What do you think?
Rate this book
Buried Vapors
When Ian arrives in the City, he reminisces about a time when he was a boy, staring at the stars. Now, as a young man, he wanders aimlessly through work, a budding romance, and the subway, his smartphone in hand, feeling lost.
That is, until he stumbles upon something different: the dreams of strangers. Mesmerized and enchanted, Ian follows his curiosity but quickly finds himself thrust into a situation he did not expect. Before too long, an ever-accelerating chaos of surreal nights and stark days surround him. Soon there is only one option: he must find answers before his life dangerously unravels and he loses everything.
Thoughtful, innovative, and magical, Buried Vapors is a poignant and timely novel that explores the deep yearning for purpose in all of us as humanity journeys adrift into the twenty-first century. Buried Vapors helps us find the light, even within utter darkness.
That is, until he stumbles upon something different: the dreams of strangers. Mesmerized and enchanted, Ian follows his curiosity but quickly finds himself thrust into a situation he did not expect. Before too long, an ever-accelerating chaos of surreal nights and stark days surround him. Soon there is only one option: he must find answers before his life dangerously unravels and he loses everything.
Thoughtful, innovative, and magical, Buried Vapors is a poignant and timely novel that explores the deep yearning for purpose in all of us as humanity journeys adrift into the twenty-first century. Buried Vapors helps us find the light, even within utter darkness.
239 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2020
8 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Kesselman
3 books10 followersI am from New York City.
After studying Commerce at the University of Virginia, I decided to write novels.
To learn more about me, please subscribe to my YouTube channel (Matthew Kesselman) or visit https://matthewkesselman.com.
Enjoy!
After studying Commerce at the University of Virginia, I decided to write novels.
To learn more about me, please subscribe to my YouTube channel (Matthew Kesselman) or visit https://matthewkesselman.com.
Enjoy!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 10, 2020
Is it fair for an author to rate their own book five stars? Honestly it seems a little suspect, maybe even egotistical, but what choice do I have? This book is my baby; all authors' books are their children.
The successful birth of this book was a series of miracles.
The first miracle came when me and my friend Austin were walking down Charlottesville's 14th street on a hot humid June day. As we journeyed, we found every block in a state of disarray. Chairs, cabinets, and couches were strewn across front lawns, all broken and discarded. Beer cans and bottles had been abandoned on porches. It was only natural for early summer at the University of Virginia; school had ended and the students were fleeing the college town for their break.
After a difficult climb (14th street is not the friendliest street), we emerged at a natural resting spot, an easier slope. There we caught our breaths and saw a house, the worst one of them all. Everywhere there were heaps of junk: garbage bags, cardboard boxes, bed frames, drawers, sofas, a universe of waste. Yet, I didn't pay much attention to the mess. Instead I noticed how the sun shined directly on one piece of furniture, turning it into a sparkling white, a diamond in the trash. Before us lay a naked mattress.
It was then when time appeared to stop. See, I had just graduated and my life had reached its peak uncertainty. While many paths were opening, many more appeared to be closing. The world could be my oyster, but felt more like my shell. Dread was rising. Disquiet surging.
However, in that moment, all I could do was marvel. I turned to Austin and said, "I wonder... I wonder what dreams were dreamed on that mattress?" I hesitated, then said, "I want to write a book about that." In truth, it was just a passing comment, another link in my long chain of short-lived whims to create stories.
But Austin surprised me. He said, "Do it." And everything changed.
Over the summer, I began brewing ideas, but even then I wasn't serious. Pieces of the story would emerge sporadically when I wasn't expecting them: a woman on the water while I stared at the ocean, an immigrant's lost dreams while I saw America's concentration camps on the border.
But in time, something took shape. A mattress and old dreams. A young man in a city. An old death and a birth. The story wasn't quite alive yet, but it was getting there.
The next miracle came with my discovery of Shawn Coyne's The Story Grid and The Story Grid podcast. Many of the lessons within his work feel obvious, straight-forward, but you never know what you don't know. Shawn is a story genius and after absorbing his teachings, I knew what my weird, surreal, dreamy, depressing proto-child needed: a spine. A beginning, a middle, an end, and a core theme.
The work quickened. Dreams fell like dominos and scenes materialized from dust. Before too long, I had a manuscript that resembled a story. Still, it didn't quite feel right, maybe half-alive, bordering between zombie and infant.
The final miracle came at 1 A.M during the winter. I could not sleep; I was too into the work. It just wasn't there yet. The end needed something, something to tie the pieces together, something to elevate it from good to great. Then, a vision came to me. In my mind's eye, I saw Ian turning the car around. I realized he had one last job to do for Adriana, and he needed to give the mattress one final breath of life.
The story had been born.
It took several more months to clean it up, expand some sections, shrink others, get editors to clean up all my ugly words, but the heart, spine, and body of the story had emerged after that final miracle. From that time onward, it was alive and it was my baby.
This novel is the first of my story-children, and, it's clear to me now, the beginning of a great journey.
So how can I not rate it a five? I love it. If I thought it was lesser, I would've smothered it in the crib.
The successful birth of this book was a series of miracles.
The first miracle came when me and my friend Austin were walking down Charlottesville's 14th street on a hot humid June day. As we journeyed, we found every block in a state of disarray. Chairs, cabinets, and couches were strewn across front lawns, all broken and discarded. Beer cans and bottles had been abandoned on porches. It was only natural for early summer at the University of Virginia; school had ended and the students were fleeing the college town for their break.
After a difficult climb (14th street is not the friendliest street), we emerged at a natural resting spot, an easier slope. There we caught our breaths and saw a house, the worst one of them all. Everywhere there were heaps of junk: garbage bags, cardboard boxes, bed frames, drawers, sofas, a universe of waste. Yet, I didn't pay much attention to the mess. Instead I noticed how the sun shined directly on one piece of furniture, turning it into a sparkling white, a diamond in the trash. Before us lay a naked mattress.
It was then when time appeared to stop. See, I had just graduated and my life had reached its peak uncertainty. While many paths were opening, many more appeared to be closing. The world could be my oyster, but felt more like my shell. Dread was rising. Disquiet surging.
However, in that moment, all I could do was marvel. I turned to Austin and said, "I wonder... I wonder what dreams were dreamed on that mattress?" I hesitated, then said, "I want to write a book about that." In truth, it was just a passing comment, another link in my long chain of short-lived whims to create stories.
But Austin surprised me. He said, "Do it." And everything changed.
Over the summer, I began brewing ideas, but even then I wasn't serious. Pieces of the story would emerge sporadically when I wasn't expecting them: a woman on the water while I stared at the ocean, an immigrant's lost dreams while I saw America's concentration camps on the border.
But in time, something took shape. A mattress and old dreams. A young man in a city. An old death and a birth. The story wasn't quite alive yet, but it was getting there.
The next miracle came with my discovery of Shawn Coyne's The Story Grid and The Story Grid podcast. Many of the lessons within his work feel obvious, straight-forward, but you never know what you don't know. Shawn is a story genius and after absorbing his teachings, I knew what my weird, surreal, dreamy, depressing proto-child needed: a spine. A beginning, a middle, an end, and a core theme.
The work quickened. Dreams fell like dominos and scenes materialized from dust. Before too long, I had a manuscript that resembled a story. Still, it didn't quite feel right, maybe half-alive, bordering between zombie and infant.
The final miracle came at 1 A.M during the winter. I could not sleep; I was too into the work. It just wasn't there yet. The end needed something, something to tie the pieces together, something to elevate it from good to great. Then, a vision came to me. In my mind's eye, I saw Ian turning the car around. I realized he had one last job to do for Adriana, and he needed to give the mattress one final breath of life.
The story had been born.
It took several more months to clean it up, expand some sections, shrink others, get editors to clean up all my ugly words, but the heart, spine, and body of the story had emerged after that final miracle. From that time onward, it was alive and it was my baby.
This novel is the first of my story-children, and, it's clear to me now, the beginning of a great journey.
So how can I not rate it a five? I love it. If I thought it was lesser, I would've smothered it in the crib.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2020
Kesselman did a good job of making the main character both relatable and detestable at the same time. You can see yourself browsing for articles to answer dozens of questions the internet has no business answering, checking back on that project that others didn't follow up on, or ghosting someone who you don't know how to respond to. Although I can't seem to place the feeling exactly, I think the main character to be disagreeable and someone who you are interested in following, yet still dislike. Overall, quality writing and excellent one liners throughout the book.
What I especially liked about the book was the constant run ins with random strangers around the City (personifying the City was an excellent touch too). You meet an old man with striking blue eyes, an old couple arguing in the next car over, an old lady in the apartment building of an ill-mannered landlord, and more. You never hear from or meet them again, but neither do we again see everyone we happen to run into. Whether it be the nice lady at the grocery store, the couple walking along the sidewalk, the tired salary man on his way after a long day of work, we all have those people we see but never get the chance to really meet. I admire Kesselman's use of putting those small stories sprinkled around the story.
By the end of the story, Ian makes his rounds and almost redeems himself in the eyes of those close to him. The characters we do meet have all had some unpleasant experience with Ian, and he doesn't ask for forgiveness. He only says his goodbyes and leaves, never to be seen by them. Now he has become that once run in character in their lives, only to be forgotten with the passage of time. Maybe any of these characters will reconnect with Ian later in his life when he has a better mental space, or maybe not. But as the ending shows, that doesn't matter. Just the now, just this moment, things are fine
The ending is a well written ending. Usually you see the protagonist getting the girl, him succeeding at whatever he's doing, maintaining and improving relationships with those around him. But this ending none of that happens. He just leaves. He's out. Usually I would say that it's just him escaping the burden of fixing things. It is easier to start anew instead of fix whats broken. But he makes his rounds of goodbyes. If he didn't say goodbye, that would be him avoiding the issue. But no, he accepts his blunders and tries again somewhere else, somewhere he might succeed. But of course none of that is guaranteed. It's life after all. Who knows what will happen.
What I especially liked about the book was the constant run ins with random strangers around the City (personifying the City was an excellent touch too). You meet an old man with striking blue eyes, an old couple arguing in the next car over, an old lady in the apartment building of an ill-mannered landlord, and more. You never hear from or meet them again, but neither do we again see everyone we happen to run into. Whether it be the nice lady at the grocery store, the couple walking along the sidewalk, the tired salary man on his way after a long day of work, we all have those people we see but never get the chance to really meet. I admire Kesselman's use of putting those small stories sprinkled around the story.
By the end of the story, Ian makes his rounds and almost redeems himself in the eyes of those close to him. The characters we do meet have all had some unpleasant experience with Ian, and he doesn't ask for forgiveness. He only says his goodbyes and leaves, never to be seen by them. Now he has become that once run in character in their lives, only to be forgotten with the passage of time. Maybe any of these characters will reconnect with Ian later in his life when he has a better mental space, or maybe not. But as the ending shows, that doesn't matter. Just the now, just this moment, things are fine
The ending is a well written ending. Usually you see the protagonist getting the girl, him succeeding at whatever he's doing, maintaining and improving relationships with those around him. But this ending none of that happens. He just leaves. He's out. Usually I would say that it's just him escaping the burden of fixing things. It is easier to start anew instead of fix whats broken. But he makes his rounds of goodbyes. If he didn't say goodbye, that would be him avoiding the issue. But no, he accepts his blunders and tries again somewhere else, somewhere he might succeed. But of course none of that is guaranteed. It's life after all. Who knows what will happen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2020
Kesselman’s succinct descriptive prose can be easily followed on a sentence-by-sentence basis. Readers can move with the main character’s internal thoughts, physical movements, and even his step into his surreal dreams and perspective into another dimension.
I also appreciated the intentional structure of chapters and the flow of storyline. The main character’s dreams are intertwined between chapters, bringing a vicarious ability to follow and understand his daily rhythm of dipping in and out, from consciousness to unconsciousness.
Along with the author’s praise-worthy style and prose, Kesselman’s steady, but richly woven narrative taking on magical realism is the highlighted substance of the book. The main character’s ability to have other people’s dreams kept me mesmerized on how the various contours of different people’s dreams could find resolution in reality. Readers will be gripped from beginning to the end, relating with the protagonist in wondering how the confused, alone, and indifferent lives in our reality and the chaotic, painful, and bigger visions in our dreams will collide and coexist.
I also appreciated the intentional structure of chapters and the flow of storyline. The main character’s dreams are intertwined between chapters, bringing a vicarious ability to follow and understand his daily rhythm of dipping in and out, from consciousness to unconsciousness.
Along with the author’s praise-worthy style and prose, Kesselman’s steady, but richly woven narrative taking on magical realism is the highlighted substance of the book. The main character’s ability to have other people’s dreams kept me mesmerized on how the various contours of different people’s dreams could find resolution in reality. Readers will be gripped from beginning to the end, relating with the protagonist in wondering how the confused, alone, and indifferent lives in our reality and the chaotic, painful, and bigger visions in our dreams will collide and coexist.
May 9, 2022
Escaping into the depths of your mind is proven dangerous through Ian. His reality becomes entirely blanketed by the cast of his vivid dreams as he turns into this one-track-minded-selfish-asshole.
Even before the dreaming began, I could tell Ian’s head belonged to another world. At work, he couldn’t care less about any of the corporate world antics. He instead took an interest in the bird by the window, or the tree at the corner of the street. This predisposed curiosity Ian had is what allowed him to be driven to the brink madness. He wanted nothing more than to piece together the puzzle in his brain, even if it meant shredding his work and family relationships (although he never really cared about these bonds to begin with, which of course, is what made his self-destruction possible). Hallie was the closest thing Ian came to caring about anybody but himself, but even then, his idea of “loving” her came from his delusional mind. Ian was in no position to receive love or give it. It was very clear that he was a hurt person and these dreams were his way of escaping into a world with meaning. He was the epitome of hurt people hurting people.
My only complaint with this novel: I wish we got a deeper look into who Ian was and his background. I wanted to connect more with him as a character, but I never quite could. He was made to be unlikable, I know, but even unlikeable characters have the ability to pull at your heart strings, and that just didn’t happen for me. He felt like an incomprehensible stranger.
Touching specifically on the dreams: the best way I can think to describe them is as a canvas. Kesselman terrifically and carefully layered a complex work of art through his imagery. The final product was a textured depiction of pain and sadness.
His ability to paint a world in your brain was the great highlight of this book. I look forward to following this author on his journey. :]
Even before the dreaming began, I could tell Ian’s head belonged to another world. At work, he couldn’t care less about any of the corporate world antics. He instead took an interest in the bird by the window, or the tree at the corner of the street. This predisposed curiosity Ian had is what allowed him to be driven to the brink madness. He wanted nothing more than to piece together the puzzle in his brain, even if it meant shredding his work and family relationships (although he never really cared about these bonds to begin with, which of course, is what made his self-destruction possible). Hallie was the closest thing Ian came to caring about anybody but himself, but even then, his idea of “loving” her came from his delusional mind. Ian was in no position to receive love or give it. It was very clear that he was a hurt person and these dreams were his way of escaping into a world with meaning. He was the epitome of hurt people hurting people.
My only complaint with this novel: I wish we got a deeper look into who Ian was and his background. I wanted to connect more with him as a character, but I never quite could. He was made to be unlikable, I know, but even unlikeable characters have the ability to pull at your heart strings, and that just didn’t happen for me. He felt like an incomprehensible stranger.
Touching specifically on the dreams: the best way I can think to describe them is as a canvas. Kesselman terrifically and carefully layered a complex work of art through his imagery. The final product was a textured depiction of pain and sadness.
His ability to paint a world in your brain was the great highlight of this book. I look forward to following this author on his journey. :]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2020
Ian has dreams. Weirdly real dreams that he remembers with clarity. However, those dreams feel like a bad LSD trip. The book vacillates between esoteric and reality. It's a little hard to keep track. Consequently, in his reality, he becomes a total ass to everyone who cares for him. Did I like the book? Not really. I gave it three stars because it is well written. I'm not talking plot points or character development. I'm talking about painting with words and some of those are beautiful. I would say read it just for the descriptions.
October 11, 2020
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
The book is well written and is quite beautiful at times. It tells the story of a young man finally out on his own in the world, and how he starts to have weirdly vivid dreams. This end up making him despondent as he tried to figure out what everything means, and basically ignores all of this relationships. While the writing was well done, I personally could not get into this book. It just wasn't for me personally, however I still do appreciate the story and think that it had a fitting ending.
The book is well written and is quite beautiful at times. It tells the story of a young man finally out on his own in the world, and how he starts to have weirdly vivid dreams. This end up making him despondent as he tried to figure out what everything means, and basically ignores all of this relationships. While the writing was well done, I personally could not get into this book. It just wasn't for me personally, however I still do appreciate the story and think that it had a fitting ending.
June 23, 2020
“Buried Vapors” is a wonderful slow burn, both beautiful and unnerving. Somehow Kesselman makes this strange and unexpected twists ratable and accessible. As you observe Ian progress / regress, you can feel him learning more about himself but becoming less interested in his daily reality. And what’s more, you empathize with him. A truly compelling story masterfully told.
June 18, 2020
You’ll never look at a secondhand mattress the same way again.
This is a vivid, surprising, and creative story. Matthew Kesselman is definitely a novelist to watch! I’m excited to see what he writes next.
This is a vivid, surprising, and creative story. Matthew Kesselman is definitely a novelist to watch! I’m excited to see what he writes next.
February 3, 2021
The book was very immersive. Got recommended from reddit and I do not regret it. Took me longer than I would have wanted it to, but I still completed the read and it was worth the experience.
Would recommend a try.
Would recommend a try.
June 10, 2020
An eclectic, compelling, and refreshingly real work, “Buried Vapors” kept me intrigued throughout. I would describe this book as a slow burn with an exciting and slightly unsettling crescendo.
June 27, 2020
I love surrealism and magical realism! I think this book did a great job at reflecting the lost journey of the Millennial and Get Z generation. Now I have to contemplate life.
August 23, 2020
I thought the concept of this novel was interesting, I found it hard to really get a hold of what was going on because the prose is quite unnecessarily wordy.
I will say though, the author was selling his book on the beach, and came up to me and asked if I wanted his book, and I appreciate the effort that this took!
I will say though, the author was selling his book on the beach, and came up to me and asked if I wanted his book, and I appreciate the effort that this took!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews