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Sommelier of Deformity
"I'm a connoisseur of the unwanted; a sommelier of deformity; a coveter of the unloved. I am forever chased by the shadow of my ugliness. In darkness, no shadow remains, and it's all diamonds."
Buddy Hayes is an ugly, defiant little man, a would-be Don Juan trapped in Quasimodo's body. He lives with his mother and ailing grandfather in a decaying, post-industrial city. The mother is Emily Post with a color changing and a mood-indicating scar. The grandfather is a one-eyed double amputee, who spends his days happily dangling in a hydraulic patient lift. Their life is a working-class hallucination of blueblood extravagance. They luxuriate over gourmet meals and perform dramatic readings. At night, Buddy slips away for covert liaisons with women he meets on the internet. Buddy is at war with his neighbor over a stolen book. There are frequent outrageous acts of casual sex. There's a love interest, a librarian, who tempts Buddy with desires for the "normal" kind of love he knows he cannot have. So it goes, until a new nurse arrives to care for Buddy’s grandfather. Enter Terrance: a tall, impossibly handsome black man, a lapsed Broadway performer, virtuoso singer, and banjo player. Buddy and Terrance strike up an unlikely friendship that drives Yetto's surreal, tawdry, and poignant debut novel.
Buddy Hayes is an ugly, defiant little man, a would-be Don Juan trapped in Quasimodo's body. He lives with his mother and ailing grandfather in a decaying, post-industrial city. The mother is Emily Post with a color changing and a mood-indicating scar. The grandfather is a one-eyed double amputee, who spends his days happily dangling in a hydraulic patient lift. Their life is a working-class hallucination of blueblood extravagance. They luxuriate over gourmet meals and perform dramatic readings. At night, Buddy slips away for covert liaisons with women he meets on the internet. Buddy is at war with his neighbor over a stolen book. There are frequent outrageous acts of casual sex. There's a love interest, a librarian, who tempts Buddy with desires for the "normal" kind of love he knows he cannot have. So it goes, until a new nurse arrives to care for Buddy’s grandfather. Enter Terrance: a tall, impossibly handsome black man, a lapsed Broadway performer, virtuoso singer, and banjo player. Buddy and Terrance strike up an unlikely friendship that drives Yetto's surreal, tawdry, and poignant debut novel.
352 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2018
4 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Nick Yetto
3 books37 followersNick Yetto is making his major literary debut. He started his career as Senior Web Producer for Car and Driver magazine, and has worked as an independent web designer/developer for the past twelve years.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 26, 2018
I finished this book months ago and the narrative has still stuck with me. Yetto's writing is both absurdist and surreal. I couldn't decide if I wanted to be best friends with Buddy or give him a severe lecture- Perhaps a bit of both?
Yetto's work defies easy explanation and doesn't fit well into established genre norms. His writing a is unique blend of absurdist humor, existential angst, nihilism, and surreal subversions of one's expectations.
Throughout the book I was frequently appalled and somewhat offended by what I was reading, but like a train wreck, I couldn't stop watching. I wanted easy explanations and a happy ending. I wanted Buddy to develop a moral compass.
Luckily, Yetto was to wise to give me the reader exactly what I wanted. Instead, he gave me something much better: a complex exploration of the absurd nature of the human spirit. I can't wait to read more from this author.
Yetto's work defies easy explanation and doesn't fit well into established genre norms. His writing a is unique blend of absurdist humor, existential angst, nihilism, and surreal subversions of one's expectations.
Throughout the book I was frequently appalled and somewhat offended by what I was reading, but like a train wreck, I couldn't stop watching. I wanted easy explanations and a happy ending. I wanted Buddy to develop a moral compass.
Luckily, Yetto was to wise to give me the reader exactly what I wanted. Instead, he gave me something much better: a complex exploration of the absurd nature of the human spirit. I can't wait to read more from this author.
