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ktjawrites's review against another edition
5.0
Stenson’s Fiend put a uniquely addicting spin on the end of the world, and Thirty-Seven does the same for cults. Whatever Stenson throws at us next, I cannot wait.
karagee's review against another edition
3.0
I find cults intriguing and I'm often surprised by how few fiction books I can find focusing on the topic so I was initially pleased about finding Thirty Seven. The last book I read which claimed to be about survivors of a cult only used the cult as an afterthought that was never actually explained (because it was just a pretense for a substandard murder mystery). This one actually went into intense detail about the cult's appeal and the aftermath of its effect on a young survivor. On top of that, it's pretty well-written (I read an advance copy of this book but the grammar mistakes were pretty sparse) and engaging.
The narrative jumps around over the course of 3 years, showing the teenage protagonist's introduction to the cult, his time in it, his interactions with a therapist after, and his present day friendship with a lonely girl he finds common ground with. This book was all primed to be a 4-star book for me until it took a pessimistic turn about two thirds in.
I thought it still had plenty of chances to turn back and salvage a beautiful story about redemption and recovery through discovery of one's self but that's... not the direction the author wanted to go in. The last third or more of this book is an increasingly depressing sympathy-cringe that makes you feel an uncomfortable mix of pity and hatred for the pair.
I'm not one to claim that all books MUST have a happy ending. Sometimes that is just not the story the author wants to tell and I love the occasional downer ending but I feel like it has to have meant something and ultimately I feel like no one in this book learned anything of value and literally everyone was worse off for having experienced the events of the novel. For me, that pinged it down a star. The incredibly violent ending (complete with dog and child murder) didn't help much either.
The narrative jumps around over the course of 3 years, showing the teenage protagonist's introduction to the cult, his time in it, his interactions with a therapist after, and his present day friendship with a lonely girl he finds common ground with. This book was all primed to be a 4-star book for me until it took a pessimistic turn about two thirds in.
I thought it still had plenty of chances to turn back and salvage a beautiful story about redemption and recovery through discovery of one's self but that's... not the direction the author wanted to go in. The last third or more of this book is an increasingly depressing sympathy-cringe that makes you feel an uncomfortable mix of pity and hatred for the pair.
I'm not one to claim that all books MUST have a happy ending. Sometimes that is just not the story the author wants to tell and I love the occasional downer ending but I feel like it has to have meant something and ultimately I feel like no one in this book learned anything of value and literally everyone was worse off for having experienced the events of the novel. For me, that pinged it down a star. The incredibly violent ending (complete with dog and child murder) didn't help much either.
madguru's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it when I wasn't. It had a Fight Club feel from the sense of a cult trying to change the world, with the story being told by a potentially unreliable narrator, but better written than Fight Club. Just a riveting, quirky story.
I'm not a fan of horror and would probably not label this as horror myself although there were some graphically gruesome parts (for me). I also had issues with the narrator being eighteen. He felt too wise beyond his years, even if I were to give him credit for street smarts. I've been around kids in their late teens and it was hard to fathom one of them being as precocious? (precocious doesn't seem the right word for a late teen) as the narrator. Still enjoyed this very much and would recommend it.
I'm not a fan of horror and would probably not label this as horror myself although there were some graphically gruesome parts (for me). I also had issues with the narrator being eighteen. He felt too wise beyond his years, even if I were to give him credit for street smarts. I've been around kids in their late teens and it was hard to fathom one of them being as precocious? (precocious doesn't seem the right word for a late teen) as the narrator. Still enjoyed this very much and would recommend it.
aparisoriginal's review against another edition
4.0
It is hard to ascribe a rating to a book like this. It was riveting and well-written; I started it at bed time and ended up staying up til 6am to finish it. But was it “good?” Did I like it? I only know that will haunt me for quite some time.
vdarcangelo's review against another edition
5.0
https://ensuingchapters.com/2018/04/23/peter-stenson-thirty-seven/
Whether it’s sociological interest or morbid curiosity, we are fascinated with cults. From Heaven’s Gate and Scientology to NXIVM, we alternately view their members as monsters, martyrs, or victims. Mason Hue, the narrator of Peter Stenson’s Thirty-Seven, is all three.
