Reviews

Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly Mcghee

dcalacci's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

megansmith's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was interesting! I was pulled in by the premise and the follow through definitely didn't disappoint - this fit well in the genre of workplace trauma, just packaged in an entirely new premise. I appreciated the new concept and I was really intrigued to know where McGee was taking this novel. The writing was also great - I found myself skipping sentences, tied up in the dialogue, and then having to backtrack so I could catch the descriptive writing around the dialogue. 

My only two gripes with this would be - 1) I feel like i missed parts of this book because Jonathan in this case is introduced as someone that's pretty dim-witted and is clearly an unreliable narrator. That's fine, however I feel like there were a lot of key moments where I was supposed to be picking something really terrifying up and just totally missed the point of it. Which leads me to, 2) for how much it's hammered in that Jonathan does not make it to the end of the book (NOT A SPOILER, it's literally on the first page), I wish the third person narrator came in more than they did! I think it could've helped with gripe #1 that I have. 

Otherwise, I did enjoy this. It's maybe not my TOP top favorite just because it's so bleak - I read a lot of bleak books but this was a new low for me, I won't lie. But it's also so good and worth the read. 

indulgentreads's review against another edition

This was the brutally existential, dark speculative book I needed. I read the whole thing in one 8 hour flight. A brilliant critique of capitalism that is personal, raw and visceral. McGhee knows how to write with devastating wit and vulnerability, writing a story that is speculative thriller, dark satire and poignant personal drama. I would read it again, and it is by far the best read I've had in a long while. 

jeffburton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

libraryoflanelle's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

lexikersey's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

courtneycarmona's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sidekicksam's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-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

2.25

Jonathan Abernathy is a 25-year-old, who has accumulated quite a bit of debt from his studies and an inherited creditcard debt from his parents. He navigates life precariously, but when he gets the chance to become a dream auditor. Sounds ideal, right? 

Selected as the April pick for the Bored to Death Book Club, I was so excited that we finally read a book I voted on to read. I've seen this go around Bookstagram, so expectations were high. The subject of dreams, capitalism-critique and a depressed 20-something MC sounded exactly up my street. 

After I finished the book, I was happy I had a bookclub to look forward to, because I had a lot of thoughts floating around. It definitely made for an interesting discussion - some loved it, some hated it, and we all had a lot of questions. 

Ultimately, the book didn't only not live up to the hype for me, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. My main objections are the underdeveloped characters, the fact that the book tried to go in too many different directions (resulting in too little of anything), the loose ends in too many storylines and the tone of voice of the writing. I think I would have enjoyed this as a movie more than I did as a book. 

kibernick's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.5

Kinda like if Douglas Adams wrote a book tie-in for a movie directed by Terry Gilliam based off the show Severance. Really deep emotional and contemporary topics were delivered by narrator that was too scatterbrained, quirky and avoidant for me. Still, a pretty decent book.

alienrights's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0