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shonatiger's review
5.0
First book of the year, and first favourite!
This book was released in December 2022, but because of the bustle of the festive season, it’s been a slow read for me. When I finally had time this year, I couldn’t put it down.
Joe Magellan is a man obsessed, and his family can’t stand it. He’s a flagpole sitter: he…sits at the top of flagpoles, on a platform purpose-built for it. “Treatment” for his obsession has only seemed to work, because just after Joe graduates, he decides he must break the world record of 444 days set by his nemesis, “Shipwreck” Blake.
This is such a warm, quirky, and endlessly funny book, mostly about a man and his family. Joe—navel-gazing narcissist and very human—is very compelling. His obsession and the reasons for it are well-explored—a finely crafted study of human drive. The supporting cast are colourful, fully-developed, and very memorable. The setting, above a street in Los Angeles, is vividly imagined. And the story is a very fun—a rollicking—ride.
I loved this heartwarming novel, and I think you will too.
Themes: Family (esp. fathers and sons), marriage, addiction, friendship.
Thank you to Regal House Publishing and to NetGalley for access to this advance reader’s copy.
This book was released in December 2022, but because of the bustle of the festive season, it’s been a slow read for me. When I finally had time this year, I couldn’t put it down.
Joe Magellan is a man obsessed, and his family can’t stand it. He’s a flagpole sitter: he…sits at the top of flagpoles, on a platform purpose-built for it. “Treatment” for his obsession has only seemed to work, because just after Joe graduates, he decides he must break the world record of 444 days set by his nemesis, “Shipwreck” Blake.
This is such a warm, quirky, and endlessly funny book, mostly about a man and his family. Joe—navel-gazing narcissist and very human—is very compelling. His obsession and the reasons for it are well-explored—a finely crafted study of human drive. The supporting cast are colourful, fully-developed, and very memorable. The setting, above a street in Los Angeles, is vividly imagined. And the story is a very fun—a rollicking—ride.
I loved this heartwarming novel, and I think you will too.
Themes: Family (esp. fathers and sons), marriage, addiction, friendship.
Thank you to Regal House Publishing and to NetGalley for access to this advance reader’s copy.
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