Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jamelah 's review for:
Beat the Reaper
by Josh Bazell
The review I wrote for LitKicks:
The story of Pietro Brnwa/Peter Brown, a former mob hitman who became a doctor, Josh Bazell’s debut novel, Beat the Reaper, is lightning-fast, funny, and clever as hell (I had a debate with myself when I started reading about whether or not the book was too clever for its own good, but after 20 or so pages I told myself to shut up and enjoy the ride).
And I did enjoy it. I liked it so much, in fact, that I had to stay up late reading, telling myself, “just one more chapter,” but then that chapter led to the next and to the next, and I guess I should just say it was good that I didn’t have to be anywhere early in the morning.
Told in alternating sections of flashbacks to the protagonist’s past and his present where he tries to work out how he can beat the reaper, the book’s tone, as set by its world-weary narrator, is often cynical, and its humor is pitch-black, which makes the moments of tenderness all the more surprising and effective. I could go on and on, but I don’t see the point of that, so I’ll just give it to you straight: if you’re looking for a relentless good time of a read, and you don’t mind books laced with profanity and violence (including one astoundingly gross page-and-a-half passage that made me talk back to the book, saying "Oh no no no ouch ouch no," before adding "Well, that is pretty resourceful"), then I recommend you give this book a chance. You may even find yourself rooting for a cold-blooded killer.
The story of Pietro Brnwa/Peter Brown, a former mob hitman who became a doctor, Josh Bazell’s debut novel, Beat the Reaper, is lightning-fast, funny, and clever as hell (I had a debate with myself when I started reading about whether or not the book was too clever for its own good, but after 20 or so pages I told myself to shut up and enjoy the ride).
And I did enjoy it. I liked it so much, in fact, that I had to stay up late reading, telling myself, “just one more chapter,” but then that chapter led to the next and to the next, and I guess I should just say it was good that I didn’t have to be anywhere early in the morning.
Told in alternating sections of flashbacks to the protagonist’s past and his present where he tries to work out how he can beat the reaper, the book’s tone, as set by its world-weary narrator, is often cynical, and its humor is pitch-black, which makes the moments of tenderness all the more surprising and effective. I could go on and on, but I don’t see the point of that, so I’ll just give it to you straight: if you’re looking for a relentless good time of a read, and you don’t mind books laced with profanity and violence (including one astoundingly gross page-and-a-half passage that made me talk back to the book, saying "Oh no no no ouch ouch no," before adding "Well, that is pretty resourceful"), then I recommend you give this book a chance. You may even find yourself rooting for a cold-blooded killer.