Below Sunlight

by Ryan Adam Smith

For twenty-three years Sam has lived an ordinary life in Seattle with his mother, sister, and friends. But after a romance with his girlfriend ends in tragedy, Sam escapes to New Mexico in hopes of finding adventure and leaving his past, family, and friends a distant memory. In Albuquerque, a place filled with sun and blue skies and where he is a stranger, Sam meets Lola, an angel-obsessed woman with secrets of her own, who invites him to be a part of her close-knit circle. Below Sunlight is a gripping, and sometimes funny, story of addiction, lust, sorrow, and the burden dark secrets carry.

356 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2010

About the author

Ryan Adam Smith is the author of Below Sunlight and many other brilliant and terrible pieces of literature which will never leave the confines of his mind. Basically, Ryan is exactly the kind of guy that spends all day writing, coming up with crazy ideas that may work or end in disaster, and sometimes drinking whiskey. Actually, whiskey's involved a lot.

Reviews

[Ryan Madland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book via Goodreads.com First Reads Program. I did not receive any sort of financial reimbursement for this review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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"Below Sunlight" is the debut novel by Ryan Adams Smith and what a stunning debut it is.

The novel centers around the main character named Sam, who has recently left his home in Seattle to escape the pain of a tragedy he himself feels responsible for. He heads down a path of self destruction as he begins a new life in Albuquerque.

Sam's new life as a cook at local coffee shop allows him to have the least amount of human interaction as possible. When not frying up breakfast for the locals, he's frying his brain with as much coke as he can handle as he keeps to himself in his rundown apartment.

Its not until Sam meets a beautiful woman named Lola at the laundry mat, does Sam start to open up. Lola has the amazing ability to get Sam to talk and revitalizes Sam. By the end of their meeting, Sam had made his first friend in this new town and would finally have something to do on a Saturday night.

When Sam meets up with Lola he is introduced to her friend Chris, who acts as her big brother, which we see many examples of as the novel progresses. Sam is welcomed into their clique with open arms as they all similar interests---drugs and partying.

The group continues their hard partying ways when the city of Albuquerque becomes dry. Without any drugs to continue their partying, they decide to take a road trip to Arizona to buy as much drugs as they can.

Obviously, things don't go as planned and the group encounters some strange, yet very dangerous people, which makes for some interesting reading. One of the most poignant moments comes near the end when Sam and Lola finally reveal to one another what causes them to self destruct. Revelations that make it understandable as to why they are the way they are.

Between the shots of whiskey and lines of coke, the novel lets you into the head of Sam. It goes from present day to flashbacks that give a glimpse into what painful tragedy has same snorting his life away. I could truly understand his pain and really wanted him to find his way. I wanted them all to find their way.

I should add that there were some pretty humorous moments. The one that comes to mind is an incident in which Sam meets up with Chris at the school he teaches at. Just a great, well written scene.

This novel shows that addiction is powerful thing and can be even more powerful when you surround yourself with people that imbibe in the same poisons you do. Why stop what your doing if your friends are doing it too?

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book as I thought the characters were well written. The author did a great job with making this story new and original, which can be difficult to do when writing story about addiction, drugs, and a life of partying. I really want to know where the characters go next, which is always a good thing. I definitely would recommend this book to fellow book lovers.

[DH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not even sure where to begin reviewing this book as the ending gave me whiplash and I’m still trying to recover from it. Maybe I should just start with the ending and work backwards from there. I don’t think anyone can predict the ending and it definitely caught me by surprise, but at the same time I absolutely loved it. I loved the way all the loose ends were tied together and I couldn’t have imagined a better ending for it. The ending leaves you with the feeling that the characters are going to be okay even after the book has ended. And honestly, that’s all I really want from a book. After investing an x amount of time into these characters and their lives, I want to know that they learned something from their experience and were able to grow from it and perhaps be a better person for it. The characters in this book may not have accomplished all of the above, but it was enough to know that they figured out what was important to them in life and what they wanted out of it. The ending left me satisfied and happy.

Personally, I’m a character person. For me to love a book I need to be able to relate to the characters or feel some sort of connection to them. I was a little apprehensive about Sam when I first started the book because it seemed so clear that he had a one-way ticket towards self-destruction. But as the plot developed and I really got to know Sam, I realized that deep down inside he was a good person. Sure, he was flawed and he had his issues, but I couldn’t help rooting for him and hoping that he’ll somehow find a way to pull himself out of that hole. After finishing the book, I realized that Sam needed to go down that path. Sometimes you have to go into the darkness before you can see the light and for Sam this was the case.

Overall, Below Sunlight was an incredible and perhaps inspirational book that follows a character’s path towards self-destruction before realizing that all along he had everything he wanted out of life. It’s a book about friendship, relationship, pain and loss, and how to deal with all of this. It’s a book that I would highly recommend to everyone and I already have a few friends in mind who I’m going to get this book for because I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.

[Ashsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading a lot lately, but don't usually write much about the books I read. Usually just a comment or two. However, something pushed me to write something more about this book. I finished it about two months ago when it first came out and have been thinking about it ever since. It was really intriguing and gripping with a great ending. The characters were engaging in a thought provoking way, and all the usual (I couldn't put it down, thought about it all the time, etc...) apply.

Of course I have read a lot of books that fill in the above parameters quite nicely. There was something else about this book that bowled me over and hasn't released me yet. Maybe it was the unabashedly human nature of the main character and his closest friends. Maybe it was the fun ride with a contradictory heavy clouded, at times torturous, climate. Maybe, I just loved the thought of a clearly faulted self proclaimed angel. Whatever it was, it slyly snuck it's way into my subconcious and has become part of my daily thoughts. The popcorn, and taffy candy book that I am enjoying right now will surely be forgoten and rarely if ever discussed. Surely I can't say that for this bad boy. Can't wait to talk about it with my wife, or anybody else who has read it. If your lucky that may be you.

Highly Recommended.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend loaned me this book and I found it a very interesting read, especially for a new author. It reminds me a little of the writing of Willy Vlautin in that the characters are flawed, struggling and headed down a dark path but still interesting and trying to deal with the issues that have been thrust upon them and that they have created for themselves.

Reading about Sam and his friends seem to be a window into the drug culture that I don't have a lot of familiarity with but seems to be believable based on what little contact I have had and what we see in movies and the news.

The ending was an unexpected and bizarre twist that uniquely finished off the character development of Lola.

I am looking forward to passing the book on to my wife and discussing it with her and others.

[Meghan Slavec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally could not put this book down. As the story develops i couldn't help but feel a connection to the vulnerable, yet twisted main character named Sam. Sam's story is one we can all relate to on some level and I found it fascinating to see where the extreme could take you. Although this story is filled with tragedy, it's biting humor and eccentric characters kept me laughing all the way through. I never expected the twist during the last ten or twenty pages and as with all good books I didn't want it to end. Kudos to this first time novelist I can't wait to read more of Ryan Adam Smith's books in the near future.
Meghan Slavec

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, according to the rules, I must state that I won this book from the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

The first thing I found amusing, and slightly suspect, was before the novel even technically begins, on the dedication page. I’m not sure why the author felt compelled to say “this story is a non-autobiographical work of fiction.” This book appears from the outside to be a novel, and novels generally are fiction rather than autobiographies, at least as much as it is possible for any author to completely keep their own personality and history out of their work. Also, plenty of novels are written in the first person, and we’re taught very early in school not to assume that the voice of the “I” narrator and the author are the same. Therefore, I don’t see the need for this statement, and it just made me think that Sam’s and Ryan’s experiences aren’t as different as he would perhaps like us to believe.

The alternating of the narrative between the present and the past works for the story, although sometimes when I would pick up the book and start reading it for the day I would forget which period we were in at the beginning of a chapter. But it certainly works to build suspense and makes us want to keep reading. I know I wanted to find out what the hell happened between Sam and Ashley.

Lola is the most interesting character, to me, and we certainly find out why that is at the end of the book. It explains her self-destructive behavior, like getting so drunk she has to have her stomach pumped regularly, which seems so much at odds with believing she’s an angel with a greater purpose in life. You can’t stop any wars or poverty or famine very well when you’ve killed yourself.

Most of the narrative is pretty well-written and descriptive, but there are many instances when the wording is so strange that it completely pulled me out of the story. Writing is supposed to be good, but without calling too much attention to itself. Phrases like “taking more noodles and sauce to my mouth” (86) is a very odd way of saying one took another bite of spaghetti. You might at least bring it to your mouth, but you don’t take it there, like it’s somewhere at a distance. Other sentences are just overly complicated, and could be unpacked and written so much more simply, like: “Before Emily was born, I would accompany my mom on frequent trips to the women’s clothing sections of various large department stores in Seattle,” (91). It is much easier to say, while conveying the same meaning: “my mom always took me with her when she went clothing shopping,” or something like that. I think perhaps the author can’t help talking in this overcomplicated, grandiose way, however, since he sounds the same way in many of his book reviews and other posts. But it would be easier on his readers if he would work on that. There is also a tendency toward lists of three or more things in a sentence. “Hearing my mom’s voice makes me feel sad, angry, depressed, [and you don’t need a comma before the and in a list – this is 4th grade English] and more hungover,” (69). “A man standing with his bike on the corner in black spandex shorts, a yellow spandex top, [there’s the unnecessary comma again] and a helmet, says hello to me,” (70).

