Call number
FIC MOT
Collection
Genres
Publication
Dutton (2021), 336 pages
Description
In Jason Mott's Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and urgent: since Mott's novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. As these characters' stories build and build and converge, they astonish. For while this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it's also about the nation's reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America. Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? Unforgettably told, with characters who burn into your mind and an electrifying plot ideal for book club discussion, Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head for the last ten years. And in its final twists it truly becomes its title.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Narshkite
I am broken. There is not much I can say that will not give away the surprises of this book so I am going to go with a pretty non-descriptive, but still true statement. This is about a sort of inverse double-consciousness, or maybe double unconsciousness that flows from the constant message that
ETA a quote from the end of the novel which tells you everything and nothing about the story itself:
“Laugh all you want, but I think learning to love yourself in a country where you’re told that you’re a plague on the economy, that you’re nothing but a prisoner in the making, that your life can be taken away from you at any moment and there’s nothing you can do about it — learning to love yourself in the middle of all of that? Hell, that’s a g--d---mn miracle.”
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you need to make yourself invisible, about how PTSD is part of life for so many black Americans. And from that everything flows. I will also say this book is funny - you will laugh as it eviscerates you. And I will say the writing is spectacularly good. You won't read anything that feels truer.ETA a quote from the end of the novel which tells you everything and nothing about the story itself:
“Laugh all you want, but I think learning to love yourself in a country where you’re told that you’re a plague on the economy, that you’re nothing but a prisoner in the making, that your life can be taken away from you at any moment and there’s nothing you can do about it — learning to love yourself in the middle of all of that? Hell, that’s a g--d---mn miracle.”
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LibraryThing member deckla
It is a hell of a book, because the writing is assured, and the story is about the hell that America (particularly the South) has created for any child growing up male and black.
The unnamed narrator of alternate chapters is a dissolute author on a book tour for his novel Hell of a Book, trying to
Throughout the book, Mott teases the relationship between the author, Soot and the murdered black child, and, I must say, resolves the relationships with lyric finesse. This expression of the tragedy of America’s continuing racism through the lens of Mott’s characters is heartbreaking. That black culture can survive and thrive in the midst of such oppressive despair is nothing less than a miracle. The National Book Award is well deserved.
The unnamed narrator of alternate chapters is a dissolute author on a book tour for his novel Hell of a Book, trying to
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escape from grief with wine and women and humor and various other dissociations, among them a black child who proves to be a good conversationalist (or maybe a greek chorus). The other chapters are narrated by a very Black child nicknamed Soot, who has loving parents, who is bullied, and who learns to “disappear” when threatened. Overshadowing the narratives of both Soot and the narrator are news reports of a black child killed by police. Throughout the book, Mott teases the relationship between the author, Soot and the murdered black child, and, I must say, resolves the relationships with lyric finesse. This expression of the tragedy of America’s continuing racism through the lens of Mott’s characters is heartbreaking. That black culture can survive and thrive in the midst of such oppressive despair is nothing less than a miracle. The National Book Award is well deserved.
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LibraryThing member Unreachableshelf
Requires a taste for a certain level of meta-fiction, but there are few books I've read recently that have pleased me so much on a pure level of sentence by sentence prose.
LibraryThing member Castlelass
This book starts as a story of an unnamed black author on tour in support of his successful novel entitled Hell of a Book. As he travels from city to city, he occasionally sees a child called Soot, a nickname based on his skin tone, who may be a figment of the author’s imagination. It is a story
This story involves a melding of the imagined and the real. It explores serious topics, such as racism in the US, in an a lively and engaging manner, using a mix of richly descriptive prose, humor, satire, metaphor, and storytelling. It is an exceptionally creative effort. One aspect I admire most about it is that it helps people relate to the black American experience regardless of the reader’s background. It evokes an empathetic response, at least it did for me.
I am very impressed at the author’s ability to blend comedy and tragedy into a meaningful whole that addresses important issues in contemporary society. Highly recommended.
A few of my favorite passages (there are too many to list, but this gives you an idea of what to expect):
“Jack the Media Trainer leads Sharon and me into a small conference room with a large oval table and a handful of chairs placed around it. There’s a small video camera on the center of the table and a few microphones. At the far end of the room, there’s another camera, and a lectern, and even more microphones, as if the President of the United States might soon be coming by for a press conference. “So this is it,” Jack says proudly, opening his arms like a game show host. ‘This is the room where I’m going to train you to become you.’”
