A review by brandt_sch
Early Sobrieties by Michael Deagler

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Focuses on a young man in Philadelphia who has given up drinking. Not really a novel, more like a series of short stories, each one centered around whoever the protagonist is crashing with. His temporary arrangements never last very long; sometimes we see why, sometimes we don't. But either way his erstwhile hosts are dropped from the story. In fact, it's quite rare for someone from one story to appear in another. The protagonist serves as a witness to his the weirdnesses of his hosts and their nearest and dearest. Sometimes it's very clever, but I found myself mostly unmoved