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A review by billyjepma
Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"This city begs to burn."
I knew from the opening chapter that this would be one of the best books I'd read this year, and every page after only reinforced that first impression. Harper's writing is lean and mean, always striking the perfect balance of propulsive tension and patient intrigue. It keeps the suspense at a steady tempo that ensures we're always on the edge of a dreadful twist of the knife, which makes for a helluva reading experience. If it weren't as dire and nihilistic a story as it is, I would've torn through it in a weekend. I'm glad I forced myself to take my time with it, though, because reading a couple of chapters a night made it feel like I was tuning into a prestige HBO drama.
Despite the very modern and snappy writing, I felt like Harper's storytelling evoked a similar sensibility to the late and great Cormac McCarthy, as both writers display an innate understanding of the rotted soul of the country and a willingness to wade into its depths. There are layers upon layers of corruption and grimy morality at play in these pages, but it never feels like Harper is on a soapbox. His book is sharper than that and far too interested in the interiors of its characters to let anyone—his readers included—off the hook with an easy-to-digest takeaway. Instead, I finished it with a pit in my stomach and something resembling either rage or resignation simmering in my head. And that's the point; nothing here will surprise people who pay attention to the world around them. But the insights it provides are needle-sharp, forcing us to look into the ugliest parts of that world, see how an army of interconnected systems keeps its blackened heart pumping, and then force us to sit with the realization that we will likely never defeat it. It's not a hopeless book—Harper is very good at keeping his characters and, by tension, his audience aware of their culpability and/or responsibility—but it is a deeply pessimistic one.
Anyway, I adored this book and will spend the rest of the year stewing on it. It's a harsh read but a crucial one, I'd argue, if not for its scathing honesty about the state of our culture, then for the reminder that the role we play in it is still important, regardless of how insignificant it feels.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, and Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction