Title: Shut Up and Dance

Author: Sam_le_fou

Genre: Mystery

Quick Summary: What the actual fuck, Sam.

Thoughts:

Don't let the quick summary fool you, that was a good "what the fuck". A "I can't believe all this happened" what the fuck. A "How could you have played me like this" what the fuck.

This book was... really fun to read. This book is also very messed up and an incredibly disturbing read. I almost vomited on two occasions while reading, and both instances were last night. 

Thanks, Sam. 

This book starts us off slow. Henry White is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company producing DayDream, a drug marketed towards the mentally ill and especially those with PTSD. At first, things are going great. Then they aren't. Then, Zizi dies.

After Henry's initial part ends, this book takes the jaunty stroll you've been subjected to and slowly starts to step on the gas. By the time you make it to the end, you're hanging onto your seat for dear life and screaming for everything to stop and then you're careening off a bridge.

Hey, just like a couple of other characters did.

Seriously, though, this book is a colossal MindFuck once you really get into it.

It's hard to point out any major technical issues because I did take a lot of major breaks while reading this for a variety of reasons. I will say that I wasn't sure if Sean was the dad or another fourth sibling which makes the Lynch mob a touch more confusing to me. Are they all related or...?

But that could've been a fault of me missing something.

Also, Sam, I hate you for reminding me of the terrible experience that was Waiting for Godot.

In general, though, this was a slightly-misshapen masterpiece. It suffers in places from awkward phrasing or wrong choice of words, but it's so infrequent that it doesn't damage your reading experience. And in general, there's an abundance of spectacular writing and technical choices that make me gleeful. The chapter with all the timestamps was my favorite and made me super tense. And that ending, man. Several times in this book you will read and probably scream What the fuck out loud. I sure did.

On top of that, the characters are all... grudgingly nice to cheer for. I hate Henry more than I've hated anyone in a long time but I still found myself feeling sad and even mad for him at times. And just... everyone else. There is a fun motley crew to sort through here, full of people who will make you laugh and scream and cry.

And, on occasion, want to puke up all your breakfast.

The fact this didn't win the Watty's this year makes me super salty.