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Head Cleaner
HEAD CLEANER is a hugely original blend of thriller, science fiction, and horror that takes our love of nostalgia to task for its morbid obsessions with dead media and dead-end jobs: Clerks meets Black Mirror (with a little Groundhog Day and Russian Doll thrown in for good measure):
The last Blockbuster video store in the United States is hanging on by a thread. And after a crazy night attempting to track down a lost VCR rental to collect the record-setting and internet-famous late fee, three employees, idealistic Eva, cinephile Jerry, and their tyrannical manager Randy, discover that this machine may actually have the power to change the endings of popular films, which, depending on the historical basis of the film, might also be changing the real world around them.
Or could this just be an elaborate, increasingly deadly prank?
When they begin receiving videotapes and voicemails seemingly depicting their deaths, Eva, Jerry, and Randy scramble to keep the VCR from falling into the wrong hands. And as one action-packed evening begins to seemingly repeat itself (or does it?), scores are settled and unwanted confessions begin to fly, until a Final Girl finally unravels a grand psychological experiment orchestrated at the highest levels of a crumbling social media empire. Sort of.
The last Blockbuster video store in the United States is hanging on by a thread. And after a crazy night attempting to track down a lost VCR rental to collect the record-setting and internet-famous late fee, three employees, idealistic Eva, cinephile Jerry, and their tyrannical manager Randy, discover that this machine may actually have the power to change the endings of popular films, which, depending on the historical basis of the film, might also be changing the real world around them.
Or could this just be an elaborate, increasingly deadly prank?
When they begin receiving videotapes and voicemails seemingly depicting their deaths, Eva, Jerry, and Randy scramble to keep the VCR from falling into the wrong hands. And as one action-packed evening begins to seemingly repeat itself (or does it?), scores are settled and unwanted confessions begin to fly, until a Final Girl finally unravels a grand psychological experiment orchestrated at the highest levels of a crumbling social media empire. Sort of.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 2023
About the author
David James Keaton
55 books188 followersDavid James Keaton received his MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and was the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Flywheel Magazine. His first collection of fiction, FISH BITES COP! Stories To Bash Authorities, was named the 2014 Short Story Collection of the Year by This Is Horror. Kirkus spotlighted his debut novel, THE LAST PROJECTOR, calling it "rapidly paced and loaded with humor... a loopy, appealing mix of popular culture and thoroughly crazy people." His second collection of fiction, STEALING PROPELLER HATS FROM THE DEAD, received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly, who said, "The author's joy in his subject matter is obvious, often expressed with a sly wink and a wicked smile. Decay, both existential and physical, has never looked so good.” His most recent novel, HEAD CLEANER, was recommended by Booklist and Library Journal, who called it "light and breezy with dark undercurrents that keep the reader off-kilter" as well as "great fun." He also teaches composition and creative writing at Santa Clara University in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
February 9, 2024
3.5 Stars
This was an entertaining horror-ish novel that plays around with the tropes surrounding old technology. I loved the premise because I enjoy horror that utilizes outdated technology. I liked the idea of a VHS player that can rewrite movies, but I quickly remembered that I'm not a movie buff. I have seen very few of the iconic movies discussed in this novel and would then primarily recommend this one to readers who are more well reversed in films. Yet even without understanding all the references, I generally enjoyed this one. I'd recommend it to movie buffs who are looking for a fun nostalgic fix.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was an entertaining horror-ish novel that plays around with the tropes surrounding old technology. I loved the premise because I enjoy horror that utilizes outdated technology. I liked the idea of a VHS player that can rewrite movies, but I quickly remembered that I'm not a movie buff. I have seen very few of the iconic movies discussed in this novel and would then primarily recommend this one to readers who are more well reversed in films. Yet even without understanding all the references, I generally enjoyed this one. I'd recommend it to movie buffs who are looking for a fun nostalgic fix.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
December 27, 2022
This time I'm going to let the work speak for itself and not give five stars to my own book because who even does that. Desperate people, that's who.
March 6, 2023
A hilarious, reference-packed, retro sci-fi mindmelter. I had more fun reading this book than I have in a long time. Hell yeah!
February 28, 2023
Podcast interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Video via Youtube...
One of the things about getting older for me was explaining to young movie nerds how the video store worked. The conversation veered towards how we graded movies on a curve and would finish them because we took them home and had to live with our pick. Roger Avery and Quintin Tarantino are educating young film nerds about the VHS era because despite everything else available they still love those tapes. Head Cleaner is at times a loving tribute and novel inspired by the era. That is not to say it doesn’t play with the less awesome parts. It does.
David James Keaton's writing has appeared in over 75 publications, online and in print. He received his MFA from my father’s beloved University of Pittsburgh. I know him as the author of the Last Projector From Broken River Books and social media film commentator. As in I pay attention to his opinions even when I don’t always agree. Two short story collections and four novels I am sorry that I am pointing to movie posts- but I enjoy them.
Head Cleaner was a novel I went into on the strength of the writer and cold. Meaning I didn’t read plot descriptions or blurbs. I enjoyed reading the book this way and gave it five stars so this is your chance to pull the rip-cord and go buy/read it without me going deeper.