December 5, 2018
Really this book is 4.5 stars because I doubt I'll be able to stop thinking about it anytime soon. Imagine if Confederacy of Dunces had a love child with Pornhub and Tumblr. Thankfully the main character is more redeemable and likable than Ignatius, but there are many similarities between the two. Buddy is twenty-eight years old and still living with his mother and grandfather. Since his Puppa has become too aged and decrepit to take care of himself, Buddy has taken over as the man of the family. He lords over their routines with hilarious ferocity, making sure everything is to his satisfaction. He rarely leaves the house accept to visit his occasional paramours and the library. His lucrative tech job can be done from the safety of his chambers and the only people he really converses with are his family. One of the reasons Buddy rarely leaves the house and has no friends is because of his appearance; he's not just ugly, he's hideous. Everything about him is misshapen and wrong looking, but he makes do with what he can, becoming a sommelier of deformity. Buddy's routine is thrown into a tizzy when his mother becomes smitten with the new home nurse, who happens to be (gasp) black. Buddy is shaken to his very core. This cannot be! Terrence's appearance throws the family dynamic off and it is all Buddy can do to keep functioning. Little does he know just how much he's about to come out of his shell to protect himself from this intruder. Hilarious, insightful, weird, and wonderful. A fantastic read.
September 25, 2019
Лояльные читатели сравнивают этот роман с произведениями Криса Мура (видимо, потому, что Крис его проэндорсил), но сказать по правде, ничего общего у этих двух авторов нет. «Соммелье» начинается как монолог околомиллениального апгрейда Игнациуса Ж. Райлли, как если бы тот вдруг оказался в романе кого-нибудь из авторов гениального издательства «Контемпорари Пресс» или в песне Петра Мамонова «Серый голубь». Хотя мы понимаем, что пропэтченный Игнациус — это, по сути, Шелдон Купер. Поэтому набросы героя на «mutual masturbation society» вполне потешны и развлекают (в частности, автор нам проводит очень существенную границу, какая мне раньше в литературе не попадалась: She’s Indian, dot not feather, — а это дорогого стоит).
В итоге же, в общем, оказывается, что, невзирая на всю заявленную трансцендирующую отвратительность, это вполне жизнеутверждающий, оптимистичный и политкорректный роман о ресоциализации маргинала. Вернее даже сказать — о джентрификации урода. Вполне актуально.
В итоге же, в общем, оказывается, что, невзирая на всю заявленную трансцендирующую отвратительность, это вполне жизнеутверждающий, оптимистичный и политкорректный роман о ресоциализации маргинала. Вернее даже сказать — о джентрификации урода. Вполне актуально.
May 29, 2018
Sometimes I was laughing so hard that I was crying and couldn’t see well enough to keep reading. The main character, Buddy, gives us a lovable but flawed hero who’s inability to fit neatly into today’s society makes him both compelling and painful to root for. Toeing that line, Yetto sets the stage with the hilarious and romantic imagery of an anachronistic misfit family that Buddy somehow guides despite his own bizarre interests and social shortcomings. I adore this book and how it’s satire spurs readers to confront the complexities within ourselves and those around us. I compare this to “Confederacy of Dunces” or “Breakfast of Champions”.
May 29, 2018
This debut manages to be both a colorful and a dark satire all at once. Our protagonist, Buddy (a strange but wonderful amalgamation of Tyrion Lanister, Cyrano de Bergerac, Steve Wozniak and your local town pervert) leads us through the decaying and rusting streets of Ilium, a once-prosperous New York town, for various rendezvous' with deformed and ugly lovers who have been tossed aside and forgotten by everyone else. While he is condescending and overbearing towards those who truly love him, and even speaks to the reader as if he were our superior, lust in dark places is all he really feels he deserves. That is, until a handsome male nurse appears at his home to take care of his ailing grandfather. The story unfolds as Buddy is compelled out of his solitary, lonely corner and begins to sniff around the world, not as he has compartmentalized it, but as it really is. Some of the scenes are absolutely hysterical, others are heartfelt, and others disturbing as the adventure runs its course. This is a book that takes a real chance, with both the content and the language, and pays off. A very well written, and ultimately fun, work from this debut author. I say, "very well done!"
July 25, 2019
A 21st CENTURY CLASSIC
Sommelier of Deformity is Nick Yetto’s first novel, but it reads like the great works of J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, and Woody Allen. Rarely does a timeless character like Salinger’s Holden Caulfield come along. But, here, 67 years later, comes Buddy Hayes who you are going to remember for a long time.
