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Watch
When John Harvey’s watch stops working on the morning of February 3rd, 1987, he has an epiphany. It occurs to him that every personal trauma he is trying to forget has had one thing in they all occurred at some point on the face of that very watch. The loss of his job, the death of his child, Zola’s suicide, all contained right there in that tiny circle of finite numbers. So he smashes the watch. Problem solved.
But when John steps out the door to make his daily trek to the local bar as a man newly freed from the tyrannies of time, he is met by a snowstorm that renders him completely blind, and a walk that should have taken just a few minutes begins to feel like years. Because as John Harvey wanders alone through the snow with no sun nor sign to guide him, the twenty-eight year old misanthrope is confronted by the vivid manifestation of every ghost he has devoted his lonely life to avoiding. In the storm he is forced to finally accept the suffering he has been hiding from. In the storm he is forced to understand that the only thing worse than never truly seeing is never truly being seen. In the storm he is forced, for once, to watch.
But when John steps out the door to make his daily trek to the local bar as a man newly freed from the tyrannies of time, he is met by a snowstorm that renders him completely blind, and a walk that should have taken just a few minutes begins to feel like years. Because as John Harvey wanders alone through the snow with no sun nor sign to guide him, the twenty-eight year old misanthrope is confronted by the vivid manifestation of every ghost he has devoted his lonely life to avoiding. In the storm he is forced to finally accept the suffering he has been hiding from. In the storm he is forced to understand that the only thing worse than never truly seeing is never truly being seen. In the storm he is forced, for once, to watch.
- GenresFiction
148 pages, Paperback
Published September 18, 2018
36 people are currently reading
546 people want to read
About the author
Keith Buckley
20 books151 followersKeith Buckley is the vocalist and lyricist for the critically acclaimed punk rock act Every Time I Die, which has sold hundreds of thousands of records worldwide and has amassed a substantial fan base while touring the globe for over a decade. He lives in Buffalo, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 12, 2019
A very short, dramatic read of one man's unraveling after the death of his mother, wife, and unborn child.
Chock full of the narrator disassociating, hallucinating ghosts from his past, and possibly imagined, possibly real people in his everyday life. He wanders around during a blizzard in Buffalo, New York and hangs out at his favorite bar.
The writing itself doubles down on what the narrator is experiencing. Sentence fragments and riddle-like physical descriptions that require a second-read through are constant. We're unsure where his mind's fantasy is blending with reality; memories are revisited and reanimated in the present. Emotions are dramatic and aim towards the philosophical; fortunately, these bits are kept brief. This works because of its brevity, but just barely.
A disorienting earthly visitation from a punk rocker turned novelist.
Chock full of the narrator disassociating, hallucinating ghosts from his past, and possibly imagined, possibly real people in his everyday life. He wanders around during a blizzard in Buffalo, New York and hangs out at his favorite bar.
The writing itself doubles down on what the narrator is experiencing. Sentence fragments and riddle-like physical descriptions that require a second-read through are constant. We're unsure where his mind's fantasy is blending with reality; memories are revisited and reanimated in the present. Emotions are dramatic and aim towards the philosophical; fortunately, these bits are kept brief. This works because of its brevity, but just barely.
A disorienting earthly visitation from a punk rocker turned novelist.
December 4, 2018
3.5 stars, really.
Part of me is upset at how incredibly disjointed and confusing this novel was, at the same time I acknowledge that we'll probably read it in literature classes 50 years from now. It's well crafted as hell. And beautifully worded. It was hard to keep up with, but I know being displaced from all sense of time was its whole point. I am kinda angry that the end is so vague. The rest of the novel gave you time between bouncing from the past to the present that you could catch up. I'm still confused about the ending even after reading it a few times. Still. Beautifully written by one of my favorite lyricists, so. Worth a read.
Part of me is upset at how incredibly disjointed and confusing this novel was, at the same time I acknowledge that we'll probably read it in literature classes 50 years from now. It's well crafted as hell. And beautifully worded. It was hard to keep up with, but I know being displaced from all sense of time was its whole point. I am kinda angry that the end is so vague. The rest of the novel gave you time between bouncing from the past to the present that you could catch up. I'm still confused about the ending even after reading it a few times. Still. Beautifully written by one of my favorite lyricists, so. Worth a read.
