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A review by screamdogreads
Don't Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin
4.0
"It seemed the closer he was to what he wanted, the more lost he became."
Don't Skip Out on Me isn't a feel good book, it's not a book that's going to warm you, it's not going to shield you from anything. No, this is a bleak and crushing tale of one man's struggle to define himself. There's an almost overwhelming tone of sadness to this novel, and it's apparent from the very first page. What is also apparent, however, is that Vlautin is someone who writes with compassion and kindness.
What makes this book so touching, I think, is that it's so easy to sympathize with Horace. He's a young man, down on his luck, that only dreams of being a 'somebody.' Even if he has a twisted sense of what that is, he tries his best, and works hard, and the world seemingly never repays him for that. It's easy to see bits of ourselves, or our loved ones, in Horace.
Despite this being one of the bleakest 'take me home' books that I've read, it was a read that charmed the soul, and I'm delighted to have experienced it.
"Liars and cowards were the worst people to know because they broke your heart in a world that is built to break your heart. They poured gas on an already cruel and barely controllable fire."
Don't Skip Out on Me isn't a feel good book, it's not a book that's going to warm you, it's not going to shield you from anything. No, this is a bleak and crushing tale of one man's struggle to define himself. There's an almost overwhelming tone of sadness to this novel, and it's apparent from the very first page. What is also apparent, however, is that Vlautin is someone who writes with compassion and kindness.
What makes this book so touching, I think, is that it's so easy to sympathize with Horace. He's a young man, down on his luck, that only dreams of being a 'somebody.' Even if he has a twisted sense of what that is, he tries his best, and works hard, and the world seemingly never repays him for that. It's easy to see bits of ourselves, or our loved ones, in Horace.
Despite this being one of the bleakest 'take me home' books that I've read, it was a read that charmed the soul, and I'm delighted to have experienced it.
"Liars and cowards were the worst people to know because they broke your heart in a world that is built to break your heart. They poured gas on an already cruel and barely controllable fire."