Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun

by Jeff Chon

Four days before the 2016 Presidential Election, disgraced teacher Scott Bonneville foils a mass shooting at the Pizza Galley Family Fun Center by shooting the would-be perpetrator. He is hailed as a hero, but what the public doesn’t know is that Bonneville walked into Pizza Galley with violent intentions of his own, nurtured by urban myths, conspiracy theories, and deep-seated delusions. Meanwhile, his former student Blake Mesman, inspired by Catcher in the Rye and a not-so-secret brotherhood of aspiring alpha males, reshapes himself into the man he always felt he should be and embarks on his own journey of destruction.

A black-hearted satire of our new reality, Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun tells a story of the real carnage of Trump’s America: guns, the toxic radicalization of young men, fake news, the endless anger and resentment we feel towards one another, spirits broken by a world we refuse to acknowledge as of our own making, and how we convince ourselves of horrible absurdities, rather than face something even more disturbing: our own essential truth.
Notices

“A boots-on-the-ground dispatch from the suburban wastelands of Incel-vania (population: you), all told in the shadow of the Korean grim reaper. James Ellroy said noir is the genre of male self-pity, but there’s nothing to pity here in Chon’s smart, cogent, and morbidly comedic exploration of men’s breaking points. Ambitious, gripping, and snickeringly quotable.”

—Violet LeVoit, author of Scarstruck

“Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun is one of the boldest, smartest, and weirdest books I’ve read in years. I haven’t seen anyone, anywhere, write so expertly, clearly, and empathetically about the ways online culture is wrecking young men. Jeff Chon pulls off a remarkable feat in this novel, tackling dark and frightening subject matter in a way that never feels overbearing or preachy. Plus, it’s funny.”

—Tom McAllister, author of How to Be Safe

“Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun is a rhizomatic literary thriller with bursts of Robert Anton Wilson’s cosmic comedy and sparks of Conrad’s darkness. Chon’s carefully crafted characters are the purple-hearted veterans of the culture wars, the feral philosophers and cagey sages of a post-truth #world. This is a nervy novel that will simultaneously frighten and delight.”

—Ryan Ridge, author of New Bad News

“Jeff Chon’s wide-ranging debut takes us deep down the rabbit hole. Chon’s web of characters seek meaning in the everyday as the chaos of our media-saturated world swirls around them. Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun bursts with humor, feeling, and timely commentary. Chon is an author you’ll want to follow.”

—Ravi Mangla, author of Understudies

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Contemporary

258 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2020

About the author

Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun: https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/catal...

This is the Afterlife: https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/catal...

Reviews

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2016, a former schoolteacher walks into a pizza place to expose a basement paedophile ring and ends up unloading into another gunman. This act is co-opted as valour by the right and turned into a hellish hashtag, forcing a form of anti-fame on our protagonist in the murky, deranged world of contemporary America. An intelligent and ambitious attempt to unpick the Gordion knots of incoherent rage that have led to the upsurge in Incel-related murders and the uptake in QAnon theories, told from the perspectives of the educated and uneducated redpilled, Chon creates a grim and despairing portrait of a broken country, a “crippled America” losing limbs hour by hour, as the fundamentals of compassion, comradeship, and common purpose spin off into the blackness of space. Chon’s novel is an intense series of character studies, a work of frequent wit, caustic dialogue, and painfully observed blackly comic episodes. Released in a few months from the explosive Sagging Meniscus.

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a fear that a lot of the people who read this book will think it's just an anti-conspiracy theorist, anti-Trump, anti-gun book, and then give the author undeserved 2-3 stars instead of the 5 stars that it truly deserves. Yeah, it's a critique on modern American society, but no single group (Democrats, liberals, conservatives, Republicans, anti/pro gun, Proud Boys, Trumpers, and "the rest of us") is left unscathed.

This book isn't a "here are all the things wrong with our society and here am I, the great and mighty author who has all of the answers and is above it all" preachy, politically motivated message book (something lesser authors may write). It's more of a character-driven novel that helps us feel empathy for, or at least see the inner workings of the characters, and momentarily forget what they've done/will do. In this way, Chon is like a magician. (Who would have thought I would ever feel anything other than disdain for a Proud Boy?) Of course Chon cares about the issues, though, which is evident throughout with his use of comedy and sarcasm and the sarcastic use of social media elements near the very end of the book.

Overall, this is one of the best novels I've read over the past 2-3 years at least. Chon deserves every bit of praise he's gotten so far, and every bit that's surely coming his way.

[Aaron Anstett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Chon's brilliant 2020 debut remains mordantly hilarious.

[Eric Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun is a cautionary tale about the rabbit hole, and a fascinating read. In one of my favorite passages, late in the book there's a bit about the power dynamics of buying specific flavors of Gatorade for your celibate workout bro buddy; a code of conduct that exists only for these characters in this situation, and it's beautiful and amazing (Hey, do you wanna read James Patterson writing about fighter jets or Jeff Chon writing about Gatorade? Jeff Chon, every time.). It's really impressive how hard the satire in this book hits: some chuckles, but mostly deep belly laughs as Chon beats the crap out of America's current conspiracy-obsessed subcultures, without ever punching down at the main character who's actively obsessed with them. He could be you. Read it and weep. This is where we are.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this and I'm fairly (if not super) biased, so I'm going to take this opportunity to let you know what a few of my favorite writers thought of my book:

"A boots-on-the-ground dispatch from the suburban wastelands of Incel-vania (population: you), all told in the shadow of the Korean grim reaper. James Ellroy said noir is the genre of male self-pity, but there's nothing to pity here in Chon's smart, cogent, and morbidly comedic exploration of men's breaking points. Ambitious, gripping, and snickeringly quotable."
--Violet LeVoit, author of Scarstruck

"Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun is one of the boldest, smartest, and weirdest books I've read in years. I haven't seen anyone, anywhere, write so expertly, clearly, and empathetically about the ways online culture is wrecking young men. Jeff Chon pulls off a remarkable feat in this novel, tackling dark and frightening subject matter in a way that never feels overbearing or preachy. Plus, it's funny."
--Tom McAllister, author of How to Be Safe

"Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun is a rhizomatic literary thriller with bursts of Robert Anton Wilson's cosmic comedy and sparks of Conrad's darkness. Chon's carefully crafted characters are the purple-hearted veterans of the culture wars, the feral philosophers and cagey sages of a post-truth #world. This is a nervy novel that will simultaneously frighten and delight."
--Ryan Ridge, author of New Bad News

"Jeff Chon's wide-ranging debut takes us deep down the rabbit hole. Chon's web of characters seek meaning in the everyday as the chaos of our media-saturated world swirls around them. Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun bursts with humor, feeling, and timely commentary. Chon is an author you'll want to follow."
--Ravi Mangla, author of Understudies

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chon does the impossible with this book--treats extremely polarizing subjects (toxic masculinity, gun violence, racism, and their intersections) with care, nuance, and even humor. At the same time, this book does NOT excuse the bad behavior of the characters, and does not make light of these important subjects, either. The prose is also gorgeous, and the book is a page-turner. Come for the important issues, stay for the writing. Or come for the writing, stay for the issues. This one is worth your time and then some. Can't wait to read what's next for this debut!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Trump hadn’t become President then this book wouldn’t have worked for me, being over in the UK it is only because of the circus Trump created that I had any idea what a lot of the things in this book were about….that being said, even with a sane President these events could have still happened it’s just knowledge of their occurrence wouldn’t have been known worldwide. Thanks Trump! You da man!

This book is great fun, I laughed so much at the way each situation was played out and blown out of all proportion on social media. I probably shouldn’t have laughed as the book covers some very violent events but I couldn’t help it because somebody I know “suffers” from the beliefs covered in the book, he loves going down those rabbit holes of conspiracy theories and then tries to convince me it is fact. The book is not all fun and games though, a huge part of the book covers PTSD, a lot of the characters suffer from this and the bulk of the outcomes are down to them not dealing with it, it just isn’t manly to discuss the trauma you have experienced. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is of the characters here and what they’ve done in the book, Chon shares with you how they got to that point and leaves you wondering that if they got help would things have been different?

I have enjoyed this book immensely and the multiple plots and large number of characters mixed with Chon’s sense of humour made me think of Wes Anderson’s movies, it has that same quirkiness and this would definitely work well as a movie. The plot is very sneaky too, with how things tie up at the end, something happens and you realised it was something mentioned way back in the book. There are two other books that heavily influence this one, the catcher in the rye is the first one, there have been CIA conspiracy’s about that book for many a year, the second book is Confederacy of Dunces, a book I read a few years ago and didn’t quite get, reading Hashtag Good Guy With A Gun has given me a new understanding and I might have to do a re-read.

This book is well worth a read, it is one that I’ll be re-reading in years to come and I’ll be able to look back fondly at the time Trump lost the election and acted like a right tit.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2021...