August 25, 2018
Great. Really upsetting and unnerving.
August 25, 2023
I started watch without any prior knowledge of who Keith Buckley was. I have vague recollections of his band, Every Time I Die, but I cannot name any of their songs. It’s possible I have heard of them only because they pop up on the music news every now and then. So why did I listen to this audiobook? It came up as a recommended listen on Scribd. Whatever algorithm selected it for me was wrong.
While there are a few good moments, I was lost. I didn’t get it at all. It is possibly the most non linear story I have ever heard, with apparent time jumps mid sentence. I really have no idea what was going on by the end.
I didn’t really like anything about it. I guess the cover was interesting….
One to avoid.
While there are a few good moments, I was lost. I didn’t get it at all. It is possibly the most non linear story I have ever heard, with apparent time jumps mid sentence. I really have no idea what was going on by the end.
I didn’t really like anything about it. I guess the cover was interesting….
One to avoid.
January 3, 2019
Mostly passed me by. Reminds me of Naked Lunch in many respects. It's feverish, murky and very confusing. It takes around 2-3 chapters to even give an idea of what is happening. The unpredictable shifts through time and into mania are also awkward to follow, while the overall narrative is neither here nor there. I'm never entirely sure with novels like this whether I just didn't get it, or whether it just isn't that great.
Also struck me that it maybe needed a little more attention from an editor or similar, as there were a couple of times where a sentence just made no sense at all.
Also struck me that it maybe needed a little more attention from an editor or similar, as there were a couple of times where a sentence just made no sense at all.
April 12, 2024
Like Buckley’s music, his writing is creative and frantic. Punchy. Laden with layers of booze and grime and sorrow passionately screamed.
I was impressed by his ability to smear past, present , and imagined and by how well the theme matched the form of his writing.
Timeless? Time will tell.
I was impressed by his ability to smear past, present , and imagined and by how well the theme matched the form of his writing.
Timeless? Time will tell.
December 5, 2019
Keith is one of my favorite frontman in the band Every Time I Die from Buffalo, NY. That is what brought me to read his book.
After reading it though I am glad to come here and find out that I am not the only one lost by the book. It was a fun and interesting book however trying to stay on course with it was tough, and the end is confusing. I don't read a ton so glad to know I wasn't alone.
Will read again though, to get a better grasp of the story. Keith has an interesting way of writing that is confusing yet fun. The book pushed the boundaries of time and reality with out really telling you, kind of gives you an inception type feel sometimes... you have to pay attention to the jumps. Give it a read.
After reading it though I am glad to come here and find out that I am not the only one lost by the book. It was a fun and interesting book however trying to stay on course with it was tough, and the end is confusing. I don't read a ton so glad to know I wasn't alone.
Will read again though, to get a better grasp of the story. Keith has an interesting way of writing that is confusing yet fun. The book pushed the boundaries of time and reality with out really telling you, kind of gives you an inception type feel sometimes... you have to pay attention to the jumps. Give it a read.
January 15, 2019
I started reading this not fully knowing what to expect but also having some high expectations having listened to Keith Buckley's band very regularly for some time. It is almost an instant punch to the face and you want to really dislike it for how much it aggravates you with such a disjointed narrative but you can't help but love it because you understand that is almost its purpose. It's an extremely well written piece that conveys existential, emotional, and mental crisis really, truly, well without pandering to much. It definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea but it is a very good literary work akin to some revered classics and could imagine it becoming one in the years to come.
July 31, 2021
Watch is worth your time.
It's not perfect. I find Buckley's style to lean towards overwritten. As poetic as it may be to stack metaphors on top of one another, it can equally become suffocating. But his ability to switch between the past, present and future of his protagonist at the drop of a dime is fantastic.
The simultaneity of events serving well to inhabit John's mental space. All the despair, anger and regret whirling around, feeding each other in his worst moment(s).
While I may have initially been trepidatious, there's something that eats away at you in Watch. A consuming chasm that opens up to swallow the unsuspecting.
It's not perfect. I find Buckley's style to lean towards overwritten. As poetic as it may be to stack metaphors on top of one another, it can equally become suffocating. But his ability to switch between the past, present and future of his protagonist at the drop of a dime is fantastic.