When we meet Mason he is still a teenager, but of legal age, freshly discharged from a mental institution where he lived after being part of a cult known as the Survivors. The Survivors, who ritually poisoned themselves with chemotherapy drugs to achieve a state of pure honesty, earned notoriety after going on a killing spree and committing mass suicide.
But what happens to Mason, who was 15 at the time, when you survive the Survivors?
Now living in Denver, he has a boss and sometimes-girlfriend Talley, and when she learns his secret she becomes fascinated with the movement’s beliefs. And before long, she’s as entangled in Mason’s narrative as we are.
Thirty-Seven is the early front-runner for best transgressive novel of the year, not only for the story itself (a gritty mind-fuck confessional) but for Stenson’s handling of the narrative. There are many great passages in Thirty-Seven, but perhaps none as stealthy as this one: “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step.”
It’s a simple line, yes, one that you breeze over at first, but at this point in the story Mason (the eponymous Thirty-Seven), is sneaking into his childhood home. In a book filled with violence and philosophy and sex and recreational cancer treatment, why does this seemingly innocuous line stand out?
Because unreliable narrators are fun to read, but difficult to write convincingly. This is the world according to Mason Hues, and time and again, he proves to be untrustworthy, confused, and more than a little dishonest (evasive, at best). At various times he is a huckster, a victim, possibly a psychopathic mastermind.
We don’t know what to make of Mason a lot of the time, but subtle touches like “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step” make him relatable. I’ve never joined a death cult, but, like most teenagers, I learned which steps to avoid when sneaking home late at night.
These are the dark insights that make transgressive fiction so powerful. Pure villains and monsters often lack depth. Anti-heroes can become too cool and charming. But when truly sick and disturbed characters reveal themselves to be all too logical, shit gets uncomfortable.
For me, the gold standard example of this type of line is from Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, “At first I wondered why the room felt so safe. Then I realized it was because there were no windows.”
It’s a moment of familiar comfort followed by a horrific gut-punch. The muscle-memory of footsteps on the stairs reminds us that Mason isn’t well, but he’s not a madman. He’s a logical thinker, as are the others in Thirty-Seven. And that’s what makes this novel so delightfully unsettling.
Full disclosure, Stenson and I were in the same MFA program, but this is a merit-based review (it’s his second novel, and his debut, Fiend, has been translated and published internationally). Many of the elements in this book appeared in his work in the program, and his talent was ever-present. It’s great to see them come together and generate well-earned success.
For fans of transgressive fiction, put this on your summer reading list.
Whether it’s sociological interest or morbid curiosity, we are fascinated with cults. From Heaven’s Gate and Scientology to NXIVM, we alternately view their members as monsters, martyrs, or victims. Mason Hue, the narrator of Peter Stenson’s Thirty-Seven, is all three.
When we meet Mason he is still a teenager, but of legal age, freshly discharged from a mental institution where he lived after being part of a cult known as the Survivors. The Survivors, who ritually poisoned themselves with chemotherapy drugs to achieve a state of pure honesty, earned notoriety after going on a killing spree and committing mass suicide.
But what happens to Mason, who was 15 at the time, when you survive the Survivors?
Now living in Denver, he has a boss and sometimes-girlfriend Talley, and when she learns his secret she becomes fascinated with the movement’s beliefs. And before long, she’s as entangled in Mason’s narrative as we are.
Thirty-Seven is the early front-runner for best transgressive novel of the year, not only for the story itself (a gritty mind-fuck confessional) but for Stenson’s handling of the narrative. There are many great passages in Thirty-Seven, but perhaps none as stealthy as this one: “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step.”
It’s a simple line, yes, one that you breeze over at first, but at this point in the story Mason (the eponymous Thirty-Seven), is sneaking into his childhood home. In a book filled with violence and philosophy and sex and recreational cancer treatment, why does this seemingly innocuous line stand out?
Because unreliable narrators are fun to read, but difficult to write convincingly. This is the world according to Mason Hues, and time and again, he proves to be untrustworthy, confused, and more than a little dishonest (evasive, at best). At various times he is a huckster, a victim, possibly a psychopathic mastermind.
We don’t know what to make of Mason a lot of the time, but subtle touches like “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step” make him relatable. I’ve never joined a death cult, but, like most teenagers, I learned which steps to avoid when sneaking home late at night.
These are the dark insights that make transgressive fiction so powerful. Pure villains and monsters often lack depth. Anti-heroes can become too cool and charming. But when truly sick and disturbed characters reveal themselves to be all too logical, shit gets uncomfortable.
For me, the gold standard example of this type of line is from Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, “At first I wondered why the room felt so safe. Then I realized it was because there were no windows.”
It’s a moment of familiar comfort followed by a horrific gut-punch. The muscle-memory of footsteps on the stairs reminds us that Mason isn’t well, but he’s not a madman. He’s a logical thinker, as are the others in Thirty-Seven. And that’s what makes this novel so delightfully unsettling.
Full disclosure, Stenson and I were in the same MFA program, but this is a merit-based review (it’s his second novel, and his debut, Fiend, has been translated and published internationally). Many of the elements in this book appeared in his work in the program, and his talent was ever-present. It’s great to see them come together and generate well-earned success.
For fans of transgressive fiction, put this on your summer reading list.
perkyanda's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Do you enjoy hanging out with obnoxious pretentious college students who think they’ve figured out all out? Are you a nihilist? Are the obnoxious guy at the party who starts trying to reinvent philosophy when he gets high? Then have I got a self indulgent, annoying, tedious book for you! Throw in a touch of self doubt of reality vs induced delusion and meaningless violence that the characters believe to be meaningful and that’s this book in a bow.
Technically not a bad book. Mason and Talley and the survivors are all convincing. Cults work like that, and pretentious idiots with fake deep ideas about the meaning of the world are real. It’s just a deeply unpleasant read and far too long for the ground covered. Would have been a better novella likely.
Technically not a bad book. Mason and Talley and the survivors are all convincing. Cults work like that, and pretentious idiots with fake deep ideas about the meaning of the world are real. It’s just a deeply unpleasant read and far too long for the ground covered. Would have been a better novella likely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Toxic friendship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Cancer, Eating disorder, Medical content, Sexual content, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Confinement, Grief, and Vomit
mistimacabre's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ames599's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 rounded up to three.
I understand this book is about what is honesty and truth. It is also about cults, and the way they can change one’s perception of reality. It is even about how truth can be manipulated. All of these elements are interesting individually, let alone mixed together.
The story was a quick read, and had a promising premise. Ultimately I found it lacking however. I got to the end and wanted something more from it.
I understand this book is about what is honesty and truth. It is also about cults, and the way they can change one’s perception of reality. It is even about how truth can be manipulated. All of these elements are interesting individually, let alone mixed together.
The story was a quick read, and had a promising premise. Ultimately I found it lacking however. I got to the end and wanted something more from it.
michelempls's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, this was a good one! Great storytelling through two timelines, footnotes and memory. I wanted to put the book down, but simply could not because I had to know what happened next.
A cult in Colorado, echoes of the Manson Family and the psychology of abandonment, belonging, abuse and religion. Definitely flavors of Fight Club, up until and through the very twisty end.
Recommended!
A cult in Colorado, echoes of the Manson Family and the psychology of abandonment, belonging, abuse and religion. Definitely flavors of Fight Club, up until and through the very twisty end.
Recommended!
erinreading's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0