“Sometimes, you tell people you’re an author and they’ll pull out their phone and Google you, right there in front of your face. They’ll type in your name and, depending on the search results, decide for themselves whether or not you’re truly what you say you are. The modern author is only as important as their search results. And after they’ve found out that your book is actually in actual stores, they’ll want to know how you got your agent, how you got your editor, what software you use to write, how long it took you to write it, how much money you got paid, how many copies you sold, whether or not they’re going to make your book into a movie.”
“Chinese lanterns dangle from a small footbridge as we make our way through the park. The lanterns become small suns burning in the distance and I can believe, just for a moment, that all of us people are wandering the universe together as one. One of the truths we often overlook is that we are, all of us, always wandering the universe. We are perpetually hurtling on a rocky raft through the void, taking the tour of the cosmos at 67,000 miles per hour, every second of every day, and yet we still find time to stop and talk over bridges in the late hours of the night and maybe reach out and touch someone else’s hand.”
“Laugh all you want, but I think learning to love yourself in a country where you’re told that you’re a plague on the economy, that you’re nothing but a prisoner in the making, that your life can be taken away from you at any moment and there’s nothing you can do about it—learning to love yourself in the middle of all that? Hell, that’s a … miracle.”
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of identity and the conflicts involved in being seen by society (as a high-profile author) with a desire to remain unseen.This story involves a melding of the imagined and the real. It explores serious topics, such as racism in the US, in an a lively and engaging manner, using a mix of richly descriptive prose, humor, satire, metaphor, and storytelling. It is an exceptionally creative effort. One aspect I admire most about it is that it helps people relate to the black American experience regardless of the reader’s background. It evokes an empathetic response, at least it did for me.
I am very impressed at the author’s ability to blend comedy and tragedy into a meaningful whole that addresses important issues in contemporary society. Highly recommended.
A few of my favorite passages (there are too many to list, but this gives you an idea of what to expect):
“Jack the Media Trainer leads Sharon and me into a small conference room with a large oval table and a handful of chairs placed around it. There’s a small video camera on the center of the table and a few microphones. At the far end of the room, there’s another camera, and a lectern, and even more microphones, as if the President of the United States might soon be coming by for a press conference. “So this is it,” Jack says proudly, opening his arms like a game show host. ‘This is the room where I’m going to train you to become you.’”
“Sometimes, you tell people you’re an author and they’ll pull out their phone and Google you, right there in front of your face. They’ll type in your name and, depending on the search results, decide for themselves whether or not you’re truly what you say you are. The modern author is only as important as their search results. And after they’ve found out that your book is actually in actual stores, they’ll want to know how you got your agent, how you got your editor, what software you use to write, how long it took you to write it, how much money you got paid, how many copies you sold, whether or not they’re going to make your book into a movie.”
“Chinese lanterns dangle from a small footbridge as we make our way through the park. The lanterns become small suns burning in the distance and I can believe, just for a moment, that all of us people are wandering the universe together as one. One of the truths we often overlook is that we are, all of us, always wandering the universe. We are perpetually hurtling on a rocky raft through the void, taking the tour of the cosmos at 67,000 miles per hour, every second of every day, and yet we still find time to stop and talk over bridges in the late hours of the night and maybe reach out and touch someone else’s hand.”
“Laugh all you want, but I think learning to love yourself in a country where you’re told that you’re a plague on the economy, that you’re nothing but a prisoner in the making, that your life can be taken away from you at any moment and there’s nothing you can do about it—learning to love yourself in the middle of all that? Hell, that’s a … miracle.”
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LibraryThing member Hccpsk
In Jason Mott’s National Book Award winning Hell of a Book, we meet an unnamed author in the middle of a national book tour, and an unnamed young boy who people call Soot because of his very dark skin color. Mott goes back and forth between these two stories which seem to be headed for an obvious
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ending as he delves into racism, police violence, grief, mental illness, and what it means to be Black in America. Hell of a Book is difficult to describe as it is satire, commentary, funny, sad, and very strange — but definitely worthwhile for readers of literary and contemporary fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dreesie
I listened to this on audio--and the narration was fantastic--but I wonder if I would have liked it more on paper? I found myself a little confused more than once (who? where?), and kept wondering what this book looked like on the page. Were there hard breaks, or font changes, or anything as unique
I found the dry and often sarcastic humor in the book to be quite funny--the consultant on book tours, at the beginning? OMG--I really expected to be surprised by the end, as the stories of the author, Soot, and The Kid converge. Only I wasn't surprised at all. It pretty much all turned out to be exactly what I expected (the whole "disorder" as an explanation for the author's confusion/poor memory was not the reason I saw coming, but I guess it really is the same thing. I thought PTSD, and the D is for "disorder", but I have never heard nor thought of it being described that way.
As for the NBA win--I get it and have no issue. I didn't love this, but it is clever and original and circles back around, which is something I usually love, but again, I was disappointed in not being surprised. The wit, though, was great--and I loved that the author's book was never named. I bet people who have been on book tours see a layer in here that I don't.
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as the story itself?I found the dry and often sarcastic humor in the book to be quite funny--the consultant on book tours, at the beginning? OMG--I really expected to be surprised by the end, as the stories of the author, Soot, and The Kid converge. Only I wasn't surprised at all. It pretty much all turned out to be exactly what I expected (the whole "disorder" as an explanation for the author's confusion/poor memory was not the reason I saw coming, but I guess it really is the same thing. I thought PTSD, and the D is for "disorder", but I have never heard nor thought of it being described that way.
As for the NBA win--I get it and have no issue. I didn't love this, but it is clever and original and circles back around, which is something I usually love, but again, I was disappointed in not being surprised. The wit, though, was great--and I loved that the author's book was never named. I bet people who have been on book tours see a layer in here that I don't.
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LibraryThing member Beth.Clarke
A unique telling of the story of a black man in America. I enjoyed the scattered humor and distinctive, overlapping voices of Soot and the main character. The perspective allows the reader to jump into the characters' shoes and take a walk in them. Creative and engaging novel.
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
Given the title, this novel has a lot to live up to. Luckily, Jason Mott mostly delivers a Hell of a Book, even if the premise grows thin by the end of this clever satire in which an author on his triumphant book tour, the kind of book tour available only to Franzens and fantasy, hallucinates the
To be readable, or at least readable by white Americans, a novel looking at the stark, unforgiving effects of racism needs a large helping of satire or gallows humor. And in recent years, there have several satires on the issue, from The Sellout and We Cast a Shadow to The Trees. The satirical elements temper the righteous anger and allow the reader to receive a pointed message without feeling defensive. And the message in Hell of a Book is exceedingly sharp, as it needs to be.
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presence of a young Black boy. The story alternates between the author's life and the life of this boy, drawing parallels and moving the two lives closer and closer. To be readable, or at least readable by white Americans, a novel looking at the stark, unforgiving effects of racism needs a large helping of satire or gallows humor. And in recent years, there have several satires on the issue, from The Sellout and We Cast a Shadow to The Trees. The satirical elements temper the righteous anger and allow the reader to receive a pointed message without feeling defensive. And the message in Hell of a Book is exceedingly sharp, as it needs to be.
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LibraryThing member Perednia
One of the most wide-ranging and satisfying novels around, which encompasses meta fiction, the Black experience, the human experience and how they are not separate, and, above all, a love story.
LibraryThing member rmarcin
This story follows an author on a cross-country book tour for his novel, Hell of a Book. While on your, he continually encounters “The Kid”. Plus there is a boy called Soot, due to the darkness of his skin, who has learned how to ‘disappear’. These stories converge in a unique way.
I thought
I thought
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this book was an amazing commentary on what black people face each day, written in a very interesting way. I highly recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sheila1957
I'm not sure I can describe this book. I also don't know what I feel about this book. It is about an author. But is he living in reality or is he on the brink of madness? I read this book and it all came down to the last chapter. That explains it all and it makes sense.
The author has a way of
The author has a way of
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writing that caught me up into the story. He uses repetition of phrases and words. It was very effect to pull me into the story and keep me there. His prose is lyrical. Reading the book just for that is a good idea. He writes well. I will need to read more of his books. Show Less
LibraryThing member mpho3
Oof. Much of Hell of a Book started out strong but quickly set my teeth on edge, not for intended reasons but because it's so gimmicky. I found all the meta-vagueness, including the title, bothersome. While I did appreciate Mott's target, for me he missed the mark.
Structurally, every other chapter
The short chapters containing Soot's stories are followed by lengthier chapters that comprise the bulk of the book and revolve around the unnamed author. Most every aspect of the unnamed author's story feels annoyingly gimmick-laden, starting with him characterizing himself as having an unnamed illness related to an overactive imagination ala The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. (Not exactly like that but I couldn't stop jumping to that every time it came up). This fellow has a penchant for occasionally slipping into 40's and 50's private eye patter and speech patterns for no f*@#% reason. He claims that he's telling a love story (a plethora of Kelly's with different spellings are briefly touched upon) though instead a great deal of this unnamed author's story is an indictment of the publishing industry. I have no quarrel with his depiction of the difficult demands put on an author, but this really should be a side note rather taking up as much as space as it does.
Another main thread, of course, and what I mostly appreciated, is the manner in which Mott discusses race. His commentary about what it is to be Black in America. The way never-ending hyper vigil against what things might be said or done to you or denied you is ever-present in both in Soot's story and in the unnamed author, and is the part that he captures quite well. The rest of it--the drunken escapades, the memory lapses (the unnamed author doesn't know what his book is about and all along his book tour never remembers what he actually said) gets tiresome fast. I know it's satiric, but I never found any of the unnamed author's antics to be funny. What other readers deem "hilarious," I found terribly unfunny.
Mott and the readers who enjoyed this probably thought some levity was needed since the underpinnings of the novel are so grim. Which bring me back to my original feeling. I spent a lot of time gritting my teeth. When Mott's characters are dead serious, his writing is pitch perfect. When he goes off on the goofball s%# the writing is clunky and served to take me out of the story. Maybe that was on purpose, mimicking the ways in which sometimes as a Black person you are forced to disassociate from yourself as a way to disassociate from the way you're being received in a moment. And that's not to say that this is only for Black readers. However, despite the fact that I obviously can't speak for every Black person in America--which is also one of Mott's points--for me, he nailed what it can feel like and be like to be marginalized while you're simultaneously being lauded and expected to speak for everyone who looks like you to everyone who doesn't look like you. Still, it didn't make it a hell of a book. Black Buck (another recent satire about being Black in America) is a novice book by a young writer and lacks maturity. In contrast, because Hell of a Book feels like it's been written by someone who has been around the block--both as a writer and as a human--it is arguably more disappointing. Mott has stated in interviews that he wanted to show not tell what it means to be black in America. I think this book is more successful when it does tell.
SPOILER: Very early on it becomes clear that there will be a convergence of Soot, The Kid, and the unnamed writer and that perhaps they are all manifestations of the same person. About halfway through the book, a friend who read the book after me, shared her hypothesis that maybe the unnamed writer had been the victim of a shooting and was laying in a hospital bed or even where he'd ostensibly have fallen, and the sum of the book was taking place as he faded in and out of consciousness. That would have been an excellent way to hold the story to together.
Structurally, every other chapter
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revolves around a child named "Soot." I should say called, not named. Everything that was most meaningful to me in Mott's novel is contained in those chapters. Soot's tale is poignant, relevant, and deeply affecting, and could have been the book. The short chapters containing Soot's stories are followed by lengthier chapters that comprise the bulk of the book and revolve around the unnamed author. Most every aspect of the unnamed author's story feels annoyingly gimmick-laden, starting with him characterizing himself as having an unnamed illness related to an overactive imagination ala The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. (Not exactly like that but I couldn't stop jumping to that every time it came up). This fellow has a penchant for occasionally slipping into 40's and 50's private eye patter and speech patterns for no f*@#% reason. He claims that he's telling a love story (a plethora of Kelly's with different spellings are briefly touched upon) though instead a great deal of this unnamed author's story is an indictment of the publishing industry. I have no quarrel with his depiction of the difficult demands put on an author, but this really should be a side note rather taking up as much as space as it does.
Another main thread, of course, and what I mostly appreciated, is the manner in which Mott discusses race. His commentary about what it is to be Black in America. The way never-ending hyper vigil against what things might be said or done to you or denied you is ever-present in both in Soot's story and in the unnamed author, and is the part that he captures quite well. The rest of it--the drunken escapades, the memory lapses (the unnamed author doesn't know what his book is about and all along his book tour never remembers what he actually said) gets tiresome fast. I know it's satiric, but I never found any of the unnamed author's antics to be funny. What other readers deem "hilarious," I found terribly unfunny.
