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A review by yourspookymom
An Exploration of Existential Indifference in a Void of Confidence by Gavin Dillinger
5.0
I randomly stumbled upon Gavin's impeccable reels and immediately thought "this guy gets it." When I read his novel, An Exploration of Existential Indifference in a Void of Confidence (or Good Boy: a Novel), that only further solidified that yes, Gavin Dillinger in fact "gets it."
Also, the title is incredible.
Good Boy follows Joe, a man who has just purchased a house, online, without ever stepping foot in it. After successfully becoming a homeowner, Joe finds that not only is his new home not in great shape, it also houses a portal to Hell. Yes, THE Hell. He makes it his civic duty to keep all demons at bay. But one day, quite literally the most glutinous dog, Munch emerges from the pit and finds a cozy home in Joe's heart. What he doesn't know is that befriending the charming hellhound ultimately leads to a shit-show-demon-rage-fest that involves a beige clad dog catcher, mustache conjoined twins, bat-shit exes, and brain infesting cockroaches.
Dillinger's stream of conscious and matter of fact prose plants you in the middle of the main character's brain. I found this style to be absolutely riveting. While plugged into the story, the reader is also engaged in the intrusive thoughts that I think many of us can experience. I personally connected deeply to the introspective nature of Joe and thus Dillinger's novel really 'clicked' with me. While this contains some totally rad gross out scenes, I also found it to be truly hilarious. Someone like the great Chuck Palahniuk or Jason Pargin would be proud of an author like Dillinger; perfectly intertwining the inter-workings of our brain with the oddities of the world. What a wildly unique read - I want more of this in the genre!
5/5 read for me! Really looking forward to what Gavin comes up with next!
Also, the title is incredible.
Good Boy follows Joe, a man who has just purchased a house, online, without ever stepping foot in it. After successfully becoming a homeowner, Joe finds that not only is his new home not in great shape, it also houses a portal to Hell. Yes, THE Hell. He makes it his civic duty to keep all demons at bay. But one day, quite literally the most glutinous dog, Munch emerges from the pit and finds a cozy home in Joe's heart. What he doesn't know is that befriending the charming hellhound ultimately leads to a shit-show-demon-rage-fest that involves a beige clad dog catcher, mustache conjoined twins, bat-shit exes, and brain infesting cockroaches.
Dillinger's stream of conscious and matter of fact prose plants you in the middle of the main character's brain. I found this style to be absolutely riveting. While plugged into the story, the reader is also engaged in the intrusive thoughts that I think many of us can experience. I personally connected deeply to the introspective nature of Joe and thus Dillinger's novel really 'clicked' with me. While this contains some totally rad gross out scenes, I also found it to be truly hilarious. Someone like the great Chuck Palahniuk or Jason Pargin would be proud of an author like Dillinger; perfectly intertwining the inter-workings of our brain with the oddities of the world. What a wildly unique read - I want more of this in the genre!
5/5 read for me! Really looking forward to what Gavin comes up with next!