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A review by gar42
God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a really intense book, with all of the action taking place during one long shift at an emergency room in Philly.
Joseph Earl Thomas is clearly so intelligent and in touch with the multitude of ways systems long at play in our world trap, abuse, traumatize, and brutalize people, especially Black and poor people.
What seems like a long shift at a hospital is actually a revolving door of relationship strife, family baggage, economic insecurity, prison and labor exploitation, and health crises all on display through the eyes of one main character.
The prose takes a minute to get used to, with its many asides and dependent-clause filled sentences, but the picture the book paints is a vivid one, exposing the numerous fractures in a post-capitalism America.
Joseph Earl Thomas is clearly so intelligent and in touch with the multitude of ways systems long at play in our world trap, abuse, traumatize, and brutalize people, especially Black and poor people.
What seems like a long shift at a hospital is actually a revolving door of relationship strife, family baggage, economic insecurity, prison and labor exploitation, and health crises all on display through the eyes of one main character.
The prose takes a minute to get used to, with its many asides and dependent-clause filled sentences, but the picture the book paints is a vivid one, exposing the numerous fractures in a post-capitalism America.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail