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Death Watch
Coe Vessel, son of a legendary adman, has selling in his blood and lands the much-anticipated campaign of artist-provocateur Watanabe’s latest creation—a mysterious watch called Cassius Seven. The enigmatic Watanabe claims the watch can kill its wearer. Convinced it’s a high-art hoax, Coe and his team of renegade creatives work furiously to land the campaign and persuade the world that the watch (rebranded as Death Watch) is the must-have accessory for end-time capitalism.
Thanks to the team’s inventive launch, Death Watch finds eager buyers among the brazenly cocky, thoroughly disillusioned, and silently suicidal. Death Watch soon becomes a cultural phenomenon, harbinger of a new nihilism, and a target for moral outrage—exactly what Watanabe envisioned. But his hoax turns horrific when the watches start going off, killing their wearers. Appalled, Coe and his team reverse course and work feverishly to alert the public. But can they stop the juggernaut they set in motion?
Thanks to the team’s inventive launch, Death Watch finds eager buyers among the brazenly cocky, thoroughly disillusioned, and silently suicidal. Death Watch soon becomes a cultural phenomenon, harbinger of a new nihilism, and a target for moral outrage—exactly what Watanabe envisioned. But his hoax turns horrific when the watches start going off, killing their wearers. Appalled, Coe and his team reverse course and work feverishly to alert the public. But can they stop the juggernaut they set in motion?
249 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2023
59 people are currently reading
1124 people want to read
About the author
Stona Fitch
11 books33 followersI'm a novelist, former punk, ad man, and recovering Okie living in Boston. I write dark, politically inflected novels that have a redeeming sense of humor that pulls them out of the abyss. My books go on to foreign editions, film adaptations, and other lives. But most important to me is that my books connect with new readers, every day. Thanks to you for being one.
My latest novel is Death Watch, and it's a wild ride. Not as scary as it sounds. Or is it? Your call. I also write under the pen name of my Irish twin, Mr. Rory Flynn (Third Rail, Dark Horse). And I'm the founder of the Concord Free Press, which has inspired more than $5 million in generosity around the world. Our books are free in exchange for a donation to a cause you believe in or a person in need in your community.
https://www.concordfreepress.com/
My latest novel is Death Watch, and it's a wild ride. Not as scary as it sounds. Or is it? Your call. I also write under the pen name of my Irish twin, Mr. Rory Flynn (Third Rail, Dark Horse). And I'm the founder of the Concord Free Press, which has inspired more than $5 million in generosity around the world. Our books are free in exchange for a donation to a cause you believe in or a person in need in your community.
https://www.concordfreepress.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 13, 2023
For centuries advertisers have tried to sell us products that might be bad for us. But what if there was a product that states at the onset that it will kill you? Who would advertise such a dangerous item? Who would buy such a thing? Fitch’s biting satire of consumerism pulls no punches in exposing human fallibility at its shallowest.
June 25, 2023
The amount of grammatical errors took this down to two stars, almost felt self published online. Also, if the synopsis gives away that the watch starts killing people, I wouldn’t expect it to take 70% of the book to get to that point. I’m not sure there was much gained by actually reading the book, but it kept my attention enough to plow through in one sitting.
April 10, 2023
The nitty-gritty: An audacious idea, stellar writing, black humor galore and a well paced plot make Death Watch a "can't miss" thriller.
Sometimes I take a chance on an author or a publisher I’ve never worked with before, and sometimes it pays off big time. I had a blast with Death Watch, a high concept thriller that was nearly impossible to put down. Stona Fitch is a damn good writer, and after reading this book, I’ll read anything he writes. Be warned, though: if you read this book, you may never put on a watch again…
Ad agency owner Coe Vessel is about to make the pitch of a lifetime. He’s been invited to Tokyo to see the eccentric Japanese artist Watanabe’s latest creation, and he hopes to be awarded the ad campaign. Watanabe is trying to launch a watch he calls the Cassius Seven. But what looks like an ordinary high end watch is much, much more. Hidden inside are seven small—and extremely lethal—blades. Once the blades are activated—a random occurrence that could happen in a week or a year (or maybe never)---they exit through the bottom of the watch into the wearer’s wrist, severing the ulnar artery and causing the wearer to bleed out within seconds. Oh, and once you put on the watch, you can’t take it off, and trying to forcibly remove it will cause the blades to activate.
In a fit of bravado to get the campaign, Coe puts on the prototype watch that Watanabe is using for his demonstration. Coe gets the job, but at what cost? Is the prototype a fake? Or did Coe just consign himself to a violent death? As Coe and his team work feverishly to create buzz around the watch, dubbed Death Watch by Coe’s wife Alta, the clock is ticking. Watanabe threatens to pull the campaign if they can’t make a sale within ten days. But it turns out there are plenty of people willing to risk death (and the $50,000 price tag) in order to own the accessory that everyone is talking about. Watanabe created the watch as a social experiment to show people how each day should be lived to its fullest. What could possibly go wrong?
The story is told from Coe’s first person point of view, and I absolutely loved his voice, which adds humor to Fitch’s rather morbid idea of a watch that can kill you. Fitch writes snappy, taught prose and wryly funny dialog, and from the first page I was caught up in Coe’s story and impending nightmare as Death Watch makes its way into the population.
Coe is surrounded by a bunch of quirky characters who liven up the story. Harup and Wren are part of Coe’s Death Watch team, and Harup in particular was such a great character, a man who doesn’t speak at all and only communicates through texts. Coe’s wife Alta is having an affair, but when she hears about Death Watch and the fact that her husband is wearing one of the watches, she immediately leaves her lover and returns to New York to help out. Another side character is Harup’s good friend Vanessa, an online sex worker who is in desperate need of an apartment and ends up moving into Coe’s vacant rental. Even Alta’s father, a high class surgeon, gets involved when he comes up with a radical idea to free Coe of the diabolical watch. All these (admittedly) soap opera-ish side plots add to the absurd quality of the story and were so much fun.
Fitch adds plenty of social commentary and biting observations about social media and the desire for fame, and how advertising can shape our lives in good ways and bad. And as for the watch, well, I suggest just rolling with the idea. I found myself trying to work out the logistics of how a watch could contain seven blades, and how those blades could kill you. It doesn’t really make any sense, and I don’t think it’s meant to. Also, there are some fairly graphic descriptions of exactly what those blades do to a person, so do be aware if you’re prone to squeamishness.
The only thing that didn’t work for me was the ending. Part of the fun of reading Death Watch was imagining all the different outcomes, and Fitch could have taken the story in several directions. Ultimately, I suppose the author gave his readers an ending akin to the watch itself: a random event that can’t be predicted or planned. If you look at it that way, the ending succeeds brilliantly.
In any event, Death Watch is well worth your time, an unexpectedly humorous and heartfelt thriller that’s equally horrific and shocking. Highly recommended.
Big thanks to Wunderkind PR and the author for providing a review copy.
Sometimes I take a chance on an author or a publisher I’ve never worked with before, and sometimes it pays off big time. I had a blast with Death Watch, a high concept thriller that was nearly impossible to put down. Stona Fitch is a damn good writer, and after reading this book, I’ll read anything he writes. Be warned, though: if you read this book, you may never put on a watch again…
Ad agency owner Coe Vessel is about to make the pitch of a lifetime. He’s been invited to Tokyo to see the eccentric Japanese artist Watanabe’s latest creation, and he hopes to be awarded the ad campaign. Watanabe is trying to launch a watch he calls the Cassius Seven. But what looks like an ordinary high end watch is much, much more. Hidden inside are seven small—and extremely lethal—blades. Once the blades are activated—a random occurrence that could happen in a week or a year (or maybe never)---they exit through the bottom of the watch into the wearer’s wrist, severing the ulnar artery and causing the wearer to bleed out within seconds. Oh, and once you put on the watch, you can’t take it off, and trying to forcibly remove it will cause the blades to activate.
In a fit of bravado to get the campaign, Coe puts on the prototype watch that Watanabe is using for his demonstration. Coe gets the job, but at what cost? Is the prototype a fake? Or did Coe just consign himself to a violent death? As Coe and his team work feverishly to create buzz around the watch, dubbed Death Watch by Coe’s wife Alta, the clock is ticking. Watanabe threatens to pull the campaign if they can’t make a sale within ten days. But it turns out there are plenty of people willing to risk death (and the $50,000 price tag) in order to own the accessory that everyone is talking about. Watanabe created the watch as a social experiment to show people how each day should be lived to its fullest. What could possibly go wrong?
The story is told from Coe’s first person point of view, and I absolutely loved his voice, which adds humor to Fitch’s rather morbid idea of a watch that can kill you. Fitch writes snappy, taught prose and wryly funny dialog, and from the first page I was caught up in Coe’s story and impending nightmare as Death Watch makes its way into the population.
Coe is surrounded by a bunch of quirky characters who liven up the story. Harup and Wren are part of Coe’s Death Watch team, and Harup in particular was such a great character, a man who doesn’t speak at all and only communicates through texts. Coe’s wife Alta is having an affair, but when she hears about Death Watch and the fact that her husband is wearing one of the watches, she immediately leaves her lover and returns to New York to help out. Another side character is Harup’s good friend Vanessa, an online sex worker who is in desperate need of an apartment and ends up moving into Coe’s vacant rental. Even Alta’s father, a high class surgeon, gets involved when he comes up with a radical idea to free Coe of the diabolical watch. All these (admittedly) soap opera-ish side plots add to the absurd quality of the story and were so much fun.
Fitch adds plenty of social commentary and biting observations about social media and the desire for fame, and how advertising can shape our lives in good ways and bad. And as for the watch, well, I suggest just rolling with the idea. I found myself trying to work out the logistics of how a watch could contain seven blades, and how those blades could kill you. It doesn’t really make any sense, and I don’t think it’s meant to. Also, there are some fairly graphic descriptions of exactly what those blades do to a person, so do be aware if you’re prone to squeamishness.
The only thing that didn’t work for me was the ending. Part of the fun of reading Death Watch was imagining all the different outcomes, and Fitch could have taken the story in several directions. Ultimately, I suppose the author gave his readers an ending akin to the watch itself: a random event that can’t be predicted or planned. If you look at it that way, the ending succeeds brilliantly.
In any event, Death Watch is well worth your time, an unexpectedly humorous and heartfelt thriller that’s equally horrific and shocking. Highly recommended.
Big thanks to Wunderkind PR and the author for providing a review copy.
August 13, 2023
I learned about the new book Death Watch by Stona Fitch in a New York Times review of summer thrillers. This book was gripping from the very beginning. I read it straight through because the suspense would not let me put it down! It’s only 250 pages, which is a nice reading length for something in this genre. While not too political, it’s definitely a commentary on late stage capitalism, and the way the precarious nature of a world suffering from climate change and a deadly pandemic can unmoor us. Who would buy a $50,000 unremovable watch with its unique feature being that it might kill you in days, weeks, years, or never? This book keeps the reader on the edge of their seat until the last page! While not an LGBTQIA+ themed book, there was a queer character portrayed as any other human being: worthy of respect. Fitch’s tone was progressive in that it gave due respect to people, whether behaving well or not. Published by Arrow Books, March 4, 2023.
September 23, 2023
I absolutely loved this book! Very creepy, with Black Mirror vibes. I hope it gets adapted into a horror movie (or Black Mirror episode).
Read
May 19, 20242/5 kind of feels like it was written for a freshman year creative writing class
October 28, 2023
Wow, just wow! Such a creepy story. And the ending. I'm just sitting here in shock. Really enjoyed it overall!
February 21, 2023
Can a watch define who someone is? Sure it can show off your wealth, style, and status, but can it exude bravery? Fearlessness? Cassius Seven, better known as Death Watch, can.
Built into its luxurious band are seven deadly knives that will sever the wearer’s artery and cause, you guessed it, death. It’s the watch that tells time and stops it. And all Coe Vessel has to do is convince people to buy it.
Death Watch isn’t typically what I go for and probably not something I would pick on my own, but it did keep me engaged. It’s a look at consumer culture going awry that’s part thriller, part mystery, and definitely a slow burn. The characters were built up well and the plot kept moving along. So I guess that begs the question, are you brave enough—or maybe crass enough—to put on the Death Watch?
Death Watch is available March 7th, 2023. Thank you to Wunderkind PR for the #arc! ⌚️🔪
tw: blood, infidelity, death
Built into its luxurious band are seven deadly knives that will sever the wearer’s artery and cause, you guessed it, death. It’s the watch that tells time and stops it. And all Coe Vessel has to do is convince people to buy it.
Death Watch isn’t typically what I go for and probably not something I would pick on my own, but it did keep me engaged. It’s a look at consumer culture going awry that’s part thriller, part mystery, and definitely a slow burn. The characters were built up well and the plot kept moving along. So I guess that begs the question, are you brave enough—or maybe crass enough—to put on the Death Watch?
Death Watch is available March 7th, 2023. Thank you to Wunderkind PR for the #arc! ⌚️🔪
tw: blood, infidelity, death
July 25, 2023
Thank you Wunderkind PR for my copy of Death Watch.
I really enjoyed this one. It’s not a typical read for me. It was such a weird premise.
The main character works at a marketing company and finds himself competing for an account for a product that is going to be a hard sale. Later he finds out he was deceived.
I just really liked Stona’s writing style and I ended up liking his offbeat, unconventional characters. The short chapters also helped with the flow of the book.
I liked the way it ended too. It just seemed it was the way it should be. I do wish he would’ve gone into more of the reason he was targeted to market the watch.
I really enjoyed this one. It’s not a typical read for me. It was such a weird premise.