The simultaneity of events serving well to inhabit John's mental space. All the despair, anger and regret whirling around, feeding each other in his worst moment(s).
While I may have initially been trepidatious, there's something that eats away at you in Watch. A consuming chasm that opens up to swallow the unsuspecting.
May 11, 2021
Confusing, interesting, and fun to read once you start to catch on to the style of the book. It was disjointed, jumping around without any indication of the point in time or reality in which the main character finds himself. Does a good job of coming around and tying itself together. Overall, a dark, sad, and intricately written novel.
October 11, 2023
At first this book was somewhat confusing and hard to read, but as you get further in you realize that the authors disassociation is not just his but also the characters as scenery and characters seem to change almost mid sentence. The story is dark and depressing but interesting, and I look forward to reading more of Keiths books.
September 3, 2018
What a trippy novel! It started out so brutally raw and went on a strange journey with quite a few unexpected twists and turns in the last 30 pages that threw me a bit and made me think. Living in Buffalo, I recognize the setting, which was excellent. Really cool second Buckley novel. Worth it.
December 19, 2018
A disorienting, well-written missive of a broken man in Buffalo. Displaced and jarring and affecting all at once, it loses itself every so often before pulling the narrative tighter.
I'm not sure of everything that happened, but then I think that was kind of the point.
I'm not sure of everything that happened, but then I think that was kind of the point.
August 29, 2018
I couldn't put it down. I've never read a book so quick. It's bizarre and dark. Fast paced and vivid. Disorienting and engrossing.
Instantly a new favorite for me.
Instantly a new favorite for me.
January 2, 2024
Hated it at first. Was pretentious and verbose. Once I got past that and into the groove of Buckley's writing style I started to enjoy it. Idk. Something about everyone wanting to fuck the protagonist in a rockstar's novel was a bit contrived and narcissistic. I'm sure everyone in Buffalo wants to fuck Keith Buckley and every couple wants him to join them, but I don't really give a shit about that.
It's hard to feel for the protagonist when he's an inattentive eraser of a husband. When he hones in on his own insecurities of feeling out of place and uncomfortable in his own skin the ego makes a lot more sense. Gotta balance out all that self hate somewhere. He gets a few redemption points for the self-deprecation, but even still it feels inauthentic. Not a victim. Not a martyr. Somewhere in between you gotta take responsibility for what's yours. Time eats everyone alive.
My issue doesn't lie within the context of the scatterbrained/nonlinear nature of the novel. You catch on to that. Oh he's dying and reliving his memories and doesn't fully recognize the person he's watching bla bla bla. Cool. Into it. It's hanging on to every word like it's honey dripping from your lips. Again, once I got into it I could start to look past that, and it got better as the novel progressed.
Wouldn't have picked up this book if I hadn't just finished reading High Anxiety and didn't catch my ex's dog trying to chew up this book. In the end this was the book I needed to read after escaping a relationship with a narcissist 12 years my senior who can't really read and has an ETID flag hanging over his bed. Maybe that has shaped some of my opinions of the thing. Perhaps I wouldn't have such a bitter taste in my mouth for it if it existed outside those realms. Regardless, it's not entirely Keith Buckley's fault that there is an entire fanbase of disengaged, uneducated men with mommy issues willing to follow him like lemmings, but it was rather serendipitous that this quite literally fell into my lap when it did... I should call him.
Quotes:
"He looked back and saw his mother, smiling into the sun, impervious to the death ahead of him at the place where the water met the land, the death that waited to greet him, to take him in, to change him, and spit him back as something different." pg. 63
"And when he is convinced he has overturned every other stone on his abandoned earth, he cautiously removes the last brick from a crumbling wall and opens the box where he hides his shame." pg. 84
It's hard to feel for the protagonist when he's an inattentive eraser of a husband. When he hones in on his own insecurities of feeling out of place and uncomfortable in his own skin the ego makes a lot more sense. Gotta balance out all that self hate somewhere. He gets a few redemption points for the self-deprecation, but even still it feels inauthentic. Not a victim. Not a martyr. Somewhere in between you gotta take responsibility for what's yours. Time eats everyone alive.
My issue doesn't lie within the context of the scatterbrained/nonlinear nature of the novel. You catch on to that. Oh he's dying and reliving his memories and doesn't fully recognize the person he's watching bla bla bla. Cool. Into it. It's hanging on to every word like it's honey dripping from your lips. Again, once I got into it I could start to look past that, and it got better as the novel progressed.
Wouldn't have picked up this book if I hadn't just finished reading High Anxiety and didn't catch my ex's dog trying to chew up this book. In the end this was the book I needed to read after escaping a relationship with a narcissist 12 years my senior who can't really read and has an ETID flag hanging over his bed. Maybe that has shaped some of my opinions of the thing. Perhaps I wouldn't have such a bitter taste in my mouth for it if it existed outside those realms. Regardless, it's not entirely Keith Buckley's fault that there is an entire fanbase of disengaged, uneducated men with mommy issues willing to follow him like lemmings, but it was rather serendipitous that this quite literally fell into my lap when it did... I should call him.
Quotes:
"He looked back and saw his mother, smiling into the sun, impervious to the death ahead of him at the place where the water met the land, the death that waited to greet him, to take him in, to change him, and spit him back as something different." pg. 63
"And when he is convinced he has overturned every other stone on his abandoned earth, he cautiously removes the last brick from a crumbling wall and opens the box where he hides his shame." pg. 84
January 14, 2020
I will definitly need to read this book a few times to get everything right. The vocabulary is strong, very strong, and the contexte is rich, but mind-blowing. It really takes 2 chapters before getting the idea of the writing. Shifting from present to past to present all the time really takes you into the skin of John, which has decided to let go of time alltogether and has so much going on in his head. I think this book is writin for the reader to feel the feelings and to be and stay confused. I would have prefered some sort of clear ending with responses, but it is not the way (even for John), but I think that's how Keith hooked me up with that novel. I had some hard times catching the meaning as english is my second language, but I just couldn't stop reading. I felt like it was sometimes writin like a screen scenario, really focusing on the visuals. You should definitly read this novel, at least for your literary culture.
October 11, 2023
i liked how confused and frustrated i felt while reading this, and the nails in my chest at certain parts. it took me way too long to figure out what was going on at times and i had to reread, try to not be too distracted. the emptiness was distracting. i will read it again and then admit maybe i don’t know what’s going on lol the darkest parts felt occasionally uplifting while i thought about my own life and failure to cope with whatever you want to call it… life? my own understanding of death right now is complicated and confusing enough, while watching john take it on. i enjoyed the last 25% the most and felt a lot up until it’s ending. i can’t describe how i was feeling afterwards but i’m happy that i finally picked it up. this is why i’m impressed. by how much the story made me feel. thanks!
March 31, 2019
Breezed through this book in a couple sittings. The first chapter was a bit difficult to wrangle, trying to decipher the style, but once it came into its own, the language really took center stage and lit a quietly burning inferno. Time gaps are immediately bridged and drained and reacquainted as the protagonist remembers and wanders through his terrible life, surrounded by horrible circumstance and company and we’re there to revisit it all with him, like A Christmas Story soaked in booze and heartbreak. Some truly beautiful turns of phrase and obsidian dark description. Buckley’s work is precise and spiritual, even when he’s writing about the very bottom of society. A great read once you can work through the brambles at the outset and don’t expect a clear and concise narrative.
December 24, 2019
Buckley's always been one of my favorite lyricists, and I've been excited to see how he handles prose. I wasn't disappointed, though I was a bit bewildered at times. I love nonlinear storytelling, and Buckley weaves past and present fairly effectively throughout this story, but there are times when John jumps between moments and situations so rapidly that it becomes hard to follow.
Buckley doesn't shy away from the ugliness of John's situation or state of mind. He delves into broken families, infidelity, grief and loss, suicide, substance abuse, self-hatred, and love in ways that walk a fine line between devastating and disturbing. Some of the events are a bit predictable, but the way they're contextualized through John's eyes helps to ground them.
Buckley doesn't shy away from the ugliness of John's situation or state of mind. He delves into broken families, infidelity, grief and loss, suicide, substance abuse, self-hatred, and love in ways that walk a fine line between devastating and disturbing. Some of the events are a bit predictable, but the way they're contextualized through John's eyes helps to ground them.
June 20, 2019
The story of John Harvey is chaotic and heartbreaking. Keith is one of my favorite lyricists, and an absolute master of the kind of lines that burrow right into the center of you before they detonate. The novel is a deceptively easy read, the words are quick to get through, but you find yourself going back and re-reading it over and over again each time picking up something new within the chaos. I would often found myself setting the book down, intending to take a break from the heaviness, before instantly picking back up and diving right back in, not wanting to stop reading. As soon as I read the final line I flipped back to the beginning and started over again!
July 14, 2020
3.5 for this one. Some elements of it worked: the disjointedness so you feel you're losing your mind along with John, the poetic and lyrical language, the pathetic fallacy of the snowstorm, the length. Some elements just weren't quite there for me, though, and as a huge fan of ETID and Keith it pains me to say it. It felt like it was written by someone who's on the way to being a brilliant author but still needs some practice. I will definitely read this again though, which is why I think the length worked in its favour to keep you interested.
December 13, 2018
This one really mindfucked me at times, especially the ending. I'm a huge fan of Keith and his lyrics and I really loved Scale. This one had some great characterisation and a lot of feeling, wether it was an odd encounter with a swingers couple or a profound conversation with a woman at a bus stop. My failure to understand what was happening a lot of the time made it hard for me to rate this any higher. I'm sorry Keith, love you man
May 7, 2020
This is a bleak story told in style similar to that in the film A Ghost Story. Time is an existential concept rather than a way to organize events chronologically. Whether the events are interpreted as dreams, drunken memories, or the strange passing of time in the after life (maybe a combination of all 3), they tell a sad but moving story of the cruelties of relationships, insecurities, and self-loathing.
February 18, 2019
It was hard to read and disjointed. It’s unfortunate that the beautifully descriptive scenes weren’t threaded together in a more appealing way, but maybe that’s the point. I seriously loved some parts of this book for how vividly I felt and saw what Buckley was describing, but there just was too much to slog through to make it a compelling book.
December 14, 2020
Watch is absolutely pitch black with trauma and grief, definitely not a book to read if you want to feel uplifted by the happier moments in life. Buckley’s examination of a man unstuck in time is, however, extremely well written and constructed, and a marked improvement on his first novel. I can’t wait to see what he writes next.
October 9, 2023
Keith Buckley should’ve been a poet (or even a filmmaker) instead of a novelist. Buckley is good with prose but it comes to the detriment of the reader. His prose is so thick that Watch doesn’t even read as a novel. I’m only giving this 3 stars because I love Every Time I Die, it was better than Scale, and it was fairly entertaining.
February 22, 2020
Winding and unnerving. Lots of subtle nods to Buffalo past. Will probably want to let this settle in my mind a bit and read it again. Keith is an incredible lyricist and it’s interesting to see what he’s done here given more space to work with.
July 16, 2020
Great read. A surreal tale, Murakami style, of loss, human insecurities and bitterness. In my opinion, a definitive step-up from Buckley's first novel (also a great read, by the way) in terms of story telling.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
December 11, 2023
4.5✨
Reading this reminded me of Albert Camus’ literary style somehow, and I loved that! 😍
Telling you what the book is about wouldn’t make sense to you unless you read it, but it encompasses themes of existential crisis, trauma, and the passage of time.
The seamless transitions between past and present give the narrative a touch of magical realism. The story is captivating and holds your attention until the very end.
There is a certain darkness that pervades the book, which is difficult to pinpoint but can be deeply felt.
I am eager to read more works by Keith Buckley.
Reading this reminded me of Albert Camus’ literary style somehow, and I loved that! 😍
Telling you what the book is about wouldn’t make sense to you unless you read it, but it encompasses themes of existential crisis, trauma, and the passage of time.
The seamless transitions between past and present give the narrative a touch of magical realism. The story is captivating and holds your attention until the very end.
There is a certain darkness that pervades the book, which is difficult to pinpoint but can be deeply felt.
I am eager to read more works by Keith Buckley.
November 17, 2018
A surprisingly good read, Keith Buckley has grown far beyond the witty shouts of his musical background and created a literary work that requires something of its reader.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews