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Sliding Off
Jules Burnside is a hipster barista who monologues about indie music and participates in riots more to destroy property than effect civil justice. Nephi Jensen is a young Latter-Day Saint who believes God called him to be a superhero to deliver sandwiches to the homeless. Eldon Glenn is a big-headed lawyer, who seeks election as city commissioner in a backwater Kentucky town, by pandering to the locals with promises of bringing a drive-thru window—staffed with singing and dancing dwarfs—to the local Wal-Mart supercenter.
To bolster their online presence and further their personal agendas, Jules, Nephi and Eldon unwittingly join a social media platform—conceived by tech savvy Lilac Bassett and her associates—to incite conflict based on political identity, inducing users to challenge each other in a physically violent sport. The social media platform and sport soon spiral out of control with violence, destruction and mayhem.
To bolster their online presence and further their personal agendas, Jules, Nephi and Eldon unwittingly join a social media platform—conceived by tech savvy Lilac Bassett and her associates—to incite conflict based on political identity, inducing users to challenge each other in a physically violent sport. The social media platform and sport soon spiral out of control with violence, destruction and mayhem.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2022
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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October 14, 2023Not going to ⭐ rate this one
Genre ~ dark socio-political comedy
Publication date ~ September 26, 2022
Page Count ~ 343
Audio length ~9 hours 54 minutes
Narrator ~ Alejandro del Mar
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ debut, satire
One of my favorite things about blogging is helping to spread the word for debut authors, even if their work is in a genre that I wouldn't typically read. I feel this one would appeal to those that do enjoy political aspects, whether in fiction or non fiction books, and even in our current environment. The dark humor helps lighten the mood without taking a side.
The main characters are well developed and thoroughly described. Jules, Nephi and Eldon join a social media platform where anything goes. It touches on politics, homelessness, religion, among others.
Overall, this one wasn't for me, but there were some moments that gave me a chuckle, like this one ~ Tatiana was apparently upset that Jules broke up with her, so she programmed Neil Diamond to play on his devices at random times 😂
Narration notes:
He did a fine job narrating overall, but it sounded different then how my audio books usually do. I don't know if it's because I listened via dropbox, which is the first time I've done so. 2x was the highest I could listen and it was still too slow for me. There were some lengthy pauses, too.
*Thanks to the author for sending me an audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Genre ~ dark socio-political comedy
Publication date ~ September 26, 2022
Page Count ~ 343
Audio length ~9 hours 54 minutes
Narrator ~ Alejandro del Mar
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ debut, satire
One of my favorite things about blogging is helping to spread the word for debut authors, even if their work is in a genre that I wouldn't typically read. I feel this one would appeal to those that do enjoy political aspects, whether in fiction or non fiction books, and even in our current environment. The dark humor helps lighten the mood without taking a side.
The main characters are well developed and thoroughly described. Jules, Nephi and Eldon join a social media platform where anything goes. It touches on politics, homelessness, religion, among others.
Overall, this one wasn't for me, but there were some moments that gave me a chuckle, like this one ~ Tatiana was apparently upset that Jules broke up with her, so she programmed Neil Diamond to play on his devices at random times 😂
Narration notes:
He did a fine job narrating overall, but it sounded different then how my audio books usually do. I don't know if it's because I listened via dropbox, which is the first time I've done so. 2x was the highest I could listen and it was still too slow for me. There were some lengthy pauses, too.
*Thanks to the author for sending me an audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
March 20, 2023
The satire of our times, Sliding Off, is a dark comedy that riffs on the current socio-political climate in America. The novel does not take a side, but rather reveals the absurdity of focusing on our differences; the dangers of political branding, identity and polarization; and the threat of radicalization becoming the new norm.
April 9, 2023
A standard format for many novels is to create a few individual characters set apart from each other, and then use the plotlines of the book to draw them closer and closer together until they clash at the climax. The danger in this sort of writing is to take too much time with the setup, with the story overwhelmed by description and no action taking place.
This novel has the problem in spades. Its only saving grace is that once the plot gets rolling, it’s like a snowball down a mountain: all speed and power with an inevitably horrendous smash at the end.
The first sixteen chapters contain an elaborate description of each character’s personality, clothing, setting and lifestyle. It is all smoothly written and marvellously observant, but it is much too long and the action crawls.
This is social satire, spoofing a wide swath of American life: the advertising business, social media, Trump supporters, the Right, the Left, Mormons, the Olympics, professional sports and…well, it’s pretty comprehensive.
Characters are all exaggerated takeoffs of stereotypes, a bit too real to be very funny. However, the three main instigators of the plot —while trying desperately not to get lost in the crowd of kooks and weirdos — finally begin to attract some of our sympathy. When they start to get their act together in Chapter Seventeen, we start to take their side, and suspense develops. After all, their business venture is sort of like taking transport trucks to a protest; it’s so off the wall that it might actually work.
For the last third of the book, the tempo makes up for previous slothfulness, and the finale explodes into full-on slapstick, with all the plotlines and characters crashing together in one huge righteous-anger-fueled and bubble-bath-lubricated mêlée.
I usually find books that start out slowly continue that way, but this novel is an exception. The beginning is worth ploughing through. It is well-written satire, though not as humorous as I would prefer. Once the action starts, the plotlines and characters blend tightly, with each character performing exactly as we have been led to expect, and the whole gestalt exploding into a farcical version of a political event most Americans would like to put behind them.
Recommended for fans of satire and students of modern American society and politics.
This novel has the problem in spades. Its only saving grace is that once the plot gets rolling, it’s like a snowball down a mountain: all speed and power with an inevitably horrendous smash at the end.
The first sixteen chapters contain an elaborate description of each character’s personality, clothing, setting and lifestyle. It is all smoothly written and marvellously observant, but it is much too long and the action crawls.
This is social satire, spoofing a wide swath of American life: the advertising business, social media, Trump supporters, the Right, the Left, Mormons, the Olympics, professional sports and…well, it’s pretty comprehensive.
Characters are all exaggerated takeoffs of stereotypes, a bit too real to be very funny. However, the three main instigators of the plot —while trying desperately not to get lost in the crowd of kooks and weirdos — finally begin to attract some of our sympathy. When they start to get their act together in Chapter Seventeen, we start to take their side, and suspense develops. After all, their business venture is sort of like taking transport trucks to a protest; it’s so off the wall that it might actually work.
For the last third of the book, the tempo makes up for previous slothfulness, and the finale explodes into full-on slapstick, with all the plotlines and characters crashing together in one huge righteous-anger-fueled and bubble-bath-lubricated mêlée.
I usually find books that start out slowly continue that way, but this novel is an exception. The beginning is worth ploughing through. It is well-written satire, though not as humorous as I would prefer. Once the action starts, the plotlines and characters blend tightly, with each character performing exactly as we have been led to expect, and the whole gestalt exploding into a farcical version of a political event most Americans would like to put behind them.
Recommended for fans of satire and students of modern American society and politics.
April 25, 2023
Whatever you’re expecting, forget it. This book blows the lid off satire. Alejandro has taken politics, personality, clothing, settings, life style, advertising, sports, religion, social media, opinions, and more, to the next level. He has exaggerated stereotypes to the point of ridiculous and then turns them on their heads. It’s a funny yet serious spin on our cultural climate that isn’t so funny after all. I found myself scratching my head while laughing. With introspection, the author has brought it all together to delivered something that will stick with you long past the last page.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews