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A review by nickscoby
Cherry by Nico Walker
4.0
"Because you don't give a fuck."
"Because I don't give a fuck."
This book appeals to the side of me that loves The Departed and the me who thinks that The Godfather I & II are the greatest movies ever made. No pun intended, but I straight up binged this book in a matter of days and I don't know exactly why. I remember seeing its anachronistic cover in the local library and I was intrigued. Cherry? What's that mean? And why is it on the Hot Off The Press list? I skimmed the back cover and was confused why a book about drug addiction would be so popular in 2019. Isn't that kind of 70s? And isn't that not PC?
Well, I was right: the book feels like a throwback but also very fresh. And the subject matter and language are not at all politically correct. The themes are violent and misogynistic and ultimately nihilistic. And yet: I could not put it down. I know some people complain about the repetition but that didn't bother me because I figured that's the point, you know? War is stupid and boring and horrific. People do dumb things while under stressful situations. Similarly, drug addiction is no walk in the park. It appears that Walker does an amazing job capturing addictive lifestyles.
I'm still meditating on the ending though. Part of me thinks it's just downright brilliant. I haven't decided yet.
"Because I don't give a fuck."
This book appeals to the side of me that loves The Departed and the me who thinks that The Godfather I & II are the greatest movies ever made. No pun intended, but I straight up binged this book in a matter of days and I don't know exactly why. I remember seeing its anachronistic cover in the local library and I was intrigued. Cherry? What's that mean? And why is it on the Hot Off The Press list? I skimmed the back cover and was confused why a book about drug addiction would be so popular in 2019. Isn't that kind of 70s? And isn't that not PC?
Well, I was right: the book feels like a throwback but also very fresh. And the subject matter and language are not at all politically correct. The themes are violent and misogynistic and ultimately nihilistic. And yet: I could not put it down. I know some people complain about the repetition but that didn't bother me because I figured that's the point, you know? War is stupid and boring and horrific. People do dumb things while under stressful situations. Similarly, drug addiction is no walk in the park. It appears that Walker does an amazing job capturing addictive lifestyles.
I'm still meditating on the ending though. Part of me thinks it's just downright brilliant. I haven't decided yet.