A review by cavernism
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

It felt bizarre to read this book that's published in 2021, because it feels like it was written 5 years ago and so a lot of the details feel out of date - like the start-up company's "crazy" idea is basically BetterHelp/online therapy - not exactly groundbreaking or new. The "amazing" salary Darren is offered is $40,000 a year plus a bonus. I live in the Midwest and 40k is not a big salary...I can't imagine it would cover costs in New York City.

I'm pretty okay with things in satire being exaggerated/over-the-top - that's the point. I'm not okay with setting up promises to the reader - "This character is going to put these other character in situations where they'll have to use sales techniques" and then ignore them - "the characters will actually just panic and run away." This situation happens twice in the space of a few pages.


And then, there's the Supportive Girlfriend. Her characterization is basically being curvaceous and going to nursing school and supporting her boyfriend. I'm over it.

There were things I enjoyed - I definitely wasn't sure where the plot was going to go so that made it at a fast read, but overall it ended up being a frustrating read, and the fact that the marketing compared this book to the movie Sorry to Bother You made this feel even weaker, because Sorry to Bother You is a much more inventive, strange, and memorable story about race and capitalism.
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