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A review by chwaters
My Favorite Band Does Not Exist by Robert T. Jeschonek
4.0
I'm not even sure how to describe this book. It certainly doesn't fit into any genres that I can think of. There are multiple narrators, all with fantastically whimsical names, and multiple realities. First, in the reality closest to our own, is the world of Idea Deity (son of Loving and Vengeful Deity). He's on the run from his tutors and parents since they've been restricting his life and priming him for "success" for the entirety of his memory. The only outlet he has is the fictional band that he's created, Youforia. Even though the band doesn't exist, it has developed a cult following. Idea has teamed up with a rather unusual young woman who calls herself Eunice Truant. She's got a Janus-sort-of-thing going on. The back side of her head has a face painted on; her hair is two different colors and her clothes are two outfits stitched together. Idea also suffers from he calls "Deity Syndrome", where the sufferer believes that he is a character in a novel penned by a malevolent creator.
In the alternate reality, where the grass is pink and the sky is green, Reacher Mirage, lead guitarist of the secret band "Youforia" is wondering how the heck someone is able to post such detailed information about the band online. Because the real Youforia has never performed as themselves. But all the details online are disturbingly accurate. Everyone is pushing Reacher to take the band public, but Reacher's just not ready; he's been led to believe that he'll fail, a remnant of his upbringing by Daddy Naysayer. He's on the run too, trying to avoid his own past. Interestingly enough, he also has a two-faced lady friend, Eurydice Tarantella, with features that run directly opposite of Eunice's.
Consistent in both realities is a fantasy novel called "Fireskull's Revenant", which also has two narrators. It's only a matter of time before all realities collide.
I can't really think of anything else that I've read that even remotely resembles this book. It is ambitious, particularly for a debut novel. For the most part, it really works. The writing is occasionally a bit clunky, but I'm willing to forgive it for the sake of the highly original premise.
In the alternate reality, where the grass is pink and the sky is green, Reacher Mirage, lead guitarist of the secret band "Youforia" is wondering how the heck someone is able to post such detailed information about the band online. Because the real Youforia has never performed as themselves. But all the details online are disturbingly accurate. Everyone is pushing Reacher to take the band public, but Reacher's just not ready; he's been led to believe that he'll fail, a remnant of his upbringing by Daddy Naysayer. He's on the run too, trying to avoid his own past. Interestingly enough, he also has a two-faced lady friend, Eurydice Tarantella, with features that run directly opposite of Eunice's.
Consistent in both realities is a fantasy novel called "Fireskull's Revenant", which also has two narrators. It's only a matter of time before all realities collide.
I can't really think of anything else that I've read that even remotely resembles this book. It is ambitious, particularly for a debut novel. For the most part, it really works. The writing is occasionally a bit clunky, but I'm willing to forgive it for the sake of the highly original premise.