Reviews

Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet

sarahh14's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

rothney14's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

So, I definitely know that the phrase “say hello to my little friend” is from Scarface, though I have never seen it. I do want to watch it based on all the references to it in this book. There is also a whale in this book. And a former Pitbull impersonator. Everything did come together at the end but throughout the book I was wondering how all these things went together. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I was a Scarface aficionado, so if you are this book may be for you!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. 

fiendfull's review against another edition

5.0

Say Hello To My Little Friend is a novel about a twenty-year old Cuban man in Miami who decides to try and become Tony Montana, but who comes up against his own past, the city, and an orca. Izzy has just had a cease and desist stopping his burgeoning career as a Pitbull impersonator, so he pivots his dreams towards Scarface, planning out his steps to be Tony Montana. He finds a sidekick—his Manolo, Rudy—and someone who could be his Michelle Pfieffer love interest, but he also finds Lolita, the famed captive orca in Miami Seaquarium, and Izzy's mind becomes obsessed with her, as does the water of Miami. As Izzy hunts down what happens to get him from Cuba to Miami as a boy, all of his plans start to seem more tragic than triumphant. 

 

As I love the film Scarface, I was immediately drawn to this book, but actually, it goes a lot further than that, combining Scarface, Moby Dick, and the city of Miami itself into a damp, darkly comic novel. The narrative voice is playful, sometimes taking things seriously and sometimes not (there's a part that recreates the success montage in Scarface but for the much lesser "success" of Izzy), and it casts a wry eye over everything, whilst still having a tense narrative as Izzy tries to uncover his own past (and makes a lot of missteps along the way). The plot centred around Lolita, the captive orca, is a wonderful example of bringing in an animal's perspective in a novel, and makes this book more than a story of a failed gangster. 

 

Combining a sea creature, dodgy aspirations, and Cuban life in Miami, Say Hello To My Little Friend is a distinctive book, fun yet bittersweet, about the tragedy of a young man without the past or future he hopes for. It's a literary crime film and a free the orcas documentary and a magical tour of Miami all in one. 

nuhafariha's review against another edition

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this Advanced Copy!

Part love letter to Miami, part Pitbull fan fiction, part ode to Moby Dick, Jennine Capo Crucet's newest work definitely puts it all on the line with a dazzling cast of characgetd. We start with Izzy, a washed up first generation Cuban American. Threatened by a cease and desist from Pitbull, Izzy turns to another hero, Tony Montana from Scarface. In his attempt to find glory, and his own Michelle Pffiefer, Izzy navigates through the seedy underbelly of Miami. As much as Capo Crucet romps in the hilarious absurdity of Miami, she also asks deeper questions of ourselves, our histories, and our legacies. I found this book somewhat difficult to start with, especially the portions that were in the form of an orca named Lolita who is in love with Izzy, the book definitely picks up steam and is worth weathering out the storm (pun intended).