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Hubris Falls

Matthew S. Hiley (Goodreads Author)

3.64 · Rating details · 76 ratings · 40 reviews

A Most Fantastic Tragedy

The year was 1997. For Brian “Legs” Hamilton and his friends, it was the summer that followed graduation from college, the summer before life as an adult actually began—back when they were still invincible. It became the summer when anything that might have remained innocent in their lives came to an abrupt end.

Legs and his friends embark upon one ...more

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Published September 3rd 2019 by Greenleaf Book Group Press (first published October 29th 2010)

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Nov 27, 2019 Glen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2019, kindle-ebooks, read-and-reviewed, fiction-regular, very-adult

I was sent this book in exchange for a review.

Sometimes, what you think is a superb book, isn’t so superb until you real the genuine thing. I would put 'Hubris Falls' into that category of a genuinely superb book.

Initially, as I started reading the prologue, within a few short sentences, I found myself trying to decide if I wanted to get into this book. Alcoholism ruined my childhood, and I was not interested in reading the words of an alcoholic, even if sober, even as fiction, but fortunately, I was sent this book in exchange for a review.

Sometimes, what you think is a superb book, isn’t so superb until you real the genuine thing. I would put 'Hubris Falls' into that category of a genuinely superb book.

Initially, as I started reading the prologue, within a few short sentences, I found myself trying to decide if I wanted to get into this book. Alcoholism ruined my childhood, and I was not interested in reading the words of an alcoholic, even if sober, even as fiction, but fortunately, I got by that hurdle.

Secondly, I didn't like disrespectfulness being leverage against God. I don't hate opinion, but I find that when issued from a rabid foaming mouth, I am uncomfortable enough to want to put it away from me. Except for the fact that I did not attend camps, like Brian, my religious upbringing was the same as described. I too made multiple trips during the alter call, found myself wrestling with the beliefs of protestantism, catholism and charismaticism and met my share of loveless and self-absorb christians. I guess I am not different when it comes to hearing someone open their mouth to explain the story behind their source of misery, the cause of their descent. Let’s hear how badly you messed up. Unfortunately, for me it was to feel superior. Fortunately, for me it was the hook that kept me reading.

Five close friends, freshly graduated from college, going for that final hurrah before 'adulthood' was to be heeded. A week to be spent camping and white-water rafting the Rio Grande. A week of careless fun, discussions of subjects such as religion, racism and learning about each other. All five were young and felt invincible. All five drunk and stoned. All five bullies to some extent even among themselves. We tolerate the assholes among ourselves, maybe one day realizing that we need to leave that asshole behind as we get along with life. Yes, we have an asshole in the story, but all participating bodies, especially the narrator himself are not exempt from being one. Even the so-called 'good guy and christian' of the bunch at times participated in mindless banter (how about 'your momma' insult rituals) that prove he himself was not innocent of the label.

The journey along the Rio Grande was one of drunken hi-jinks, close calls and cruel jokes. To say that the act of adulting was absent from any consideration on this journey is an understatement. The prose is very comprehensive, the emotional came through time and time again. There was tension, wonder, anger, discuss and acts of tomfoolery that brought everything back to a somewhat even keel.

I don't want to reveal too much. Pick up this book, don’t be afraid to READ it. I will say that concerning the place of God as far as the narrator is concern is very insightful. At the end he explains a little better how he has approached the problem of God in his later life. Even as a non-christian, he comes close to the truth on God and our varying troubles and suffering in life. If this was a real person, seeking such answers, he is close, closer that some christians that I have met.

This review does not do the book justice. I am still mulling it over and over in my mind. Maybe a second read is in order.

...more

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Aug 03, 2019 Pat rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaways

This was a difficult book to read - I didn't find the characters sympathetic or likeable at all. They honestly were the type of young men I would loathe. Foul mouthed and irresponsible. I would have abandoned the book after the first couple of chapters, but I continued because of the description on goodreads - I kept thinking something was going to happen to redeem these young men. The story of the rafting trip down the river itself was interesting, but I can't say it was suspenseful, because it ...more

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Aug 10, 2019 Patrick rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Don’t bother with this self indulgent Gen X bullshit.

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Jul 11, 2019 Hiba Arrame rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

ARC provided by the publisher

I don't think that this is a story everyone would appreciate, some, like myself, would find it provoking in the heavy presence of drugs in the story. I personally did not find it funny in the least, it was rather very dark humor.
We have here five friends, newly graduated from college and going on what would be their last trip together before officially becoming adults who provide for themselves. The trip, sadly, ends in a very unfortunate way.
Funnily enough, I was ...more

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Jul 30, 2014 Elizabeth Ehlen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One last huzzah after cramming four years of college into five, Brian Hamilton and his friends ride off together on a rafting trip in an effort to thwart the real world for just a little while longer. The story evolves with a few flashbacks, a lot of stoner humor and man-child antics, but goes from darkly comedic to darkly life-altering just as fast as the rapids.

In general I have really enjoyed all the Matthew Hiley books I have read, and while this was no different it was a bit of a departure ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 Grant Leishman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

It’s the end of College and five friends have graduated, albeit only just but before they head out into the “real world” and their futures, there is time for one last “hurrah!”, one last road trip. They pack their gear and head for a five-day rafting trip down the Rio Grande, on the Mexican Border. In Hubris Falls by Matthew S. Hiley, we tag along with this unlikely bunch of friends who are linked mainly by one thing – their love of alcohol and we Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

It’s the end of College and five friends have graduated, albeit only just but before they head out into the “real world” and their futures, there is time for one last “hurrah!”, one last road trip. They pack their gear and head for a five-day rafting trip down the Rio Grande, on the Mexican Border. In Hubris Falls by Matthew S. Hiley, we tag along with this unlikely bunch of friends who are linked mainly by one thing – their love of alcohol and weed. What was supposed to be a final salute to their youth quickly turns into a deep introspection of their lives, their beliefs and their prejudices. Brian and Jimmy have been close friends since High School. The two friends, unlikely as they are; Jimmy is black, a Democrat, and fervently believes in the redemptive power of faith despite the tragedy that has already struck his young life but he still holds strong beliefs on white dominance and suppression. Brian (Legs), on the other hand, is a child of white privilege, a Republican and simply cannot believe that any loving God would allow such tragedy as exists in the world today. Throw a redneck bigot into the conversation, in Williams’ and you have a ready-made mixture of dark humour, satire and ultimately tragedy. This will be one final hurrah that none of the participants will ever forget.

Hubris Falls is first and foremost a tragic comedy. The pathos and beauty that are exposed by author Matthew S. Hiley within the same narrative and often within the same sentence is a testament to this writer’s ability and talent, to be able to dig deep and mine into the heart of a reader’s emotions. I was entranced by the story and by the amazing relationships between the characters, especially Jimmy and Brian. Their friendship had been built over a number of years based on trust and understanding of each other’s situations and yet, there were still always questions over how much Brian truly understand of Jimmy’s life and difficulties and vice versa. No matter how hard it has been to deal with the tragedies in his life, Jimmy has kept his faith and his positive outlook on life and people, in general. The author uses the trip to confront many of the untold truths and fears of these five men (and many of us) as they embark on life after college. The humour, given the seriousness of the topics and events on the raft, is a wonderful panacea to the grim reality of their discussions. Good humour in fiction is very hard to produce and Hiley has done a superb job in lightening the topic with his sarcastic and farcical humour. I found myself laughing out loud as I read, a rare occurrence for me. For that alone, this book lifts itself out of the mire of “coming of age” stories. The characterisations of the fearless five were true to live and I’m sure will resound with many people. An excellent book, a fantastic read and one I can highly recommend.
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Sep 08, 2019 Proforma rated it it was amazing

About thirty pages in, a bell went off in my head and it sounded like 'Salinger'. Turns out Mr HILEY was indeed inspired by Salinger.