[Avner Landes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most novels that deal with contemporary politics are just plain bad. What the reader gets is nothing more than political messaging and the author constantly reassuring readers that he or she stands on the right side of the divide. The brilliance of this deft and engaging novel is that Chon doesn't create a fictive world that mirrors our current reality. Instead, he reanimates the current political culture through a disguise that is thin yet fresh, nuanced, and discomforting. Readers might have a hunch where the author stands politically, but readers will also experience an author whose mind is not closed off and is constantly searching for a deeper understanding.

[Rick Claypool · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely, character-driven satire that delves deep into the horrors of toxic masculinity and mass shootings in a way that feels neither didactic/preachy nor insensitive to the seriousness of the issues. An outstanding political novel.

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

About adolescent male crankiness and how it can violently impact others. The overall effect captures a lot of absurdity and a bit of surrealism about modern life in the USA. The narrative churns. It never loses energy. My thoughts on Medium (unpaywalled link).

[Steph Sutorius · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of wit, intelligence, and emotion that Chon packs into each sentence is astoundingly brilliant. He covers so much in such a short time through his main character’s eyes. We feel the pain and the tension. Such an enjoyable read. Couldn’t put it down. I hope we hear more from Chon!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting spin on politics and gun culture - in the internet age.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this novel were on one of the Big 5 presses, we'd hear talk of Jeff Chon being the voice of his generation.

[Eric Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good, extremely bleak, extremely funny. Digs below the surficial specificities of our recent derangements to get at the deeper rot that underlies America. Read it!

[andré crombie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As Scott inched toward the Glendale Freeway exit, he realized something about their stupid arguments—he was never wrong. His problem wasn’t always being right, but the way she’d reacted to him. This had always been his problem, the way people reacted when he was right. Lisa, his mother, his coworkers—they’d always hated arguing with him because he was never wrong. Surely there were moments he was wrong, weren’t there? There had to be. Scott searched his mind, tried to remember moments he’d admitted he was wrong—if he’d ever been wrong, of course he’d have admitted right away how wrong he’d been. Nothing came to mind.”

[Electra Nanou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun is a timely punch in the stomach you can’t ignore. You’ll laugh, scowl, and gasp to the last page, maybe walk away with some new insights about the bizarre and scary world we live in.

[Justin McFarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Jeff Chon’s debut novel, Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun, the cultural divide that began in earnest during the 2016 presidential infection … er, election … is inspected, dissected, (rightly) disrespected, and laid bare in order for the reader to examine their own complicit roles in the fractured national conversation. It is a raw, disturbing, in-your-face novel that treads a thin line between satire and the cold, hard truth. Scott Bonneville is our unreliable guide through the novel’s journey or fact vs. fiction, sanity vs. conspiracy. He is a man with a complicated past, his frayed ends visible beneath his professional high-school-teacher demeanor, and his current obsessions the ticking bomb imbedded within him.

Many other lives, and stories, unfold outward from Scott’s, all interconnected and sprouting from poor decisions he’s made, or from the misfortunes of his childhood that he cannot escape, no matter how hard he tries. It is a novel about anger and confusion, powerlessness and impotent rage. It is an inside look at the psyches and the rationalizations of the mad, exposing the all-too-human desire of trying to make sense of our world and our place in it. Here, irrational and tragic figures are flayed open and their thoughts are duly organized in an attempt to make sense of where the disconnect to rational thought began, and if there is even a possibility for logic to ever take hold within those poisoned thoughts.

Chon’s voice is original, his approach to narrative intentionally fragmented at times, but never unclear, and always immediate and impactful. There were times when the novel reminded me, in spirit and tone, of Vernon God Little, a Booker Award winner by DBC Pierre from 2003. That satirical novel explored the Columbine-killers mindset, and the media circus that surrounds a similar school shooting. Here, Chon delves into a fictional event at a pizza parlor, the Pizzagate conspiracy theory its jumping-off point. There is the new social media Twitterstorm which replaces the traditional media of decades past, but school shootings are tragically still in fashion for disaffected and violent Gen Zers. In lieu of answers, in place of sense being made of the insanity of it all, there is instead a heroic figure who emerges, false and unheroic as he actually is. This is the “good guy” with a gun of the title, an untruth that is only perpetuated by a society content with the black-and-white of every situation, without the patience or the tolerance or the need for the gray.