Mott and the readers who enjoyed this probably thought some levity was needed since the underpinnings of the novel are so grim. Which bring me back to my original feeling. I spent a lot of time gritting my teeth. When Mott's characters are dead serious, his writing is pitch perfect. When he goes off on the goofball s%# the writing is clunky and served to take me out of the story. Maybe that was on purpose, mimicking the ways in which sometimes as a Black person you are forced to disassociate from yourself as a way to disassociate from the way you're being received in a moment. And that's not to say that this is only for Black readers. However, despite the fact that I obviously can't speak for every Black person in America--which is also one of Mott's points--for me, he nailed what it can feel like and be like to be marginalized while you're simultaneously being lauded and expected to speak for everyone who looks like you to everyone who doesn't look like you. Still, it didn't make it a hell of a book. Black Buck (another recent satire about being Black in America) is a novice book by a young writer and lacks maturity. In contrast, because Hell of a Book feels like it's been written by someone who has been around the block--both as a writer and as a human--it is arguably more disappointing. Mott has stated in interviews that he wanted to show not tell what it means to be black in America. I think this book is more successful when it does tell.
SPOILER: Very early on it becomes clear that there will be a convergence of Soot, The Kid, and the unnamed writer and that perhaps they are all manifestations of the same person. About halfway through the book, a friend who read the book after me, shared her hypothesis that maybe the unnamed writer had been the victim of a shooting and was laying in a hospital bed or even where he'd ostensibly have fallen, and the sum of the book was taking place as he faded in and out of consciousness. That would have been an excellent way to hold the story to together.
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LibraryThing member muddyboy
A realy creative novel deserving all the acclaim that it received. The book centers on a young black boy who is killed by the police and becomes a spiritual presence in the life of the book's principle character Renny. A theme is the attempt to be unseen in life as visibilty to young black men
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leads to problems. The major character is an author on a book tour and he struggles with his celebrity. The novel deals effectively deals with social l issues without being heavy handed. A great book. Show Less
LibraryThing member cherybear
It's hard to describe this book. You never quite know what is real or imagined. And neither does the author/main character. He is on a book tour for his book. It's a hell of a book. And that's the title. His story is interwoven with the story of a black boy who was shot and killed.
LibraryThing member WiserWisegirl
The unnamed but brash superheroesque author on tour for Hell Of A Book runs a dangerous stream of consciousness dialogue past you in the opener. He has always juggled the perfect strategies for his 'condition' since childhood. He knows what he wants, and he can handle the handlers who think they
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are handling him. But when you have an unchecked writers imagination, could your self awareness be imaginary too? And who is this fresh faced and beautiful breakfast guest that has he, of all people, unnerved?!!! The pace does not slow in this one of a kind novel that will make you question it's genre, and then what you believe and then what life is all about. I did not know what I was getting into with this one, and in spite of almost closing it after the first scene, I was entertained for the whole wild ride and truly enjoyed it. A Hell of a Book!l Show Less
LibraryThing member WiserWisegirl
The unnamed but brash superheroesque author on tour for Hell Of A Book runs a dangerous stream of consciousness dialogue past you in the opener. He has always juggled the perfect strategies for his 'condition' since childhood. He knows what he wants, and he can handle the handlers who think they
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are handling him. But when you have an unchecked writers imagination, could your self awareness be imaginary too? And who is this fresh faced and beautiful breakfast guest that has he, of all people, unnerved?!!! The pace does not slow in this one of a kind novel that will make you question it's genre, and then what you believe and then what life is all about. I did not know what I was getting into with this one, and in spite of almost closing it after the first scene, I was entertained for the whole wild ride and truly enjoyed it. A Hell of a Book!l Show Less
LibraryThing member maryreinert
The unnamed author is traveling across the country promoting his book "Hell of a Book". As a black man he is haunted by his past and the recent killings of young black men by the police. An imaginary character "Soot" travels along with the author reflecting on the blackness of his own skin. There
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are some interesting insights as to how blackness is "seen" or not seen. Some good writing, some so -so. Show Less
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
This is definitely a hell of a book. It is funny, clever, and utterly devastating. It is about how Black people cope with the relentless violence against them; the endless cycle of shootings, protest, outrage, and inaction; the struggle between the need to ignore the violence to survive daily life
The unnamed narrator is an author on a book tour, promoting is book called Hell of a Book. Every other chapter tells the story of a boy with very very black skin, who constantly tries to become invisible so he will be safe. The book very cleverly obscures reality by creating many shifting layers of reality and unreality. The narrator often can't tell the difference between what is real and what is not, so the reader must constantly try to figure out what is real, and ultimately realize it doesn't matter. The stories of the narrator and the boy blend into each other, and blend into all of the other stories of Black people who are shot by cops.
The writing is relentlessly clever, witty, and playful - every sentence is delightfully crafted - while also exploring some of the most painful and difficult subjects possible. There were parts of the book where I was literally laughing and crying at the same time. This is a very powerful book.
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and the guilt of ignoring it; the utter helplessness when faced with the monumental scale of the problem.The unnamed narrator is an author on a book tour, promoting is book called Hell of a Book. Every other chapter tells the story of a boy with very very black skin, who constantly tries to become invisible so he will be safe. The book very cleverly obscures reality by creating many shifting layers of reality and unreality. The narrator often can't tell the difference between what is real and what is not, so the reader must constantly try to figure out what is real, and ultimately realize it doesn't matter. The stories of the narrator and the boy blend into each other, and blend into all of the other stories of Black people who are shot by cops.
The writing is relentlessly clever, witty, and playful - every sentence is delightfully crafted - while also exploring some of the most painful and difficult subjects possible. There were parts of the book where I was literally laughing and crying at the same time. This is a very powerful book.
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LibraryThing member bookwyrmm
Mott's writing style is very unique and this book keeps the reader unbalanced while broaching a serious topic with humor and heart.
LibraryThing member TheAmpersand
Well, if there's one thing you can say about this one, it's that it's a metafictional novel about race that won the Pulitzer Prize. Jason Mott's writing reminds me a bit of Zadie Smith circa "White Teeth" in that it's sharp and funny and exquisitely knowing. For a novel full of sadness, there are a
Having said that, what are we going to make of his unnamed main character who, it must be said, is, like Mott, a first-time black author hawking a literary novel, and his travelling companion, Soot? Our protagonist is quite aware that Soot might not be quite as real as the chair you're probably sitting on right now: even his therapist has said that his relationship is liable to interference and distortion thanks to a personal trauma that, the deeper one gets into this novel, might as well be called ambient, a set of fears and apprehensions that just come with being black, American, and alive in the twenty-first century. To give Mott credit, he never quite spells out this mysterious kid's exact nature, and he makes him human -- and likable -- enough to keep him from being nothing but a literary symbol. But don't have to be a psychologist specializing in trauma to see the collision of his and the narrator's stories coming from a mile away. Meanwhile, both the narrator and this not-quite-a-character are used as foils for any number of conflicting desires: for visibility and for safety, for numbness and closeness, for memory and detachment. In the book's closing pages, they have a painfully emotional conversation that seems to get to the heart of things, and, ever since I finished the book, I've meant to go back and reread it. After a few hundred pages of deft literary games, Mott and his book might actually hit on something genuinely human here, but, quite frankly, "Hell of a Book" is such an emotionally trying read that I haven't reread these passages yet, and I'm not completely convinced that I will anytime soon. "Hell of a Book" is funny and wry, but no beach read. Your opinion of it may depend on how much tolerance you have for its twisty metafictional constructions, but those are hardly the most difficult aspect of this novel. The novel feels like it's a built on a well of sadness that, with or without all the postmodern fireworks, the author struggles to put on paper. Whew. Eventually, I think I may go back to see how well he does this, but probably not for a while. This one is easy to like, but tough to judge. Three and a half stars will have to do for now.
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lot of passages here that, with a little modification, could be killer bits on a slightly edgy comedy special, and that's meant a compliment. Like many underground comics, Mott scores points -- and deservedly so -- for saying what he thinks his audience absolutely needs to hear and what they probably won't be told elsewhere. He skewers the outpouring of pointless, intense emotion that seems to follow racially motivated killings in the social media age. In one especially memorable scene, he uses beautiful imagery to illustrate the past's stubborn persistence while pointing out that white folks don't much like to revisit the aspects of American history that make white people, as a group, look less than admirable. And he has a lot of fun portraying the publishing industry as essentially shallow, mercenary, and money-driven. Mott's very good at playing with caricature and archetype and he pulls this stuff off without breaking a sweat. Having said that, what are we going to make of his unnamed main character who, it must be said, is, like Mott, a first-time black author hawking a literary novel, and his travelling companion, Soot? Our protagonist is quite aware that Soot might not be quite as real as the chair you're probably sitting on right now: even his therapist has said that his relationship is liable to interference and distortion thanks to a personal trauma that, the deeper one gets into this novel, might as well be called ambient, a set of fears and apprehensions that just come with being black, American, and alive in the twenty-first century. To give Mott credit, he never quite spells out this mysterious kid's exact nature, and he makes him human -- and likable -- enough to keep him from being nothing but a literary symbol. But don't have to be a psychologist specializing in trauma to see the collision of his and the narrator's stories coming from a mile away. Meanwhile, both the narrator and this not-quite-a-character are used as foils for any number of conflicting desires: for visibility and for safety, for numbness and closeness, for memory and detachment. In the book's closing pages, they have a painfully emotional conversation that seems to get to the heart of things, and, ever since I finished the book, I've meant to go back and reread it. After a few hundred pages of deft literary games, Mott and his book might actually hit on something genuinely human here, but, quite frankly, "Hell of a Book" is such an emotionally trying read that I haven't reread these passages yet, and I'm not completely convinced that I will anytime soon. "Hell of a Book" is funny and wry, but no beach read. Your opinion of it may depend on how much tolerance you have for its twisty metafictional constructions, but those are hardly the most difficult aspect of this novel. The novel feels like it's a built on a well of sadness that, with or without all the postmodern fireworks, the author struggles to put on paper. Whew. Eventually, I think I may go back to see how well he does this, but probably not for a while. This one is easy to like, but tough to judge. Three and a half stars will have to do for now.
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LibraryThing member novelcommentary
This National Book Award winner is Mott's fourth novel and tells the story of an unnamed author on a book tour for his widely successful novel with the same name as the title. His adventures through various cities are interspersed with the story of a boy named Soot, a moniker given by bullies
His acceptance comment:
I would like to dedicate this award to all the other mad kids, to all the outsiders, the weirdos, the bullied,” he said in his speech. “The ones so strange they had no choice but to be misunderstood by the world and by those around them. The ones who, in spite of this, refuse to outgrow their imagination, refuse to abandon their dreams and refuse to deny, diminish their identity, or their truth, or their loves, unlike so many others.”
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because of his complexion. There is also the character of the Kid, who appears to the author and seems to represent the need for invisibility is a world of senseless police injustice. In an author interview, Mott explains his love for film noir and how it interplays in the scripting of the story, but he also decided to take on his feelings about being black in America. There are scenes in the story that are wonderful and some funny and some poignant, but the overall imaginary element of the kid did something to distract me from the narrative. Overall I'm glad I picked up this novel and can appreciate the ability of the author.His acceptance comment:
I would like to dedicate this award to all the other mad kids, to all the outsiders, the weirdos, the bullied,” he said in his speech. “The ones so strange they had no choice but to be misunderstood by the world and by those around them. The ones who, in spite of this, refuse to outgrow their imagination, refuse to abandon their dreams and refuse to deny, diminish their identity, or their truth, or their loves, unlike so many others.”
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LibraryThing member jnmegan
Is an individual of a marginalized group obligated to speak out and take responsibility for creating change? How can an author shine a unique light on recurring messages that no one seems to want to receive? Jason Mott’s Hell of a Book delivers its crucial message by using meta-fiction and humor
Thanks to the author, Penguin and Library Thing for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
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in a refreshing way. The unnamed author of a sudden bestseller is forced to travel around “performing” to enhance sales. What he has learned is that America only accepts watered-down and innocuous stories, even at the expense of the work’s original purpose. Unpalatable realities are best delivered in a way that assuages guilt so potential buyers won’t be too uncomfortable. He also describes his life-long “imagination condition” which causes him to experience hallucinations. He can never really trust his own perceptions of the world, yet now he is expected to be a carefully managed representative of his race. This interesting plot is enhanced by an interweaving story of a young boy nicknamed “Soot” due to his unusually dark skin. Soot is an outcast, tormented by blatant racism even within his own community. His over-protective parents had tried to buffer the realities of racial inequity, police brutality and violence. They convinced the boy that he must “become invisible” to remain safe. The author encounters and befriends the boy, but he is the only one who can see him. Hell of a Book takes on many timely themes and topics and delivers them indirectly through the voices of its two wonderful characters. From their stories, the reader might be vulnerable to receiving a lesson on societal problems as they are distracted by also being entertained. The anonymous narrator discovers the purpose of his own book and his connection with Soot, and readers will be tremendously moved and enlightened to join in this journey as well.Thanks to the author, Penguin and Library Thing for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member srms.reads
Update: rounding up to 5⭐️... I can't stop thinking about this book!
4.5⭐
Our unnamed narrator is a Black writer riding high on the success of his recently published book – a book titled “Hell of a Book” ("It’s been Kindled and Kobo’d, iPadded and Audible’d. It’s been optioned so
Parallel to our narrator’s experiences is the story of a little boy who is unkindly nicknamed “Soot” on account of his extremely dark skin. Soot’s loving parents believe that they can keep him safe if he stays “invisible”.
Our narrator is often visited by “The Kid”, a “gangly, meek, and nerdy-looking” boy only he can see and interact with, who insists he is “real” and with whom he shares some deep and meaningful conversations on what it means to Black in America.
As the different threads converge and the lines between fiction and reality become blurred -for our narrator and for the reader-the story attains a dream-like quality that pulls you in, breaks your heart and leaves you more than a little unsettled.
“But the thing to know and remember is that you can never be something other than what you are, no matter how much you might want to. You can’t be them. You can only be you. And they’re going to always treat you differently than they treat themselves. They won’t ever know about it—at least, most of them won’t. Most of them will think that everything is okay and that you’re being treated well enough and that everything is beautiful. Because, I guess for them, all they can imagine is a world in which things are fair and beautiful because, after all, they’ve always been treated fairly and beautifully. History has always been kind to them.”
I tend to be wary of award winning books with a lot of hype surrounding them which is why I took my time to get to this one. But I am so glad that I eventually did pick this book up. Aptly named, "Hell of a Book" is truly a creative and brilliant work of fiction. With its powerful writing, lyrical prose and elements of magical realism, sardonic humor and a narrative that is hard-hitting, insightful and relevant, Jason Mott’s "Hell of a Book" is a unique and immersive experience. I combined my reading with the audio narration by JD Jackson and Ronald Peet which made for an exceptional immersion reading experience.
4.5⭐
Our unnamed narrator is a Black writer riding high on the success of his recently published book – a book titled “Hell of a Book” ("It’s been Kindled and Kobo’d, iPadded and Audible’d. It’s been optioned so
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that it can be movie’d—"). He is currently on a promotional tour, traveling across the country, answering the question “What’s Your Book About?”, signing copies and connecting with his reader base. Of course, he has been extensively trained in media interaction and has a “handler” wherever he goes, though that doesn’t quite prevent him from getting into trouble. As our narrator travels across the country, the recent tragic shooting of a ten-year-old Black boy by the police has garnered national attention – it’s on the news, protesters have taken to the streets - and being an African –American writer, almost everywhere he goes someone is bringing it up expecting him to voice his thoughts about it . Parallel to our narrator’s experiences is the story of a little boy who is unkindly nicknamed “Soot” on account of his extremely dark skin. Soot’s loving parents believe that they can keep him safe if he stays “invisible”.
Our narrator is often visited by “The Kid”, a “gangly, meek, and nerdy-looking” boy only he can see and interact with, who insists he is “real” and with whom he shares some deep and meaningful conversations on what it means to Black in America.
As the different threads converge and the lines between fiction and reality become blurred -for our narrator and for the reader-the story attains a dream-like quality that pulls you in, breaks your heart and leaves you more than a little unsettled.
“But the thing to know and remember is that you can never be something other than what you are, no matter how much you might want to. You can’t be them. You can only be you. And they’re going to always treat you differently than they treat themselves. They won’t ever know about it—at least, most of them won’t. Most of them will think that everything is okay and that you’re being treated well enough and that everything is beautiful. Because, I guess for them, all they can imagine is a world in which things are fair and beautiful because, after all, they’ve always been treated fairly and beautifully. History has always been kind to them.”
I tend to be wary of award winning books with a lot of hype surrounding them which is why I took my time to get to this one. But I am so glad that I eventually did pick this book up. Aptly named, "Hell of a Book" is truly a creative and brilliant work of fiction. With its powerful writing, lyrical prose and elements of magical realism, sardonic humor and a narrative that is hard-hitting, insightful and relevant, Jason Mott’s "Hell of a Book" is a unique and immersive experience. I combined my reading with the audio narration by JD Jackson and Ronald Peet which made for an exceptional immersion reading experience.
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Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2021)
Aspen Words Literary Prize (Longlist — 2022)
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Longlist — Fiction — 2022)
North Carolina Book Awards (Winner — Fiction — 2021)
Chautauqua Prize (Shortlist — 2022)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Fiction — 2022)
Maya Angelou Book Award (Finalist — 2022)
NPR: Books We Love (2021)
Read with Jenna (2021-07 — 2021)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2022)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2021)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Adults (Top Ten — Fiction — 2021)
ISBN
059333096X / 9780593330968
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