The novel seems a little episodic at times, and some of the minor characters seem to have very little purpose or none at all. I have no idea why we need Katie in the story. She is there in chapter four and never comes back and is never mentioned again, and I don’t think she does anything to advance the story or help develop the other characters at all. Scott also seems to exist only so he can have a party where Lola can try to drink herself to death. The long speeches from the two drug dealers are very strange, and probably very much out of character for a real drug dealer. They also sound very much alike. I think the author is clearly talking to the reader here, trying to put out his own agenda, or at least personal worldview.

This book would greatly benefit from peer reading, which I have a lot of experience with from being an English major in college with a creative writing minor. Sometimes having feedback from a group of people can help you see problems with your writing, or bring up issues that are confusing that you may not have noticed, because you know what you’re trying to say.

There are a quite a few typos in this book. After a while I began to wonder what publishing house allowed the book to be published with such a poor editing job. I started looking for the publisher and couldn’t find one, or even the name of the printed, which led me to the conclusion that this book was self-published. I can’t say I was surprised, and if this book is ever going to be picked up by a decent publisher for a second edition, it needs to be much more polished. Sometimes books have one spelling or punctuation error; this one has way too many.

P.s. There is also one time near the end of the novel where Emily's name changes to Lily. I think it was a good decision to change the name, since Lily and Lola sound very similar. But that slip is another thing that should have been fixed and that wasn't.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

We're just two weeks away now from my upcoming public talk with Nathan Rabin, head writer of the astonishingly great AV Club; and one of the reasons I find Rabin so great is that he not only reviews projects from our culture but even coins brand-new cultural phrases himself, such as the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" (or MPDG) to describe in his words "that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures"...or in my words, "Every ex-girlfriend I've ever had." And that's why I have such a soft spot for other books about MPDGs, such as Ryan Adam Smith's Below Sunlight, an almost textbook example of the subgenre centered complexly around a vaguely hippie/punk-like club kid in her early twenties who is convinced that she was put on this earth to eventually become someone's guardian angel, and who therefore maintains a consumerist retinue of angel motifs in her life (angel tattoos, angel purses, angel panties) that would normally be teeth-gratingly annoying but that somehow these manic pixie dream girls always manage to pull off. (And let it be noted, by the way, that for a publishing medium that's usually known for its laughably crappy covers, Smith gets his I think almost perfectly right, using a model who almost exactly matches what I would've pictured this woman looking like too. Oh, manic pixie ex-girlfriends, how I miss you!)

The story itself, then, is told through the eyes of hapless schmuck our hero Sam, a young man who has recently moved from Seattle to Albuquerque in an effort to put space between himself and a traumatic incident involving yet another MPDG ex-girlfriend, with the storyline hopping from one city and plot to the other in alternating chapters, as he and his new circle of dysfunctionally ultra-hip friends go through a whole series of adventures in the deserts of the Southwest, building towards a double-climax that contains what I confess is one of the most original surprises I've read in a basement-press novel in a long time. And while the manuscript contains all the problems you would expect from a title of this sort (stilted dialogue, overly written exposition, too much of a reliance on drugs to establish mood [sheesh, all that cocaine]), let me also make it quickly clear that I was deeply charmed by this novel as well, a literary debut that Smith can be proud of and that hopefully points to some even better books down the road. You have to be forgiving of its faults, but if you are, you're likely to find Below Sunlight a dark-edged yet pleasantly intense tale that goes a long way towards showing why dumbstruck 27-year-olds are always falling in love with manic pixie dream girls in the first place.

Out of 10: 8.1

[Mary Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book kept my attention. The story describes the maturation process of a young man who grows from depending on others for his happines/self-worth to making his own decisions and recovering his self respect. I would recommend this book to others.

[Tammy Cordeiro (devadasi7)]

hooray! i just won a free copy of this book from goodreads! i never win anything!

[Karen May · Rating 1 out of 5]

NO LIB
Albuquerque contemporary