It is an uncomfortable view of our world at this moment, which reflects moments of our country’s history and its always troubled past, and yet one that we cannot afford to ignore or claim ignorance about. Chon’s novel is less a wake-up call, or even a call to action, than a reminder of what society will choose to believe, despite all evidence to a contrary perspective that is not simply a belief, but a truth. The lies, however, appear to be our new truth, supplanting actual facts and turning common sense into something no longer common. It is a frightening new reality, where the world is upside-down and it has become impossible to separate the heroes from the villains - the truth-tellers from the liars - anymore.

[Michael K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun is the book you don’t think you’ll love until you love it. Chon takes a big risk, and finds paydirt.

The book tracks the story of Scott Bonneville before and after he stops a would-be-active shooter. In actuality, Scott shows up to expose a QAnon-esque (maybe it’s an actual thing they believe, but I don’t know; couldn’t call it) cover up at a local pizza place. Chon artfully weaves in the stories of those connected to Scott, either through their presence at the pizza parlor on that fateful night, or through their personal connection to him, and ultimately the collision, in some form or another, of all these literary threads.

In the chapter, “The Literary Present,” Chon writes, “There’s something eternal about the present tense, as if what’s being described is always happening and will never stop happening.” In the novel, Chon’s captured a moment in time—one that is still happening, one that I fear may always be happening, a moment of toxic masculinity and rampant mental illness, of isolation and loneliness and pain, of angry, pathetic young men and the ripple effect of all this, the consequences suffered by the people unfortunate enough happen across the intersection of these things.

Chon shines a light on some of the darkest aspects of our humanity, and some of the best, dragging the reader through many of those all-too-real things they’d prefer to not dwell on, all with thoughtful, elegant prose, and an entirely self-aware, dark wit I’ve never seen from any other writer. A must, must, must read.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair, this was kind of a middle-of-the-road thing. It had a good thing going and it just made it too complex and stretched it out for too long. But it was not uninteresting. Far from it.

I was afraid that Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun would be a rah-rah-we're-so-smart-and-conservatives-are-idiots kind of book, but it was more complicated than that. In its own Wes Anderson-like way, it uses fun and whimsical characters to explore the complex origins of gun violence. Because it isn't a monolithic phenomenon where children are born obsessed with firearms and death. Guns are more a means to an end because in a culture where the assumption that we can fill any problem with lead is very real. So theoretically, it is a super smart novel.

Practically it is.. kind of smart? The problems of Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun are not thematic, they are mechanical. There's just too much going on, too many characters and not enough to care for them individually. It's super fun for a while and then it kind of beats it out of you. I liked it. I would've liked to love it, but it got too much in its own way at some point.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was bizarre, dark, yet enjoyable to dissect. I found the language quite grim, and foul sometimes.

It was not at all what I was expecting. The way it jumps through time is clever and fascinating. My like or distaste for characters changed throughout and it gave an interesting perspective on flawed individuals. It is all about, but not at all about, a shooting. It made a fascinating book-club book with deep themes of racism and misogny to discuss but I am not sure I would have enjoyed reading it purely for pleasure.

Although I didnt enjoy it so much and found it heavy, I am glad I read it as it had a reflective effect on my own bias.

I would recommend it to those who read frequently but not to "holiday book" readers.

[Jason Teal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chon has created a heady satire rife with topical situations that allows us to interrogate what exactly laid in the heart of the 2016 election, which feels, even today, in 2023, very surreal. His engrossing characters and unmatched myth-making bring to bear these revelations amid a fixating plot.

[Leigh Steiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a not-inaccurate picture of the violent inanity of the past five years, but who really needs to spend their time reading that when we’re immersed in it all day?

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An impressive novel with a lot of good insight on the rancid intersection of Incel culture, conspiracy theories, and toxic masculinity.

[Natalia K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hated that yet again Catcher in the Rye, a beautiful book, had to be tied in with this sick incel movement

[Alex Kudera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our contemporary, the gun-scene male, internet addicted and sexually abused, was inspired by Catcher and Confederacy.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harsh and unnerving reading. Young American men lost and living with angst. Very well written.

[Krista Varela Posell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Chon has managed to write about some of the most harrowing aspects of living in America today with the precision and clarity of someone who’s been writing satire for decades. The book’s big themes of toxic masculinity & incel culture, gun violence, and racism are fleshed out by a cast of characters that invites the reader to simultaneously empathize with and abhor the situation at hand. Something that I thought made this story particularly unique was the inclusion of Korean folklore as a minor thread, enhancing another one of the book’s themes of the characters’ search for identity. The writing is funny and smart, and the plot really moves; you can be sure I’ll be quick to buy whatever comes next from Chon.