Written in the first person of Buddy Hayes, the story unfolds disguised as humor. However, the universal themes and the early realization that his alienation is a form of self-protection leads us into the incredible depth of the story and into the mind of a complex character who symbolizes a searching humanity. The author’s deft handling of the complications of growing up as a “…would-be Don Juan in Quasimodo’s body,” is a masterful work of literary art.
Buddy Hayes is each of us who grew up with our own deformity—that personal curse that wants to define who we are. The difference is, we tried to cover ours. Buddy capitalizes on his, but in a way that is side-splitting funny at the same time it is heartbreakingly poignant.
Sommelier of Deformity asks more questions than it answers, but it asks all the right ones. It deals openly and with laugh-out-loud revelations and situations that, even in 2019, a less adventuresome writer would find a way to address in scholarly vagaries.
Enjoy the humor and the fun read. After you close the book, you will find yourself caught up in trying to come to grips with a new perspective on the human condition. Book clubs, academics and the curious will be talking about the Epilogue a long time.
One day I would like to sit down with the author and try to learn what his underlying thoughts were to so many small points that I am sure are only clues to who Buddy Hayes is.
Sommelier of Deformity is one of those books that will be discovered by the right people at the right time and declared an instant classic.
Sommelier of Deformity is Nick Yetto’s first novel, but it reads like the great works of J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, and Woody Allen. Rarely does a timeless character like Salinger’s Holden Caulfield come along. But, here, 67 years later, comes Buddy Hayes who you are going to remember for a long time.
Written in the first person of Buddy Hayes, the story unfolds disguised as humor. However, the universal themes and the early realization that his alienation is a form of self-protection leads us into the incredible depth of the story and into the mind of a complex character who symbolizes a searching humanity. The author’s deft handling of the complications of growing up as a “…would-be Don Juan in Quasimodo’s body,” is a masterful work of literary art.
Buddy Hayes is each of us who grew up with our own deformity—that personal curse that wants to define who we are. The difference is, we tried to cover ours. Buddy capitalizes on his, but in a way that is side-splitting funny at the same time it is heartbreakingly poignant.
Sommelier of Deformity asks more questions than it answers, but it asks all the right ones. It deals openly and with laugh-out-loud revelations and situations that, even in 2019, a less adventuresome writer would find a way to address in scholarly vagaries.
Enjoy the humor and the fun read. After you close the book, you will find yourself caught up in trying to come to grips with a new perspective on the human condition. Book clubs, academics and the curious will be talking about the Epilogue a long time.
One day I would like to sit down with the author and try to learn what his underlying thoughts were to so many small points that I am sure are only clues to who Buddy Hayes is.
Sommelier of Deformity is one of those books that will be discovered by the right people at the right time and declared an instant classic.
October 8, 2019
This was like reading an adult version of one of my favorite books in middle school, only even better. It kept me guessing, laughing & imagining. Buddy is some kind of guy. I can’t help but want to know what he’s up to next.
August 6, 2018
Book Review; Sommelier of Deformity
It always seems one must trade something of value when being asked to buy into a humorous novel. Wit at the expense of heart. Postmodernist gibberish in lieu of the concrete. Caricatures for character. Nick Yetto's sublimely funny Sommelier of Deformity is the rare exception.
Hard-bop/upscale jazz narration with a working-class ethos. Acknowledgement of the real, yet teetering on the precipice of fantasy. Nods to the brewing cultural war without the totalitarian's clumsy, easy answers. Nick salutes all these elements, yet swears allegiance to none.
Nick, like all great comedic writers—like a literary Dave Chappelle, feeds your presuppositions, then deftly steps away and laughs while you trip over them. No caricatures—all players allowed to just be, allowing the story to shine through, allowing us to believe, too.
If this is what we can expect from Nick Yetto, then I shall be eagerly awaiting his next work. He took the time to do it right—no shortcuts. I will proudly be displaying this novel alongside other classics in my bookcase.
It always seems one must trade something of value when being asked to buy into a humorous novel. Wit at the expense of heart. Postmodernist gibberish in lieu of the concrete. Caricatures for character. Nick Yetto's sublimely funny Sommelier of Deformity is the rare exception.
Hard-bop/upscale jazz narration with a working-class ethos. Acknowledgement of the real, yet teetering on the precipice of fantasy. Nods to the brewing cultural war without the totalitarian's clumsy, easy answers. Nick salutes all these elements, yet swears allegiance to none.
Nick, like all great comedic writers—like a literary Dave Chappelle, feeds your presuppositions, then deftly steps away and laughs while you trip over them. No caricatures—all players allowed to just be, allowing the story to shine through, allowing us to believe, too.
If this is what we can expect from Nick Yetto, then I shall be eagerly awaiting his next work. He took the time to do it right—no shortcuts. I will proudly be displaying this novel alongside other classics in my bookcase.
April 10, 2019
Excellent read. When I first read the book’s description, it lead me to believe this would be a seedy story about some weirdo’s sexual shenanigans. Yes, there are bits about his casual sexcapades and desires, but that’s not really the gist of the story, it just gives it some extra spice. Buddy, the main character and narrator of the story, is indeed a strange man - both in his looks and personality. He’s a 28-year old entrepreneur who lives with his mother and grandfather in “Ilium”, NY (which is Troy, NY - the author does a walking video tour of places in Troy that he mentions in the book!) in...2006, I believe. He is an ugly and secluded man, seeking work and sexual gratification online. His world opens up when he meets his grandfather’s visiting nurse, Terrance, who becomes a good friend to him. You will find racist language and stereotypes throughout this book, which is disconcerting; Buddy is a racist individual trying to overcome his biases. This book was not at all what I expected it to be and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 2, 2018
I have to say, this is my new favorite book. I enjoyed reading every page of this book. While this was a venture outside of my typical tastes in literature, I am grateful I made the change. Yetto’s ability to vividly describe both the characters and the scene is second to none. You will find yourself rooting for a character you are not sure you actually like, but doing so nonetheless. This novel encompasses many important themes to our current culture. You won’t be sorry you invested your time in this one!
May 20, 2019
I won this book (uncorrected proof) from Turner Publishing and it has become my favorite book! Great cast of characters, especially Buddy Hayes, who at first I wasn't sure I was going to like (or who I even WANTED to like), grew on me and hasn't left my heart or head since finishing the book. The rest of the characters were just as wonderful and engaging. The story grabs you by the small hairs on the back of your neck and yanks you in and just won't let go. Nick Yetto has an amazing talent and I can't wait to read his next novel.
December 20, 2019
It's a unique feeling living in the "fictional" setting of the book you're reading. I live in a three story brownstone in Troy, NY; Buddy Hayes lives in a three story brownstone in Ilium (Latin for Troy), NY. We both frequent the robust farmers market and our house(s?) are on the city's summer garden tour. This is the entire reason I picked up the book. I stuck around for the fringe strangeness, the conversational writing style, the humor in Buddy's completely out-of-touch lifestyle, and his slow but realistic change in outlook.
Read
August 7, 2018I stopped reading it because I was offended by the description in the intro of a woman with a behind like, "a urban postal worker." Just...no.
The bigotry and misogyny of the main character is simply vile. What a disappointment. I did try a few more chapters to see if it got better. It didn't.
I picked up the book from the New Releases display at the library. It sounded like a really interesting tale. I'll never know.
The bigotry and misogyny of the main character is simply vile. What a disappointment. I did try a few more chapters to see if it got better. It didn't.
I picked up the book from the New Releases display at the library. It sounded like a really interesting tale. I'll never know.
October 30, 2020
This book is not what I would normally read, but I did so because I know the author. As expected, the overall story wasn't my cup of tea. But, I thought the overall writing style was very well done. While this story itself isn't at the top of my list, I do look forward to future stories by this author - I know they will at least be well thought-out and written like this one is.
May 18, 2018
This is a great slapstick read. It's entertaining and funny and bordering on the absurd but at the same time, you can't help but love the characters. Intelligent comedic read. Great debut by this author. I wonder what he'll come up with next.
September 6, 2019
This was one of the funniest books I've ever read. Nick Yetto's descriptive writing is excellent and keeps the reader in every room and all places in the book. Buddy is a "crackerjack" character one will always remember.
June 1, 2020
The style of this novel was really reminiscent of Christopher Moore. My problem was that I don't like unlikeable characters and that was the main character for me. There was some fun back and forth but ultimately this just wasn't my cup of tea.
September 8, 2018
I find it hard to gather words to fully describe this book. The writing style is delightful and the story riotous. Totally a crazy pleasure to read.
