Crooked Smile

by Jack Moody, Cody Sexton (Illustrator), Paige Johnson (editor)

Henry Gallagher is going to die.

His liver is failing, and with each drink his chances of living past age thirty crumble around him. Over a chaotic two-year blur, he stumbles through inebriated nihilism strengthened with each self-destructive act, reveling in an unending parade of violence, blackouts, half-hearted AA meetings, psych ward stints, dangerous sexual encounters, suicidal behavior, and shattered relationships. Two events force Henry to look inward and face the disturbing truths left to fester for so many years, drenched in booze, but always staring up at him from the bottom of a whiskey bottle: during his darkest hour he receives an offer that threatens to change the trajectory of his life forever—and a mental diagnosis that, in Henry's mind, makes him more monster than man.

In his highly personal and confessional style, Jack Moody’s brutally honest and scathingly witty autobiographical debut novel follows the hero’s journey of a man hurtling into the depths of addiction, mental illness, and self-destruction, while wrestling with his survival instinct and self-awareness that his journey will—inevitably soon, with his shield or on it—come to an end.

Genres: Fiction

206 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2022

About the author

Jack Moody is a novelist and short story writer whose work includes Miracle Boy, The Lights That Dim, and The King of Everything. He is a former contributor for Return Magazine, The Bel Esprit Project, and Brick Moon Fiction, and his stories have appeared in various publications, most notably The NoSleep Podcast and The Saturday Evening Post. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Matthew McGuirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moody's novel is a great balance of a gritty and real topic with a narrator you can't help but like. His authentic voice resonates throughout this semi-autobiographical novel and brings every glass, bad decision and crooked smile to new eyes. Jack takes the topic of alcoholism and makes it so you can't look away. As a reader and also through the narrator, the experience runs the gamut of emotions from start to finish. I would highly recommend picking up this page turning novel.

[Aimee Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crooked Smile reads like a hilariously cheeky journal. His many soliloquies on display—the dancing with one’s own demons for us to peruse for a while.

“What was the matter was I had just been discharged from the hospital after sustaining a prolonged and inefficient four-day manic episode after upping the dose on my Lamictal. I want the record to show that this was as per instructions by, and under the supervision of, a licensed mental health professional. I’m not a loose cannon. I do my taxes.”

There is a naïve power in taking control of your own mortality, commandeering the wheel and deciding your own death in the face of its inevitability. In a way, it’s a form of revolt, of dissent.

The sub/dom sex scene was captured well. How easy it is to escape all the pressures of life and every expectation/demand…let it all clip away. The floaty, free feeling isn’t easily obtained and for people with addictive personalities/behaviors it can certainly be that aha! moment. To do something for yourself and only yourself. But I can assure you as a BDSM enthusiast…I never wonder how did I get here ;)

[Laura Brower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was wondering whether to this this a 2 or a 2.5 (if that were possible) but feel bad giving more low key and independent writers low ratings when it's entirely based on a subjective response... as there isn't anything intrinsically bad about this book, it's just not all that it cracks itself up to be. I've seen the author on social media making out like he's the next Bukowski, but what's odd about his writing is that it has none of Bukowski's traits. Bukowski tended to veer towards a style of writing that was stripped back and bare and impactful, whereas Crooked Smile is all bells and whistles and often overwritten, very embellished. The characters speaking in ways that no one real (that I can imagine) would speak like. The narrator himself can get very portentousness. Not that this is a bad thing, it can be good, but to align yourself so strongly to Bukowski in the marketing seems unusual because the only commonality between them is that they like a drink.

[Whiskey Leavins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be alone on this, but my biggest takeaway from this semi-autobiographical novel about self-destructive behavior wrapped in addiction and seasoned with mental illness is . . . well . . . it’s clever and funny. Not knee-slapping, pratfall funny, but “cover-your-eyes-and-still-peer-through-your-fingers-because-you-don’t-want-to-watch-but-also-don’t-want-to-miss-it” funny. It is this, the heart, the soul, the humanity, the clever self-deprecation that makes what could have easily been a punishing read into something else. Something, dare I say . . .uplifting? That, and the fact that Jack Moody can turn a goddamn phrase with a literary pipe wrench.

I also appreciate things done differently – like those who play fast-and-loose with the expectation of what constitutes a novel. This is a novel, to be sure. But it reads more like a collection of episodes. This might be a situational thing, but I’ve been crazy busy during the time I was reading this book. I sometimes had to put it down for days at a time. But the structure allowed me to pick it up and continue without having to do a big flip-through of previous pages to remember who everything was and where, exactly the “narrative” stood. So, this worked particularly well for me at the time I was reading Crooked Smile.

Really, the only complaint I have is that this book brought in to sharp relief the fact that during my misspent youth, I didn’t get laid half as much as Henry Gallagher.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bold, Compelling, Undiluted

CROOKED SMILE is fast, extremely readable, and vastly entertaining. It's also one of the best novels about addiction and mental illness I've ever read. Moody's writing is sharp, merciless, and intense. He pulls no punches depicting the main character's self-destructive ways. This is a wild ride that drips with authenticity. Highly recommended!

[Jesse Larkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

We follow a mid-20s alcoholic over the course of several months as he tries to make sense of his life and get it under control from the chaos perpetuating it.
Very frank unapologetic voice — giving you (with taste) the thoughts someone has but can’t say out loud
The voice felt instantly relatable like one you can graft onto that will lead you through familiar experiences or a world that’s foreign and will help you feel acquainted to the environment.
Sweet punchy bitter metaphors and descriptions that never over stay their welcome by an extra word or beat the metaphor into the ground.
Written with precision and clarity of purpose they makes their point and swiftly move on
Laugh out loud funny moments in juxtaposition with utterly heartbreaking sentiments
Great use of the iceberg effect leaving certain details unsaid creating very stark startling moments for the reader to actively engage with the narrator
This omission and withholding of facts leads to nonchalantly stated but powerful revelations.
One such instance-possibly the epitome of this- where information is redacted from a confession made my jaw drop.
Running theme throughout the book of invisible inner turmoil below the surface having physical manifestations and worldly repercussions
Practically every single side character is connected by embodying this theme with their personal issues
Strangely cathartic experience reading this
It opens you up to self reflection
Several points made me cry
Greatest takedown of Applebees I’ve had the privilege of reading
Can’t wait for more from this author later this year

[Jim Pownall · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first: thank you Jack Moody for sending me a signed copy of this. Totally original. He drew a dick drinking a cup of tea (because I'm British). This wasn't the author's attempt at calling me a dick (at least I don't think it was...) but instead a little in-joke he does for his readers. If I remember correctly, he once got drunk at a signing and couldn't write his name anymore... So he ended up drawing penises in everyone's book and it's a tradition he's kept up.

Enough people have written reviews discussing the plot, so it's pointless for me to rehash it here - especially since there are professionals out there who can do a better job than me. Instead I just want people to see how it made me feel and see if it's the sort of thing they want to read. So...

I had a strange relationship with this book. It's about recovery, addiction, writing, mental illness, hospitalization, blackouts, mistakes... And it scared me how much I related to it. At times I thought: 'Glad I'm not that guy!', only to then realise that the exact thing has happened to me/or I've done it, etc. This book actually has made me rethink my own drinking habits... Basically, I loved the book throughout, but it's a tough read at times, and it might be especially hard going if you prefer something milder.

So, Jack Moody has written a highly original, transgressive novel here. He doesn't shy away from showing the ugly side of his narrator (Henry), and if I'm being totally honest, I loved it when he f***ed up because it made for a great story thread.

I could write about this all day but there seem to be a lot of good reviews coming in so I don't feel too pressured.

Anyway, read this book. And hey - why not buy it from Mr. Jack Moody himself. He'll sign it and might even draw a dick in biro!

[Christine Naprava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crooked Smile is brutal in the best way. Allow me to explain: Moody doesn't sugarcoat or pull any punches but my God does he write beautifully about all of the ugliness that comes with an existence complicated by mental illness and addiction. As if the events of the novel aren't riveting enough, you'll quickly find yourself looking forward to Henry Gallagher's depictions of and views on life. Very few of us have battled half of the demons that Henry battles in Crooked Smile, but readers are still presented with a relatable narrator that they can sympathize with, or, in my case, empathize with. Sure, mental illness and addiction have been written about heavily over the years, but Moody's spin is original and dare I say, refreshing. Henry Gallagher is a narrator that you want to see get better; it's the unsureness of where his life will end up that will keep you reading.

[LiteralGroupie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not get enough of Mr Moody and his honest, almost to a point of brutality, view of addiction and mental health.
I have purchased The Monotony of Everlasting but haven't started it yet because I'm still going back to this book to remember the feeling that certain passages invoke for me and oftentimes laughing at moments that may not be funny haha but funny due to the relatibility.
Jack Moody is one to watch for, as each book that is written is only solidifying his immense talent for storytelling and the ability he has to invest in Henry's character arc.