This novel takes place at The Last Blockbuster video store. Now in real life, that store was in Bend Oregon, but one of the things I like about this novel is there is no attempt to ground it in reality. I don’t believe the name of the town is ever given. If you want a Bend Oregon horror novel you’ll have to read The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson.
Head Cleaner kicks off with a wild night at the Blockbuster, the crew working at the store includes Eva, Jerry a movie nerd, and the manager of the store Randy. They decide to track a VCR they rented out and has racked up an internet-famous amount. Once our heroes track it down they find a nasty reason there was no return. The renter has shot herself and set it up to film them discovering the scene. Once they investigate to see if they are on tape, they find events changed.
Over a series of events that unfolded with perfect narrative flow Eva and the crew discover that the VCR itself can change the past, including the movies on their shelves. It is funny because I have read SF where history changes but something about the idea of the movies changing too creeped me out.
As a work of art Head Cleaner uses the VCR and videotape culture to weaponize nostalgia against the reader as the driving force of weird and horrific parts of the story. I am sure how this book would work for younger folks or readers without VCR experience as I don’t understand that existence.
“Everybody goes back in time to kill Hitler, but I’d totally buy a shit ton of Netflix stock.
But it was their whole “No due dates” thing that he couldn’t wrap his head around. To Randy, this new paradigm was worse than the decimation of brick-and-mortar video stores. These kids didn’t know how easy they had it these days! Randy remembered when you actually had to call a video store to hold a movie for the weekend.
And you were thankful.”
Reading that passage you may think this is an author writing about the good old days when we walked uphill both ways. Those moments are there but that doesn’t overtake the narrative, I think people who didn’t live in an era writing about it (Looking at you Stranger Things!) can get lost in the details. Head Cleaner never forgets to drive the narrative forward. One of the best scenes is when Randy gets an audio tape in the mail from himself.
“Yes, it was definitely his voice, but decades younger. He was reciting the names of everyone he hated in high school.
Be sure to erase this,” his voice added at the end of the list, and Randy pushed stop again.”
A weird SF horror hybrid about a multiverse editing VCR is built on creepy moments like the suicide and the tape in the mail. Throughout Head Cleaner tiny moments perfectly build on each other to give that Black Mirror vibe of technological investigation. It is balanced with a Clerks or Fletch-like playfulness in the dialogue. That makes the as fun as it is weird.
The biggest LOL of the book for me: “This is your yearly reminder that ‘Panera Bread’ translates as Bread Bread.”
“Nice this is your yearly reminder that Pantera Bread translates as motherfuckin’ Panther bread!” Randy said, then he stuck a fist in his mouth and growled his best Phil Anselmo microphone-enveloping roar. “And I know it’s blasphemy but that punch on the cover of Vulgar Display of Power is wack. Looks like he is playing Got Yer Nose.”
Head Cleaner is full of prose that made me grin.
“Exploring further, he found his neck under his head after all, right where he left it, and he rubbed the base of his skull to get the blood chuffing along.”
Keaton has a knack for building humor out of little moments of weirdness, as a (PKD) Dickhead, I enjoyed this, he loved to explore slightly different universes, there is a point near the end when Randy talks about little changes in movies change all of it. Using the example of Fistful of dollars having a scene that Back to The Future III riffs on.
Head Cleaner is a book of tiny details and large themes. Interesting characters and even more interesting concepts. An exploration of nostalgic themes threaded through the VCR of your mind like a movie about to overheat your machine. Jam-packed with ideas and entertainment book readers looking for SF horror hybrids won’t regret it.
NOTE: During my interview with the author I described this book as feeling like one of those nerdy film debates at the video store opened a wormhole and sucked the characters into a vortex inspired by weird-o 60s New Wave SF.
Video via Youtube...
One of the things about getting older for me was explaining to young movie nerds how the video store worked. The conversation veered towards how we graded movies on a curve and would finish them because we took them home and had to live with our pick. Roger Avery and Quintin Tarantino are educating young film nerds about the VHS era because despite everything else available they still love those tapes. Head Cleaner is at times a loving tribute and novel inspired by the era. That is not to say it doesn’t play with the less awesome parts. It does.
David James Keaton's writing has appeared in over 75 publications, online and in print. He received his MFA from my father’s beloved University of Pittsburgh. I know him as the author of the Last Projector From Broken River Books and social media film commentator. As in I pay attention to his opinions even when I don’t always agree. Two short story collections and four novels I am sorry that I am pointing to movie posts- but I enjoy them.
Head Cleaner was a novel I went into on the strength of the writer and cold. Meaning I didn’t read plot descriptions or blurbs. I enjoyed reading the book this way and gave it five stars so this is your chance to pull the rip-cord and go buy/read it without me going deeper.
This novel takes place at The Last Blockbuster video store. Now in real life, that store was in Bend Oregon, but one of the things I like about this novel is there is no attempt to ground it in reality. I don’t believe the name of the town is ever given. If you want a Bend Oregon horror novel you’ll have to read The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson.
Head Cleaner kicks off with a wild night at the Blockbuster, the crew working at the store includes Eva, Jerry a movie nerd, and the manager of the store Randy. They decide to track a VCR they rented out and has racked up an internet-famous amount. Once our heroes track it down they find a nasty reason there was no return. The renter has shot herself and set it up to film them discovering the scene. Once they investigate to see if they are on tape, they find events changed.
Over a series of events that unfolded with perfect narrative flow Eva and the crew discover that the VCR itself can change the past, including the movies on their shelves. It is funny because I have read SF where history changes but something about the idea of the movies changing too creeped me out.
As a work of art Head Cleaner uses the VCR and videotape culture to weaponize nostalgia against the reader as the driving force of weird and horrific parts of the story. I am sure how this book would work for younger folks or readers without VCR experience as I don’t understand that existence.
“Everybody goes back in time to kill Hitler, but I’d totally buy a shit ton of Netflix stock.
But it was their whole “No due dates” thing that he couldn’t wrap his head around. To Randy, this new paradigm was worse than the decimation of brick-and-mortar video stores. These kids didn’t know how easy they had it these days! Randy remembered when you actually had to call a video store to hold a movie for the weekend.
And you were thankful.”
Reading that passage you may think this is an author writing about the good old days when we walked uphill both ways. Those moments are there but that doesn’t overtake the narrative, I think people who didn’t live in an era writing about it (Looking at you Stranger Things!) can get lost in the details. Head Cleaner never forgets to drive the narrative forward. One of the best scenes is when Randy gets an audio tape in the mail from himself.
“Yes, it was definitely his voice, but decades younger. He was reciting the names of everyone he hated in high school.
Be sure to erase this,” his voice added at the end of the list, and Randy pushed stop again.”
A weird SF horror hybrid about a multiverse editing VCR is built on creepy moments like the suicide and the tape in the mail. Throughout Head Cleaner tiny moments perfectly build on each other to give that Black Mirror vibe of technological investigation. It is balanced with a Clerks or Fletch-like playfulness in the dialogue. That makes the as fun as it is weird.
The biggest LOL of the book for me: “This is your yearly reminder that ‘Panera Bread’ translates as Bread Bread.”
“Nice this is your yearly reminder that Pantera Bread translates as motherfuckin’ Panther bread!” Randy said, then he stuck a fist in his mouth and growled his best Phil Anselmo microphone-enveloping roar. “And I know it’s blasphemy but that punch on the cover of Vulgar Display of Power is wack. Looks like he is playing Got Yer Nose.”
Head Cleaner is full of prose that made me grin.
“Exploring further, he found his neck under his head after all, right where he left it, and he rubbed the base of his skull to get the blood chuffing along.”
Keaton has a knack for building humor out of little moments of weirdness, as a (PKD) Dickhead, I enjoyed this, he loved to explore slightly different universes, there is a point near the end when Randy talks about little changes in movies change all of it. Using the example of Fistful of dollars having a scene that Back to The Future III riffs on.
Head Cleaner is a book of tiny details and large themes. Interesting characters and even more interesting concepts. An exploration of nostalgic themes threaded through the VCR of your mind like a movie about to overheat your machine. Jam-packed with ideas and entertainment book readers looking for SF horror hybrids won’t regret it.
NOTE: During my interview with the author I described this book as feeling like one of those nerdy film debates at the video store opened a wormhole and sucked the characters into a vortex inspired by weird-o 60s New Wave SF.
April 26, 2023
This review was originally published on High Fever Books Reviews. Please consider subscribing to High Fever Books get my reviews and occasional updates delivered straight to your inbox!
I suspect that readers who enjoy the journey more than the destination will find more to enjoy in Head Cleaner than those looking for a logical, simple, clean-cut narrative. David James Keaton doesn't provide anything simple here, let alone answers as he leaves a few threads dangling and a handful of questions lingering upon book's end, employing a not-necessarily clear finale that might leave readers racing to Google "ending explained" videos that are all the rage in film and TV land these days.
I suspect, too, that Head Cleaner is, in fact, a partial rebellion against these types of mostly useless, mostly clickbait videos that seek to explain the obvious in a wasteland of unchallenging, same old, same old art that has been focused group to hell and back solely to appeal to the lowest common denominators amongst us, who spent more time fiddling with their cell phone instead of actually watching what was being presented before them and thus need the grand finale summarized for their attention-deficient, social media-addled minds. As much as I love the MCU, who really needs the endings of any of these movies explained at length? Head Cleaner, though... To quote Benoit Blanc, "It makes no damn sense. Compels me, though."
And compels it does. Keaton has crafted a truly intriguing puzzle-box of a narrative here, the kind that inspires debate and, likely, a few arguments betwixt friends as they theorize what actually happened, who it happened to, who was behind it all, and how. Is it time travel or big corpo Facebook fuckery? Who was the woman who blasted her head off in the book's opening pages, and how does that square against what we learn later (it's certainly not flush, I might argue)? Who is or are "The Collectors"? And is Kevin Costner's Tin Cup really the sole key to unlocking this whole damn, bloody, messy affair?
I don't know. I've been pondering it all in the 12-plus hours since I finished reading Head Cleaner (OK, maybe not the Tin Cup thing) and feel none the wiser, but my curiosity keeps plugging away at the book's multiple what ifs. What does seem clear is that Keaton has sought to answer one question I'm fairly certain nobody has ever asked, and does so rather successfully: What if David Lynch had made Clerks instead of Kevin Smith? The setting is the last Blockbuster video store in the US, whereupon a trio of clerks may have accidentally discovered a last-of-its-kind VCR that can alter reality. Pop in Titanic, pause and rewind at just the right moment, and presto-chango, the ship narrowly misses the iceberg and James Cameron's box office hit is, instead, a courtroom drama about Jack's murder of a rich douchebag at sea, all of which is supported as fact by Wikipedia. It's a discovery that violently costs Jerry, Randy, and Eva their lives when the video store is assaulted by a cadre of Men In Black. At least until they wake up the next day, or maybe it's the previous day, to find a videotape of their deaths on their doorsteps.
Head Cleaner is not the kind of disposable sci-fi beach-read it may seem at first blush. It's unrelentingly quirky, but also very demanding. It requires interrogation and challenges the reader to make heads or tails of it all, possibly with a whiteboard full of notes and interpretations. It's only partly a joke that a two-tape rental copy of Oliver Stone's JFK plays a pivotal role here, given the amount of conspiracy theorizing the presidential assassination has inspired in both real life and in celluloid. Head Cleaner inspires much of the same odd-balling bewilderment. The simplest answer may not be correct, and the more outlandish it grows the closer to reality it may appear. But that's life for you. Or is that only in the movies?
I suspect that readers who enjoy the journey more than the destination will find more to enjoy in Head Cleaner than those looking for a logical, simple, clean-cut narrative. David James Keaton doesn't provide anything simple here, let alone answers as he leaves a few threads dangling and a handful of questions lingering upon book's end, employing a not-necessarily clear finale that might leave readers racing to Google "ending explained" videos that are all the rage in film and TV land these days.
I suspect, too, that Head Cleaner is, in fact, a partial rebellion against these types of mostly useless, mostly clickbait videos that seek to explain the obvious in a wasteland of unchallenging, same old, same old art that has been focused group to hell and back solely to appeal to the lowest common denominators amongst us, who spent more time fiddling with their cell phone instead of actually watching what was being presented before them and thus need the grand finale summarized for their attention-deficient, social media-addled minds. As much as I love the MCU, who really needs the endings of any of these movies explained at length? Head Cleaner, though... To quote Benoit Blanc, "It makes no damn sense. Compels me, though."
And compels it does. Keaton has crafted a truly intriguing puzzle-box of a narrative here, the kind that inspires debate and, likely, a few arguments betwixt friends as they theorize what actually happened, who it happened to, who was behind it all, and how. Is it time travel or big corpo Facebook fuckery? Who was the woman who blasted her head off in the book's opening pages, and how does that square against what we learn later (it's certainly not flush, I might argue)? Who is or are "The Collectors"? And is Kevin Costner's Tin Cup really the sole key to unlocking this whole damn, bloody, messy affair?
I don't know. I've been pondering it all in the 12-plus hours since I finished reading Head Cleaner (OK, maybe not the Tin Cup thing) and feel none the wiser, but my curiosity keeps plugging away at the book's multiple what ifs. What does seem clear is that Keaton has sought to answer one question I'm fairly certain nobody has ever asked, and does so rather successfully: What if David Lynch had made Clerks instead of Kevin Smith? The setting is the last Blockbuster video store in the US, whereupon a trio of clerks may have accidentally discovered a last-of-its-kind VCR that can alter reality. Pop in Titanic, pause and rewind at just the right moment, and presto-chango, the ship narrowly misses the iceberg and James Cameron's box office hit is, instead, a courtroom drama about Jack's murder of a rich douchebag at sea, all of which is supported as fact by Wikipedia. It's a discovery that violently costs Jerry, Randy, and Eva their lives when the video store is assaulted by a cadre of Men In Black. At least until they wake up the next day, or maybe it's the previous day, to find a videotape of their deaths on their doorsteps.
Head Cleaner is not the kind of disposable sci-fi beach-read it may seem at first blush. It's unrelentingly quirky, but also very demanding. It requires interrogation and challenges the reader to make heads or tails of it all, possibly with a whiteboard full of notes and interpretations. It's only partly a joke that a two-tape rental copy of Oliver Stone's JFK plays a pivotal role here, given the amount of conspiracy theorizing the presidential assassination has inspired in both real life and in celluloid. Head Cleaner inspires much of the same odd-balling bewilderment. The simplest answer may not be correct, and the more outlandish it grows the closer to reality it may appear. But that's life for you. Or is that only in the movies?
October 26, 2022
An interesting blend of Sci-fi, thriller and comedy. This story is definitely a strange and original concept with great humor in the characters' banter. Definitely a fun read.
January 31, 2026
“A nonstop thrill ride blending science fiction, horror, and a lot of humor.” Library Journal
….. WHY YOU LYING TO US?!?! Idk what I just read but it wasn’t that.
….. WHY YOU LYING TO US?!?! Idk what I just read but it wasn’t that.
January 31, 2026
“Turns out you can’t live on popcorn and coffee”.
🎥📼
THANK YOU! Net Galley and Datura Books for a copy of this title.
Also Note: The movie references aren't lost on me. Enjoyed that bit.
This book hit me with an unexpected wave of nostalgia, instantly taking me back to the days of Blockbuster Video and the wonderfully nerdy employees who somehow knew every movie ever made. The kind of people who could decode, “You know… the guy… in the thing… with the thing?” without blinking.
Head Cleaner centers on the last Blockbuster in the U.S. and follows two employees tasked with retrieving an outrageously overdue VCR—one so late it’s become internet-famous. What they discover instead is a bizarre twist: the VCR has the power to change the endings of blockbuster films.
The premise is clever and steeped in nostalgia, and while there’s clearly a deeper message at play, it never fully came into focus for me. Still, it’s strange, inventive, and worth a look if you’re fond of video store memories and offbeat storytelling.
The implications of this story go beyond pop culture—rewriting classic films also means rewriting history, which is a heavy concept on its own.
Things took a strange turn for me when the trio began receiving tapes that depicted their own deaths, followed by increasingly frantic attempts to escape their fate. Add in mysterious figures (or possibly just a van) tracking them down to reclaim the VCR and tapes, and the story starts to spiral.
The multiple timelines and different versions of the characters became disorienting, and while Eva’s outdated clamshell flip phone hints at deeper truths, the narrative ultimately felt muddled. That said, the comedic banter—especially between employees and customers—was genuinely funny, and the physical scuffles between Jerry and Randy added to the absurdity.
I rated this 3.0 ⭐️. It reads well overall and has a strong premise, but the ending landed on a strange, slightly unsatisfying note.
🎥📼
THANK YOU! Net Galley and Datura Books for a copy of this title.
Also Note: The movie references aren't lost on me. Enjoyed that bit.
This book hit me with an unexpected wave of nostalgia, instantly taking me back to the days of Blockbuster Video and the wonderfully nerdy employees who somehow knew every movie ever made. The kind of people who could decode, “You know… the guy… in the thing… with the thing?” without blinking.
Head Cleaner centers on the last Blockbuster in the U.S. and follows two employees tasked with retrieving an outrageously overdue VCR—one so late it’s become internet-famous. What they discover instead is a bizarre twist: the VCR has the power to change the endings of blockbuster films.
The premise is clever and steeped in nostalgia, and while there’s clearly a deeper message at play, it never fully came into focus for me. Still, it’s strange, inventive, and worth a look if you’re fond of video store memories and offbeat storytelling.
The implications of this story go beyond pop culture—rewriting classic films also means rewriting history, which is a heavy concept on its own.
Things took a strange turn for me when the trio began receiving tapes that depicted their own deaths, followed by increasingly frantic attempts to escape their fate. Add in mysterious figures (or possibly just a van) tracking them down to reclaim the VCR and tapes, and the story starts to spiral.
The multiple timelines and different versions of the characters became disorienting, and while Eva’s outdated clamshell flip phone hints at deeper truths, the narrative ultimately felt muddled. That said, the comedic banter—especially between employees and customers—was genuinely funny, and the physical scuffles between Jerry and Randy added to the absurdity.
I rated this 3.0 ⭐️. It reads well overall and has a strong premise, but the ending landed on a strange, slightly unsatisfying note.
January 18, 2023
This feels like a timely novel for 2023.
A merry band of anachronistic video store clerks (working for "arguably" the Last Blockbuster on Earth) consuming VHS tapes and in return seeing the tapes consume and alter their future. This is more or less what this novel is about, but to a certain extent I don't believe what-this-novel-is-about really matters. It's funny and witty like a Kevin Smith movie and eerie like a Twilight Zone episode written by a mentally disturbed person who had an encyclopedic knowledge of movies no one remembers. It gets crazy and somewhat difficult to follow at some point if you're not out there microreading, but you have to be there for the characters and not the story.
British philosopher Mark Fisher had a name for what-this-novel-is-really-about: the slow cancellation of the future. The past (or your memories of the past) taking precedence over the future. It is usually normal in the process of aging, but it is happening to younger and younger people nowadays through nostalgia and easy access to technology. Head Cleaner is a very meats-and-potatoes embodiment of this concept, but it's a fun one if a little lengthy in the second half. I'd classify this as a beach/travel read for intelligent people.
A merry band of anachronistic video store clerks (working for "arguably" the Last Blockbuster on Earth) consuming VHS tapes and in return seeing the tapes consume and alter their future. This is more or less what this novel is about, but to a certain extent I don't believe what-this-novel-is-about really matters. It's funny and witty like a Kevin Smith movie and eerie like a Twilight Zone episode written by a mentally disturbed person who had an encyclopedic knowledge of movies no one remembers. It gets crazy and somewhat difficult to follow at some point if you're not out there microreading, but you have to be there for the characters and not the story.
British philosopher Mark Fisher had a name for what-this-novel-is-really-about: the slow cancellation of the future. The past (or your memories of the past) taking precedence over the future. It is usually normal in the process of aging, but it is happening to younger and younger people nowadays through nostalgia and easy access to technology. Head Cleaner is a very meats-and-potatoes embodiment of this concept, but it's a fun one if a little lengthy in the second half. I'd classify this as a beach/travel read for intelligent people.
February 20, 2026
Really kind a of a mess of a story. The synopsis was the best part of it frankly. The actual writing and plot are confusing, contradictory at times, not fully edited, and hard to follow. It’s really too bad as I was looking forward to this one.
Thank you anyways to NetGalley, the author, and Datura Books for a copy.
Thank you anyways to NetGalley, the author, and Datura Books for a copy.
not-for-me
February 8, 2026So disappointed. This is a DNF at pg 154. More thoughts soon.
April 5, 2023
This book is like the love child resulting from a polyamory situation between Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ready Player One, Clerks, and VHS.
Hey, I can flex my movie knowledge too!
*Insert appropriately smug gif here*
Loved the idea of this book - it's definitely a timely subject matter. The Mandela Effect has never been so apropos as now, where we are so inundated with massive overloads of information to the point where it's become a difficult endeavor to parse and take in the information that is important and relevant to ourselves.
However, I'm not sure I really enjoyed the format of this book. It came out strong with a great opening salvo, but then I felt that the writing just became overly precious - I get the *wink wink* nature of the dialogue but it was just so over the top at a certain point that I found most of the characters just flat out annoying. I think that the book could have used a good trimming of about 100 pages as I felt it meandered in a way that hampered the plot development.
I understand that this may have been what the author was going for - the idea of the "slacker mindset" of the 90's, the idea of driving around and doing dumb shit and renting movies at blockbuster cause there's nothing else better to do - but I just felt that it was completely at odds with what I perceived as the sense of urgency and danger of feeling like the protagonists could be killed at any moment.
In the end everything just felt so jumbled and over the top. Loved the idea in theory, felt like it could have used some cleaner execution. 3 stars for creativity.
Hey, I can flex my movie knowledge too!
*Insert appropriately smug gif here*
Loved the idea of this book - it's definitely a timely subject matter. The Mandela Effect has never been so apropos as now, where we are so inundated with massive overloads of information to the point where it's become a difficult endeavor to parse and take in the information that is important and relevant to ourselves.
However, I'm not sure I really enjoyed the format of this book. It came out strong with a great opening salvo, but then I felt that the writing just became overly precious - I get the *wink wink* nature of the dialogue but it was just so over the top at a certain point that I found most of the characters just flat out annoying. I think that the book could have used a good trimming of about 100 pages as I felt it meandered in a way that hampered the plot development.
I understand that this may have been what the author was going for - the idea of the "slacker mindset" of the 90's, the idea of driving around and doing dumb shit and renting movies at blockbuster cause there's nothing else better to do - but I just felt that it was completely at odds with what I perceived as the sense of urgency and danger of feeling like the protagonists could be killed at any moment.
In the end everything just felt so jumbled and over the top. Loved the idea in theory, felt like it could have used some cleaner execution. 3 stars for creativity.
December 26, 2022
Fun book. I enjoyed reading it. It's about three people working at a Blockbuster who find a VHR that lets them change movies as they please (including the 'Do you like them apples' from that Matt Damon movie). Yet, if you change anything based on true events, you change those too. While it may seem fun, there may be deadly consequences to it all.
Great idea and has likable characters, I can't say it rocked my world but it was fun and I would adore seeing this adapted as a movie.
Great idea and has likable characters, I can't say it rocked my world but it was fun and I would adore seeing this adapted as a movie.
Read
August 30, 2026At my film my sowrd brok many historcal nose leader
i sea that star at desert and go for my knowldg
nt my death video at doorstep
i want to end of that dark movie
can i chang the past
yes
cut and move some part of movie
its new buttle and gd fate
its beuty start
take gd weapon and play gd monolog
to gd war with happy end movie
still for y
i sea that star at desert and go for my knowldg
nt my death video at doorstep
i want to end of that dark movie
can i chang the past
yes
cut and move some part of movie
its new buttle and gd fate
its beuty start
take gd weapon and play gd monolog
to gd war with happy end movie
still for y
January 31, 2026
I'm not sure about this one. I thought it was going to be a bit of me - the nostalgia, the pop culture, VCR's, VHS tapes and late fees... Yeah, I was there, literally and figuritively and I remember those years like they were yesterday and I loved every second of them. Best. Years. Ever. But, there's something just 'off' about this story. Can't put my finger on it but it's there. Whatever it is, it's absolutely soaked in it. Any of this making sense? No? Well reading this book is a LOT like that feeling. That WTAF am I reading here? Is it all over the place? Yes. Is it intended to unsettle me and is therefore absolute genius to make me feel like I need to give it the side-eye all the time? Yeah, probably. I have no clue. It's like all my memories are included within the pages but they're jacked up on roids and drenched in what it thinks I'm looking forward to reading about but in reality it's giving me the ick a bit because it's trying too hard. I could almost hear the canned laughter in the background. It's giving, 'pick me' vibes.
Set in part in what might be the last Blockbuster video store ever and the staff are the kind of people who weren't actually around at the time they're obsessed with but still seem to know more about it than those of us who were actually there. I was looking forward to the nostalgia but right from the get-go it lost me and then it took off running before I'd even got my running shoes laced up. Basically, I got left behind and never did catch up. Absolute mind-bender and not in a good way. Frustrating, scrambled, chaotic. I get the feeling that that's exactly what I'm supposed to feel and the book likes that I'm so unsettled and confused by it. Really hard one to rate. Did I like it? Not really. Will other people like it? Maybe.
I very, very rarely ask for a book on Netgalley. I can go years without requesting one. But this one grabbed my attention (and it doesn't hurt that I'm a sucker for a cool cover and this one stood out) and I'm grateful that my request for it was honoured...So thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley...but - WTAF did I just read?!
Set in part in what might be the last Blockbuster video store ever and the staff are the kind of people who weren't actually around at the time they're obsessed with but still seem to know more about it than those of us who were actually there. I was looking forward to the nostalgia but right from the get-go it lost me and then it took off running before I'd even got my running shoes laced up. Basically, I got left behind and never did catch up. Absolute mind-bender and not in a good way. Frustrating, scrambled, chaotic. I get the feeling that that's exactly what I'm supposed to feel and the book likes that I'm so unsettled and confused by it. Really hard one to rate. Did I like it? Not really. Will other people like it? Maybe.
I very, very rarely ask for a book on Netgalley. I can go years without requesting one. But this one grabbed my attention (and it doesn't hurt that I'm a sucker for a cool cover and this one stood out) and I'm grateful that my request for it was honoured...So thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley...but - WTAF did I just read?!
July 19, 2026
DNF'd @ p. 50
Head Cleaner by David James Keaton is a novel that sounded like it could be a lot of fun and right up my alley. Unfortunately, it was more irritating than anything else. I love movies, but I wasn't looking for a book where the first 50 pages were primarily movie references. Some stories have made that work, but this isn't one of them. I wasn't interested in sticking around for another 350 pages.
Head Cleaner by David James Keaton is a novel that sounded like it could be a lot of fun and right up my alley. Unfortunately, it was more irritating than anything else. I love movies, but I wasn't looking for a book where the first 50 pages were primarily movie references. Some stories have made that work, but this isn't one of them. I wasn't interested in sticking around for another 350 pages.
April 30, 2023
Pure 80's nostalgia. Mind bending but super fun! I listened to the audiobook and the narration was very good.
February 5, 2026
First off, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Datura Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I truly appreciate the opportunity to read new works.
Secondly, I apologize because this review will not score me any points.
Head Cleaner is one of the most frustrating books I have ever read. Overall, I found it incredibly irritating, unfunny, and as murky with its narrative as a story can get. There were moments where I finally felt myself get hooked in by what was happening, only to have a dialogue break filled with sheer nonsense and desperate reaches for comedy completely destroy any investment I had growing. I committed myself to finishing this book, but the disappointing first half made the second half an absolute slog to get through. I said aloud multiple times that I want to toss the book across the room and move on to whatever is next on my list. I nearly sped read the final 100 pages because I just found this story so draining. These characters are obnoxious and the one I liked the most dies near the end and is treated like a villain for some reason? The stinger may be the best part because it at least feels composed in an interesting way, but by this point, I’m so disconnected from the book that I have mentally checked out.
There may be some people that absolutely adore this book, and I am very happy for them. Reading the summary, I was really excited to take this journey. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.
Secondly, I apologize because this review will not score me any points.
Head Cleaner is one of the most frustrating books I have ever read. Overall, I found it incredibly irritating, unfunny, and as murky with its narrative as a story can get. There were moments where I finally felt myself get hooked in by what was happening, only to have a dialogue break filled with sheer nonsense and desperate reaches for comedy completely destroy any investment I had growing. I committed myself to finishing this book, but the disappointing first half made the second half an absolute slog to get through. I said aloud multiple times that I want to toss the book across the room and move on to whatever is next on my list. I nearly sped read the final 100 pages because I just found this story so draining. These characters are obnoxious and the one I liked the most dies near the end and is treated like a villain for some reason? The stinger may be the best part because it at least feels composed in an interesting way, but by this point, I’m so disconnected from the book that I have mentally checked out.
There may be some people that absolutely adore this book, and I am very happy for them. Reading the summary, I was really excited to take this journey. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.
July 9, 2026
This book is a complete mess. I bought it because the cover looked fun (it’s a VHS tape) and the description was intriguing but sadly, that was the high point of my experience.
The book contains numerous movie references that, while fun, many felt way to obscure to appreciate it. Some of the chapters go into way too much detail about someone’s thoughts or experiences but it never leads to anything.
The plot was good at first but the delivery was just frustrating. One of the main characters attacks another character through out the book and the victim barely responds. Or gets their face bashed in but is completely normal a few pages later. Later that character is murdered by two people in the group and after it is done no one is affected by it and they just move on like it didn’t happen.
In the end the reader is left with many questions and while I feel like that can be a great thing, I felt like this was due to plot holes and complete nonsense.
As a person who loves all things retro and a Blockbuster veteran himself, I still cannot recommend this book to anyone.
The book contains numerous movie references that, while fun, many felt way to obscure to appreciate it. Some of the chapters go into way too much detail about someone’s thoughts or experiences but it never leads to anything.
The plot was good at first but the delivery was just frustrating. One of the main characters attacks another character through out the book and the victim barely responds. Or gets their face bashed in but is completely normal a few pages later. Later that character is murdered by two people in the group and after it is done no one is affected by it and they just move on like it didn’t happen.
In the end the reader is left with many questions and while I feel like that can be a great thing, I felt like this was due to plot holes and complete nonsense.
As a person who loves all things retro and a Blockbuster veteran himself, I still cannot recommend this book to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2026
DNF - 40%
I really wanted to like this and I thought based on the description I would. I enjoyed the first 25% when I was able to follow what was happening while getting to know the characters.