May 9, 2019
This is definitely a book that I wont be able to stop thinking about. His descriptions and the way his character says and acts is very intersting and binge read worthy
March 21, 2021
This is a high four-star. Hilarious yet moving. Read it.
August 10, 2024
i cringed so hard throughout the entirely of this book, but i loved the dramatics and buddy's interior monologes. he truly has no idea how flamboyant he is. the ending was charming.
September 17, 2019
Hysterical. Smart. Big hearted.
March 13, 2019
[Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.]
Nick Yetto's debut novel is a Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) meets Ignatius J. Reilly (A Confederacy of Dunces) world of Don Quixotes.
I will admit that I was a bit shocked by what I read. This is such a guy book. I didn't really like the main character, Buddy Hayes...but he grew on me.
Buddy Hayes is an ugly little man with a crooked back. He lives with his mom and his ailing grandfather. They live very unusual eccentric lives.
The crazy thing about Buddy is that he somehow gets laid and has internet sex with women ALL OF THE TIME. He hooks up with women with their own deformities and handicaps...thus the title of the book: "Sommelier of Deformity." He lives in his own little world, until Terrance, his grandfather's nurse arrives and tries to pull Buddy into the real world.
Terrance is an actor/musician who is home helping his sick mom, while working as a nurse to pay the bills. He's attractive and has that 'je ne sais quoi' that makes people love him.
He invites Buddy out to one of the music nights he hosts at a local bar to draw him out of his shell. Buddy is resistant at first, but finally goes. He has to learn how to drink, how to make friends and how to be...normal. If that's even possible.
He and his new friends embark upon a mission to reclaim a rare book his neighbor is holding hostage. Their journey leads them down a path you would never expect from either of the lead characters. Sometimes life throws a wrench at you and how you react...that is the ending...but also a new beginning.
After reading this crazy book, I have to say, it was excellent. Every time I put it down thinking that Buddy is just too much to take...I could not stop thinking about it, so I had to keep reading. Kind of the same reaction I had to Ignatius (A Confederacy of Dunces).
It is ranked as a #1 New Release in Absurdist Fiction on Amazon. That accurately describes the genre for this book.
I thought "A Confederacy of Dunces" was crazy. "Sommelier of Deformity" sits nicely right beside it. This is a story you will never forget and that is one of the requirements on whether a book will become a classic.
Nick Yetto's debut novel is a Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) meets Ignatius J. Reilly (A Confederacy of Dunces) world of Don Quixotes.
I will admit that I was a bit shocked by what I read. This is such a guy book. I didn't really like the main character, Buddy Hayes...but he grew on me.
Buddy Hayes is an ugly little man with a crooked back. He lives with his mom and his ailing grandfather. They live very unusual eccentric lives.
The crazy thing about Buddy is that he somehow gets laid and has internet sex with women ALL OF THE TIME. He hooks up with women with their own deformities and handicaps...thus the title of the book: "Sommelier of Deformity." He lives in his own little world, until Terrance, his grandfather's nurse arrives and tries to pull Buddy into the real world.
Terrance is an actor/musician who is home helping his sick mom, while working as a nurse to pay the bills. He's attractive and has that 'je ne sais quoi' that makes people love him.
He invites Buddy out to one of the music nights he hosts at a local bar to draw him out of his shell. Buddy is resistant at first, but finally goes. He has to learn how to drink, how to make friends and how to be...normal. If that's even possible.
He and his new friends embark upon a mission to reclaim a rare book his neighbor is holding hostage. Their journey leads them down a path you would never expect from either of the lead characters. Sometimes life throws a wrench at you and how you react...that is the ending...but also a new beginning.
After reading this crazy book, I have to say, it was excellent. Every time I put it down thinking that Buddy is just too much to take...I could not stop thinking about it, so I had to keep reading. Kind of the same reaction I had to Ignatius (A Confederacy of Dunces).
It is ranked as a #1 New Release in Absurdist Fiction on Amazon. That accurately describes the genre for this book.
I thought "A Confederacy of Dunces" was crazy. "Sommelier of Deformity" sits nicely right beside it. This is a story you will never forget and that is one of the requirements on whether a book will become a classic.
February 15, 2022
What a book. The writing is excellent, the characters draw you in. The plot is riveting. And the smut is disguised and intelligent.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews