilliant novella. So much detail, and excellent characterisation squeezed into so few pages and yet it is still superb.
I’m not going to lie, I was drawing comparisons with a certain Mr. Child and his Jack Reacher character while I was reading this book. Joe is very similar to Reacher which in itself if was enough to make me want more.
The plot, for such a short book, was gripping. The sex trade is never an easy one to tackle, and especially not when you add in corruption and murder. I found You Were Never Really here to be violent but unflinching read.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and like I said, I only wish it was longer. Seriously, that is my only criticism. Gripping, violent, fast and full of action it is a brilliant novella. So much detail, and excellent characterisation squeezed into so few pages and yet it is still superb.
January 17, 2019
I really enjoyed this one; I was utterly gripped throughout... right up until the ending... or, rather, the lack of an ending.
I suppose you could argue this abrupt ending was dramatic and ominous but I just came away feeling like the author got bored with the story and couldn't be bothered to write anymore. Knowing what I know of Ames from reading his non-fiction I find this entirely plausible.
Still, as I said, right up until the somewhat lack-lustre ending, this was absolutely great.
I suppose you could argue this abrupt ending was dramatic and ominous but I just came away feeling like the author got bored with the story and couldn't be bothered to write anymore. Knowing what I know of Ames from reading his non-fiction I find this entirely plausible.
Still, as I said, right up until the somewhat lack-lustre ending, this was absolutely great.
April 20, 2023
Lynne Ramsay's film from 2018, featuring a brilliant performance by Joaquin Phoenix and an exceptional dark and moody beat-heavy musical score that really got under my skin, not mention the uncomfortable subject matter of child sex slaves, left such a mark that I couldn't stop thinking about the film for weeks. I didn't even know it was based on a book until last year but just never bothered reading it, until now. The novella, whilst a solid psychological noir thriller, just didn't have the same effect that the film did. At 96 pages it flies by so fast and is a breeze to read in one sitting. Its clear and simple short-sentenced prose that packs a right wallop - Joe's preferred method for taking out the bad guys is a hammer, is going to please fans of the genre, but it's all small set pieces, that quickly move from one to another thus cutting out some of the more emotional aspects of Joe's character that the film did ever so well. Where you truly get a sense of an unstable and tortured soul, who has many ghosts from his past stalking him in the present, and like Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle just wants to do some good by clearing the city of its filth. Disappointing was the way the novella ended; or rather didn't, so follows a slightly different path to the film, which again I thought was far superior.
May 7, 2018
3.5 stars
A soon to be released movie, this book is crime noir at it's best. Our protagonist, Joe, is a former Marine and former FBI agent who now is a man for hire. His specialty is finding young girls sold into the sex trade. He is called into a very unusual case and once he has his hands on the targeted girl, things seem to come unwound.
I had not read Ames before, but believe that he usually writes humor. If that is the case, he has hid his cold blooded thriller image very well. This story touching on the sex trade, does not go into detail, but lays out enough of a picture to make this novel worth reading. I will say that I did not like the ending, but will not elaborate any further. I am not sure having read this Black Lizard crime novel by Ames that I would be satisfied reading a humorous book by him. I will however look for more of his man for hire, Joe.
A soon to be released movie, this book is crime noir at it's best. Our protagonist, Joe, is a former Marine and former FBI agent who now is a man for hire. His specialty is finding young girls sold into the sex trade. He is called into a very unusual case and once he has his hands on the targeted girl, things seem to come unwound.
I had not read Ames before, but believe that he usually writes humor. If that is the case, he has hid his cold blooded thriller image very well. This story touching on the sex trade, does not go into detail, but lays out enough of a picture to make this novel worth reading. I will say that I did not like the ending, but will not elaborate any further. I am not sure having read this Black Lizard crime novel by Ames that I would be satisfied reading a humorous book by him. I will however look for more of his man for hire, Joe.
December 3, 2018
After watching the movie of the same name and ending up befuddled over what was just seen, I then read Jonathan Ames' novella You Were Never Really Here and was pleasantly pleased with both.
Be forewarned, both are with graphic violence. Also, if one intends to watch the film, I would suggest reading only about half of the novella. And to be honest, I would do the reading before watching the film. Unfortunately, aspects of the film are too ambiguous and reading half of the novella explains away the ambiguity.
You Were Never Really Here is about a psychologically and physically damaged man named Joe and his downward spiral into madness and violence. Joe is a war veteran and former FBI agent. As an FBI agent, Joe mainly investigated human trafficking and after leaving the FBI, Joe now rescues children, mostly females, from victimization.
To tell more would offer too many spoilers. What is favorable about the novella is that Ames does a very good job explaining how Joe has arrived where he is today and why he is the way he is.
Recommended to those that enjoy dark, unflinching fiction.
Be forewarned, both are with graphic violence. Also, if one intends to watch the film, I would suggest reading only about half of the novella. And to be honest, I would do the reading before watching the film. Unfortunately, aspects of the film are too ambiguous and reading half of the novella explains away the ambiguity.
You Were Never Really Here is about a psychologically and physically damaged man named Joe and his downward spiral into madness and violence. Joe is a war veteran and former FBI agent. As an FBI agent, Joe mainly investigated human trafficking and after leaving the FBI, Joe now rescues children, mostly females, from victimization.
To tell more would offer too many spoilers. What is favorable about the novella is that Ames does a very good job explaining how Joe has arrived where he is today and why he is the way he is.
Recommended to those that enjoy dark, unflinching fiction.
April 17, 2018
For such a bleak narrative, it was a joy to read Jonathan Ames' "You Were Never Really Here." Only 97 pages, there is not a wasted word or phrase in this book. I know Ames admires the work of Richard Stark, and clearly, he learned from the master. Ames is mostly a humorous writer of essays and fiction, so the noir writing is a new avenue for him. It's a perfect example of how to tell a tale. I don't want to get into the plotting of this story, because that's for the reader to know and enjoy, but everything is explained, the past, the present, and perhaps the future. The film version I saw right after reading this book, and that too is exceptional. It's fascinating to compare the screen and book, and how they are different, yet totally respectful of Ames' vision. See the film and do read this book. Especially if you are a fan of noir fiction.
April 14, 2021
170918: intense. that is the best 112 pages i have read this or many other years. i call it poetry because it is so stripped down, language minimal, plot simple but complex, concise but emotional, basically everything i love in poetry. is there a sequel? i do not know. i think i have to watch the film...
April 1, 2022
Bir oturuşta biten, karanlık ve akıcı bir öykü. Rahatsız edici bir konusu olsa da filmini izlemeyi düşünebilirim.
January 26, 2026
★★★★
This is a dark little tale about Joe, a retired FBI agent and ex-Marine who makes his living rescuing women who are being sexually trafficked. This has been adapted into a movie starring Joaquin Phoenix who won Best Actor at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of Joe.
Joe's head is not a nice place to be. He hates himself and kills easily and without remorse as long as it follows his somewhat murky moral code. His weapon of choice is a hammer but he can also do a lot of damage with his hands. He is a spooky guy.
In this story, Joe is hired to rescue the 13 year old daughter of a prominent politician who has been abducted and put to work in brothels all over the country. The job goes sideways and Joe goes on the offensive.
Very dark and very powerfully written. This is book #5 in my 2026 Read My Hoard Challenge.
This is a dark little tale about Joe, a retired FBI agent and ex-Marine who makes his living rescuing women who are being sexually trafficked. This has been adapted into a movie starring Joaquin Phoenix who won Best Actor at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of Joe.
Joe's head is not a nice place to be. He hates himself and kills easily and without remorse as long as it follows his somewhat murky moral code. His weapon of choice is a hammer but he can also do a lot of damage with his hands. He is a spooky guy.
In this story, Joe is hired to rescue the 13 year old daughter of a prominent politician who has been abducted and put to work in brothels all over the country. The job goes sideways and Joe goes on the offensive.
Very dark and very powerfully written. This is book #5 in my 2026 Read My Hoard Challenge.
September 30, 2019
Ekselents gabals 2h lidojumam.
May 23, 2022
Vi la película hace tiempo y me habían quedado algunas dudas, que el libro tampoco resolvió, jajajaja. Es una novela corta, cruda, violenta y me ha gustado mucho poder entender mejor a Joe, pero me hace falta un final, necesito un final.
October 9, 2022
“Bir çekiç neden indiğini asla sorgulamazdı.”
July 27, 2017
Dude works outside the law to rescue sex trafficked girls. Shit goes sideways. Dude has a hammer.
Imagine Jack Reacher but terrifying and faster.
I read the whole thing aloud to myself.
It's 90 pages.
Imagine Jack Reacher but terrifying and faster.
I read the whole thing aloud to myself.
It's 90 pages.
December 24, 2018
After watching the movie and then reading a very creepy, dream logic, hidden meaning theory about the mom-son relationship and many other aspects I couldn't wrap my head around this and it kept me thinking for days, so I decided to read the book . After finishing Ames’s novella I couldn't help but smile because it turned out that it was a classic case of over thinking and taking pieces of a movie to form your own theory. Anyway, the book includes 100ish dark, gritty and tight pages which are really good and not at all confusing like the movie /nothing wrong with that it's just different/. The writing is short yet descriptive and paints vivid graphic images. It has enough differences from the movie to be worth reading as well. Loved this one! I could read a whole series centered around Joe.
June 10, 2021
3.5/5⭐.
Such a good novella.
I'm surprised that this was made into a movie that I was not aware of. I am so gonna watch it.
Such a good novella.
I'm surprised that this was made into a movie that I was not aware of. I am so gonna watch it.
May 27, 2018
Ex-marine, ex-FBI, "special jobs" specialist Joe is a more complicated and tormented character than Richard Stark's Parker, but he has the same kind of violent and calculating velocity when action is required. Joe's jobs involve rescuing kidnapped young girls from the sex trade. He's very good at what he does, but he wonders, at age 48, if he's slipping. He's even contemplated suicide. More than once. His latest job involves the missing daughter of state senator. He takes the job, but something doesn't seem right about the senator. After a trip to the hardware store to pick a hammer, things go south from there. I really admired the economy of this novella-length story, though I wouldn't have minded an extra fifty pages of exposition as opposed to obvious (but well done) narrative cheats used to explain backgrounds and dirty doings. I was also bothered by what seemed a large improbability, then recalled Chinatown. It's a dark world. (I look forward to seeing how this is handled in the movie.) I'm somewhat torn over the ending since it suggests the possibility of a sequel. I might prefer the promise of what is to come (given the novel's final image) without the actual book. But if there is a book, I'll be sure to read it. Highly recommended.
March 25, 2019
3,5/5. Action packed novella that won’t slow down for the entire reading. That would be the kind of read I would like to share with my father, he would have love it, if he was a reader. For myself alone, this was an entertaining read. The action is always well described and the plot is captivating without being truly original. There are two things I didn’t like. First, the writing seems nearly adapted for a movie or a tv show, no surprise they did a movie with (going to watch it soon enough...), the writing is graphic, short sentences, very descriptive, not much psychology in there, not a script either but not fully literacy. Second, the ending is way to open, at this point it isn’t an open ending, it just isn’t an ending. The story look unfinished, maybe it would have a sequel, but nothing about that from what I’ve seen so far. And this unfisnished feeling stay with you after closing the book, not that you regret to have read it, but certainly disappointed it didn’t have a proper ending. I like reading it and though it was good (the pace was awesome), but at the same time it have some flaws and could have been better.
March 2, 2019
Not really sure what the point of this was. It's a fairly decent set-up to a mob revenge story... and then it just ends. It's like the first part of a much longer novel.
Certainly doesn't work as a book on its own as far too much is left hanging and 97 pages isn't really long enough to explore the many plot strands, not to develop characters properly.
Certainly doesn't work as a book on its own as far too much is left hanging and 97 pages isn't really long enough to explore the many plot strands, not to develop characters properly.
February 24, 2019
Qué dura.
Qué triste.
Qué buena.
Qué triste.
Qué buena.
July 27, 2016
In a change of pace and authorial style, I also read You Were Never Really Here by Jonathan Ames, a novella that runs to 87 pages and soon to be a feature film starring Joaquin Phoenix. Joe, a former FBI agent and U. S. Marine, harbouring the memories of an abusive childhood, and the violent events of his recent careers, now has largely dropped out from society, earning a living tracking down and rescuing young girls from the grip of the sex trade. Now he has been hired to save the daughter of a New York senator, held captive in a Manhattan brothel, but finds himself ensnared in a dangerous web of conspiracy and violence. Described as a toxic shock of a thriller, this bijou slice of American noir, delivers a real punch to the reader, and I was mightily impressed how much well defined characterisation, and breadth of action, Ames crams into such a minimal page count. Quickly your sympathies for Joe is heightened and from the beginning you are rooting for him, your empathy well and truly put into overdrive as the mental and physical damage he has experienced is put sharply into focus, and there is a real strength to Ames’ writing in passages where Joe indulges in some critical self-examination of his own psyche. The degree of manipulation he experiences in the course of this mission is well wrought, and the violence throughout is swift and uncompromising, making this a real read-in- one-sitting thriller. My only slight bugbear is the slight cynicism of the ending which too obviously paves the way for a potential sequel, and left me a little unsatisfied, but with a cover price of less than a vacuous throwaway magazine there’s still plenty here for your fiver. Recommended.
March 21, 2018
Visceral breakneck pace straight down the line in cinematic style, starts with some nice characterization of this ex-marine and ex-FBI fixer, whose choice of weapon against assailants is a hammer, and builds up with the situation of taken and the task to be undertaken, all plays out in the need for successful return of a young daughter to her Senator father.
Straight to the meat not so many details, economy of words and pages that hook you into a effective little thriller that can be read under two hours just like any film you want to sit through from beginning to end.
https://more2read.com/review/you-were-never-really-here-by-jonathan-ames/
Straight to the meat not so many details, economy of words and pages that hook you into a effective little thriller that can be read under two hours just like any film you want to sit through from beginning to end.
https://more2read.com/review/you-were-never-really-here-by-jonathan-ames/
October 17, 2018
I saw the movie a few months ago and was quite disappointed by it. But the story at the root of it seemed like something I should enjoy, so I was surprised and intrigued when I saw this novella sitting on the library shelf. I hadn't even known the movie was an adaptation.
Indeed, reading the story was much better. It is a straightforward crime noir that reminded me of Richard Stark's Parker and Andrew Vachss' Burke novel series. A damaged man does good things by way of bad means. The prose is lean, the plot is simple, and the lead character is sympathetic.
This is another case of a good book becoming a bad movie. The filmmakers decided to slow things way down and add layers of murk and symbolism. And while Joaquin Phoenix is a decent actor, he just didn't click in this role for me.
Indeed, reading the story was much better. It is a straightforward crime noir that reminded me of Richard Stark's Parker and Andrew Vachss' Burke novel series. A damaged man does good things by way of bad means. The prose is lean, the plot is simple, and the lead character is sympathetic.
This is another case of a good book becoming a bad movie. The filmmakers decided to slow things way down and add layers of murk and symbolism. And while Joaquin Phoenix is a decent actor, he just didn't click in this role for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 658 reviews