From then on I just got more and more confused. It seemed to jump around loads, it stopped being strange and interesting and just became too difficult to keep up with. I tried to preserve, but the more I read the less I understood. By this point it doesn’t feel worth carrying on to the ending because I’m so clueless about what’s happening.
Thank you Netgalley and Datura Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this and I thought based on the description I would. I enjoyed the first 25% when I was able to follow what was happening while getting to know the characters.
From then on I just got more and more confused. It seemed to jump around loads, it stopped being strange and interesting and just became too difficult to keep up with. I tried to preserve, but the more I read the less I understood. By this point it doesn’t feel worth carrying on to the ending because I’m so clueless about what’s happening.
Thank you Netgalley and Datura Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2023
BACK AND TO THE LEFT
I devoured this faster than a VCR eating a cassette tape in a Dave Keaton novel. The plot here is fast and frenetic, and the twists come every few chapters, even in the book's two epilogues, setting up paradoxes and conspiracies like Primer by way of a Pure Cinema Podcast. The central premise--a VCR that can rewrite movies--is fantastic and used to great effect. Who wouldn't almost immediately pop in JFK? But my favorite parts were the riffs. Loved reading Keaton on the dearth of imagination in "prestige" shows, not to mention his deep dive into Clerks. It's impossible not to recommend a book where the protagonists essentially stumble into a cave of outdated technology where the Turbografx-16s are plentiful and the LaserDiscs are used as weapons.
I devoured this faster than a VCR eating a cassette tape in a Dave Keaton novel. The plot here is fast and frenetic, and the twists come every few chapters, even in the book's two epilogues, setting up paradoxes and conspiracies like Primer by way of a Pure Cinema Podcast. The central premise--a VCR that can rewrite movies--is fantastic and used to great effect. Who wouldn't almost immediately pop in JFK? But my favorite parts were the riffs. Loved reading Keaton on the dearth of imagination in "prestige" shows, not to mention his deep dive into Clerks. It's impossible not to recommend a book where the protagonists essentially stumble into a cave of outdated technology where the Turbografx-16s are plentiful and the LaserDiscs are used as weapons.
November 2, 2023
The opening scene sets you on edge right away, and you never come back from that edge. I loved how the mystery around the video tapes raised broader questions about the nature of history and remembrance, and (especially with the magical realism elements) even the nature of reality itself. So much fun media nostalgia, which also raised broader issues about popular culture, consumer culture, and the like. And, of course, some really great puns, vivid imagery, and language play that reward the attention of the careful reader. Such a fun listen!
September 10, 2023
It hurts me a little to give this just two stars, I’m a bit of a film nerd myself and the concept sounded right up my street. However the characters and their dialogue were just a bit too film nerd to be likeable, there was an annoying amount of bro fighting, and the storyline felt quite muddled. I’ve just finished and I have no real idea what was meant to be going on. On top of all of that, a bit too much of this book was just word salad.
July 19, 2026
I trust goodreads ratings to a point, but this one had such an interesting concept so I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, the ratings were right on this one. It definitely could’ve used a lot of editing, without the crazy amount of references that didn’t actually do anything to the story this easily could’ve been a short story. Even so, it was needlessly confusing and did a bad and unsatisfying way of actually revealing things.
The awful characters didn’t add anything either, I couldn’t care what was happening to them because I hated reading about them. I’m not entirely sure there was one thing that I enjoyed about this book unfortunately.
The awful characters didn’t add anything either, I couldn’t care what was happening to them because I hated reading about them. I’m not entirely sure there was one thing that I enjoyed about this book unfortunately.
May 2, 2023
So. This could have been an amazing book, but I made the poor decision to listen on audiobook. I lost the thread multiple times, which I believe the author meant to happen. I had to go back and restart. Let’s just say that a trippy time travel experiment book is not meant for a listening experience. It’s much more suitable to read.
August 23, 2026
A book so terrible I wish I had read it sooner.
July 25, 2026
This was such a awfully written book and the story was so boring and confusing. It felt kinda misleading from what the synopsis gave me and what was actually written. Do not recommend at all
Read
January 31, 2023Is HEAD CLEANER by David James Keaton Sci-fi? Horror? Action? Comedy? Well, yes, actually it's ALL of those- but mostly, it's a fucking TRIP. Will you understand exactly what's going on? Nope. But will you be engaged, entertained, and taken on a chaotic, fun, absolutely bonkers ride? 100% yes!
June 15, 2026
This read like some kind of acid dream or something. I also am not a huge movie person so some of the references were lost on me unfortunately 😳😳 I will say it was an I interesting read. If not for my book club I attend I would not have e picked it up. Was it funny….. hmm yes and no but I am a dry humor kind of person. It is an interesting read you should definitely give it a try 🤭🤭 so we can be confused together!!!!!
Did Not Finish
January 23, 2026DNF'd @ 30%.
The first third was wacky but good, after that I just didn't get what was going on. It may well be me, so I will probably give this one another try at some point.
Thank you to NetGalley & publishers, Datura, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The first third was wacky but good, after that I just didn't get what was going on. It may well be me, so I will probably give this one another try at some point.
Thank you to NetGalley & publishers, Datura, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
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