So if you enjoyed Mr Salinger, chances are excellent that you'll enjoy HUBRIS FALLS. The book explores and examines many themes such as politics, the naive immortality of youth, race and drug and alcohol use.

Which sounds a bit much but it's a five day rafting trip, so there is enough time to get through all of these issues, returning to them several times throughou About thirty pages in, a bell went off in my head and it sounded like 'Salinger'. Turns out Mr HILEY was indeed inspired by Salinger.

So if you enjoyed Mr Salinger, chances are excellent that you'll enjoy HUBRIS FALLS. The book explores and examines many themes such as politics, the naive immortality of youth, race and drug and alcohol use.

Which sounds a bit much but it's a five day rafting trip, so there is enough time to get through all of these issues, returning to them several times throughout.

To me, the point HILEY was trying to make (and I could be wrong) was that we generally have it fairly easy in life. We disagree with this strongly, pointing out the many difficulties we face each day - not enough time, not enough patience, people you have to suck up to... But actually, we do have it fairly easy.

Tragedy is always the worst thing that can happen, and it's supposed to be the sum of all we've endured, multiplied infinitely, because it's a tragedy. It's the worst imaginable thing that could happen. And (God forbid it does) when it does, we realise that we have no skills to cope with adversity because we don't really know what adversity is. Not in big love lumps of it, falling into our lives and destroying us from the inside.

Dealing with adversity cannot be taught, just like wisdom cannot be taught. It can be learned, and it is learned the hard way (the only way) but it cannot be taught.

Learning from tragedy and adversity is also not a foregone conclusion, many people go through a tragedy and proceed to destroy what is left of them from the outside, be it quickly or slowly. Many people learn nothing.

Which brings us to the lesson. What is the lesson? What are we supposed to learn?

I guess that's like a fingerprint, adversity and tragedy teaches each person something else, there's a different lesson for each of us. The only thing we all have in common is the ability to pick ourselves up from the ground at some stage and take a step forward.

Hopefully we eventually get to a point where we're going two steps forward and only one step back.

HILEY's writing style is modern and straight from the gut, although he can be eloquent in his descriptions and he does justice to the beautiful areas around and along the Rio Grande and is painfully realistic in his description of the accident.

This is definitely a stand alone book and one that I think readers (listeners) thirty years from now, will still be comparing to Catcher In The Rye and if they have any sense, they'll say it's Generation X's Catcher In The Rye.

I rate this a five star book and would like to thank Greenleaf Media for the copy. ...more

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Aug 18, 2019 Daniel Cuthbert rated it really liked it

Shelves: comedy, giveaways, adult-fiction, fiction, suspense, contemporary-fiction

I received an e-ARC of this upcoming publisher re-release of this title and appreciate the opportunity to review the title.

Many love to acknowledge that transitionary point between the loose-structured freedoms of college life with the sudden rigidity of adulthood with a last gasp of fun and frivolity. Such is the case with Jim, Williams, JB, Brian and Devero, who decide a five day trip down the the Rio Grande would be the perfect way to cap off graduation. And indeed, the drugs, beer, hijinks ...more

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Oct 04, 2019 Lex Allen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Hubris Falls is a fast-paced, darkly comic tale of a group of men on their final, drug-fueled bender before adulthood who are trying to find their way but are finding only the harshness and tragedy of life instead. The gamut of dramatic emotions is fully displayed with comedic/sarcastic/ironic manner in this coming of age story by Matthew S. Hiley. Narrated by the character Brian "Legs" Hamilton, "Hubris Falls" is the story of a small group of young men on a white water rafting trip following gr ...more

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Aug 15, 2019 Edi McNinch rated it really liked it

A lot going on in this book. Much discussion of politics, race and religion going on along with the characters ' frequent drug and alcohol use. Very much tongue in cheek as to the current state of affairs of our country, family dynamics and opinions of the why's and whats of the afore mentioned topics. I would have thought more the 60's setting instead of the 90's because of their choice and frequency of their drug and alcohol use/abuse. The story is a cathartic retelling of events that led to g ...more

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Sep 13, 2019 Terrie Case rated it really liked it

This is a coming of age story about a group of boys who are graduating college. As one last hurrah, they are going white water rafting before they have to grow up. Being incredibly immature, the boys have lived carefree, pulling pranks some of which are mean. They have bullied others and done things they are no longer proud of.

During the trip, there are many debates about politics and religion. The boys reveal feelings regarding racial beliefs. Tragedy brings the positive and negatives of their ...more

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Aug 23, 2019 Carol rated it liked it

3.5 stars. Senior year in college is about to end so 5 young men decide on one last rafting trip to bond and enjoy before they have to become grownups in a business world they have no interest in joining. The amount of drugs & alcohol used is astounding. The raft trip without the booze, etc would be dangerous enough, but with minds totally fogged, it is beyond dangerous, beyond stupid.

"Legs" is the one we hear the most from and the story of his graduation alone is enough to make a parent cringe ...more

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Sep 04, 2019 Cristina Trowbridge rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Five young men go on a camping trip after college graduation – one last hurrah before setting down with full time jobs and their final transition to adulthood. But in the midst of all of the drinking, pot smoking, and shrooming (not to mention the endless debates on various socioeconomic topics—wordy, whew!), one of them dies, impacting each of them in ways they never could’ve imagined. I wanted to like this book, yet all of the sarcastic, over-the-top commentary, along with such an excess of dr ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Cristina Trowbridge rated it it was ok

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Sep 01, 2019 Jodi rated it liked it · review of another edition

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Legs Hamilton and his four friends have just graduated from college and take a rafting trip in Texas as a last hurrah before settling into the real world.

When I first started this book, I was kinda bored by the frat boy drinking and drugs use. It was getting to the point of irritation. The guys talked about religion and racism and the conversations got quite intense. Throw in a few rafting adventures when they hi ...more

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Aug 07, 2019 Sharon S rated it it was amazing

Believable, conversational, goofy, shocking.

The cover is intriguing and matches the plot perfectly. I want to say there is some aspects of this story some people could find offensive. The story is blunt in many ways describing the relationship between a group of young boys. Difficult topics of racism, death, alcoholism, religion are discussed in detail.

The book is easy to read and covers deep emotional topics. I recommend it as to read, but with caution because of the emotionally blunt topics c ...more

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Aug 16, 2019 Tracy rated it really liked it

I’m grateful to have received an eARC from NetGalley. I enjoyed the storyline of this book immensely. It follows Brian “Legs” Hamilton and his closest friends through an adventure following their college graduation. I struggled to really love Brain. His crassness and indelicate manner of relating his story were difficult at times to read, though I do believe in this lies the true beauty of the book. I believe this accurately captures the personality of an early 20’s post-college male out with hi ...more

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Sep 03, 2019 Maryann rated it really liked it

College is over and the last great trip among friends is about to take place. It is a strange gathering. Outcasts or losers ? Odd group. I can't believe they actually graduated. The drugs and alcohol abuse is astounding. Still the trip sounds like an interesting one. The route sounds so beautiful. I could picture the river from the description. Calm one minute. Scary another. The one person I felt who was actually a good person didn't make it. I was pulling for him. I liked this book. The writer ...more

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Sep 09, 2019 Thomas Lennek rated it liked it · review of another edition

Drugs, beer, float trip, what could possibly go wrong? I won this book on Good Reads. When "Legs" Hamilton and his four fellow college graduate buddies embark on a last trip before entering the world of work, they are trying to recover from the rigors of college educational life, circa 1997. Starting with Hamilton's graduation adventure, things go downhill from there. The Rio Grande River provides the backdrop as the young men confront realities they hadn't experienced previously. Read this book ...more

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Oct 18, 2019 Denice Langley rated it it was amazing

Matthew Hiley has given us a cast of characters that most of us would recognize as someone we know. These characters have followed their planned lives and will soon graduate college and move on to LIFE. At this point in their lives, they are considered adults, but their behavior during the story's events will leave readers questioning their maturity. The story line borrows from a few others I've read but the characters are unique while the consequences they will face are too often repeated. An o ...more

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Aug 20, 2019 Cori rated it it was amazing

#HubrisFalls #Netgalley #bookstagram #bookreview #matthewshiley this book was a phenomenal read. It's a group of four friends. The main character tells us the story thru his eyes. The friends talk of politics, race, friendship. After graduating college they decide to go on a rafting trip what happens during this trip is something no one could have predicted. It's definitely a must read. Even though it's set on 1997 I feel as if these issues could be set on present time. ...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Cindy rated it it was amazing

Oh my. I laughed, I cried. I understood the anguish.
This is a great coming of age story not to be missed.
A cadre of young men leave college and take a rafting trip that involves copious amounts of alcohol and drugs and yet that is not the big story...the big story is how they all gain insight into their lives, and unfortunately share in a tragedy as well.
I will read more from this author.
Highly recommend.

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Oct 09, 2019 Leah rated it it was amazing

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The slightly offbeat adventure/thriller had a slight twang of Fear and Loathing coupled with the a river adventure that culminates in a deadly finale. A fast paced ride with a bit of drug induced existentialism thrown in to boot this novel grabs you by the ‘figurative ‘balls’ and doesn’t let go till the very end. Do yourself a favour and read it.

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Oct 29, 2019 Ashley rated it did not like it

Shelves: give-aways

This book was awful. The only reason I finished it was to see if any of the characters had any redeemable qualities or growth. Nope. This book is about a bunch of pretentious frat boy assholes, nothing else. It’s marketed about bullying, ya... I’d bully these assholes too. Race is also center of this story but it’s only addresses the issue at a surface level ... the effort is not genuine.

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Nov 08, 2019 Ives Phillips rated it did not like it

Shelves: couldn-t-be-bothered

This read like something a fan of Eric Andre would've written as a parody of Beat generation literature: an attempt has been made to be humorously offensive and thought-provoking, but it wasn't achieved. It was so dull that I wished that someone in this story would be killed off, and after 29 chapters that could have been easily combined into 5, I gave up. ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Teresa Lavender rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I won this here on goodreads. I have to admit that I had a hard time relating and getting hooked by this novel. I am sure it is because I am not a college age male. Once we hit the part about the "incident" I couldn't put it down. Very well written. The characters were very well developed. So much of this novel seems timely in it's multiple themes - politics, racism to name a few. ...more

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Aug 08, 2019 Fran rated it it was ok

“Please tell me this guy isn’t about to start preaching.” This line from the book was the funniest because the entire book was one long lecture/sermon....with the occasional bit of action, coarse language and gross locker-room humor sprinkled in. Some may find this moving. I found it it pompous.

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Aug 08, 2019 Fran rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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Sep 04, 2019 Aisha-Kimberly Hashmi rated it it was amazing

A story I did not at all expect! This book was written well, and I loved the storyline and characters. Very detailed and I really cannot recommend it enough! The twist and turns kept me engrossed, and I will be looking for more from this author.

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Jan 12, 2020 Amanda Edwards rated it really liked it

I almost stopped reading this book multiple times when I was in the beginning chapters. The characters were jerks. They did nothing but drink and smoke pot. They talked a lot about being a republican or Democrat and I was again ready to toss the book aside.
Then I kept pushing through for whatever reason and couldn’t stop once they got into their trip.
Once the boys reach the climactic part of the trip I couldn’t stop until I finished the entire book. It was so real and hard and just resonated w ...more

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About Matthew S. Hiley

Matthew S. Hiley

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Matthew S. Hiley was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. He attended Texas Christian University, and then Northwood University, where he met his wife. They have four children together, along with five dogs, six cats, and two lizards (he’s into the animal rescue thing).

After finding success for several years in the business world, Hiley decided to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a writer. I ...more