The main character works at a marketing company and finds himself competing for an account for a product that is going to be a hard sale. Later he finds out he was deceived.
I just really liked Stona’s writing style and I ended up liking his offbeat, unconventional characters. The short chapters also helped with the flow of the book.
I liked the way it ended too. It just seemed it was the way it should be. I do wish he would’ve gone into more of the reason he was targeted to market the watch.
July 24, 2023
I had not read a fiction book for a very long time. We are talking years. After seeing this title on a recent NYT summer reading list I decided to try and get back into the habit of reading by giving this story a try. Am I ever glad I did. I really enjoyed this book, it is fast paced, with much conversational dialogue between characters which i enjoy, and i ended up finishing it in a little over a day, as i just could not put it down. Great story Mr. Fitch ! You have gained a new fan. Now i'm off to look for my next summer read !
November 23, 2025
Completely pointless
August 11, 2023
This was disturbing and yet fascinating. It's the story of a device that was devised by some sick minds and you think actually could happen. The marketing of the watch was certainly clever.
July 25, 2023
Got after reading a nyt list of summer thrillers. It was a fast read and very engaging. I think the nyt sticker spoiled it somewhat but it didn't effect my enjoyment. Nice critique of consumer culture and very entertaining
July 16, 2023
Coe Vessel is a second-generation advertising executive who works in a small boutique New York firm. He's made some missteps both in his personal and professional lives, and as the book opens we find him in Japan pursuing a new account that his firm desperately needs. A controversial artist named Watanabe is launching a new high-end watch called the Cassius Seven and Vessel must convince the artist and his team that Vessel's agency is the best choice to launch the product.
At $50,000 a pop, the Cassius Seven might be a tough sell under any circumstances, but this is otherwise no ordinary watch. It's designed to potentially kill anyone who is brave or foolish enough to wear it. The underside of the watch contains seven small blades that will activate on their own schedule, perhaps minutes, or months or years after you put it on. Perhaps the blades will never activate, but once they do, they will instantly pierce a main artery and you will be dead in seconds. And the real kicker is that once you put the watch on your wrist, you can never take it off. If you attempt to do so, the blades will activate automatically.
The young ad man is stunned by the very concept of the watch and can't be sure if Watanabe is serious or not. Will the watch really perform as described or is the Cassius Seven an elaborate joke? The artist insists that the watch is a perfect reflection of the crazy times in which we live and ultimately selects Vessel's firm to find a market for it.
Death Watch is a very clever look at post-Covid American society and an interesting commentary on the whole business of advertising which for years has convinced people to buy cigarettes, sugary soft drinks and a host of other things that are bad for us and that may ultimately
kill us. It's a compulsive read with a cast of interesting and off-beat characters and it's fun to watch Vessel and his team struggle to identify the niche market for a product like this. The book has some very dark moments as well as a fair amount of humor, and in the end, it's a very distinctive read that will doubtless stay with a reader for some time to come.
At $50,000 a pop, the Cassius Seven might be a tough sell under any circumstances, but this is otherwise no ordinary watch. It's designed to potentially kill anyone who is brave or foolish enough to wear it. The underside of the watch contains seven small blades that will activate on their own schedule, perhaps minutes, or months or years after you put it on. Perhaps the blades will never activate, but once they do, they will instantly pierce a main artery and you will be dead in seconds. And the real kicker is that once you put the watch on your wrist, you can never take it off. If you attempt to do so, the blades will activate automatically.
The young ad man is stunned by the very concept of the watch and can't be sure if Watanabe is serious or not. Will the watch really perform as described or is the Cassius Seven an elaborate joke? The artist insists that the watch is a perfect reflection of the crazy times in which we live and ultimately selects Vessel's firm to find a market for it.
Death Watch is a very clever look at post-Covid American society and an interesting commentary on the whole business of advertising which for years has convinced people to buy cigarettes, sugary soft drinks and a host of other things that are bad for us and that may ultimately
kill us. It's a compulsive read with a cast of interesting and off-beat characters and it's fun to watch Vessel and his team struggle to identify the niche market for a product like this. The book has some very dark moments as well as a fair amount of humor, and in the end, it's a very distinctive read that will doubtless stay with a reader for some time to come.
July 29, 2023
I was hungry for the premise - a succinct, current day statement on our societal ennui. A head on confrontation of the depth of the destruction of the human spirit. Humans are wild Creator Gods in their own right but in the submission to society's shackles they relegate themselves to dabble in the indiscretions and tyranny of the hungry ghost of the sleeping masses. Always searching for the next “real” thing to wake them from their slumber. Every day a ritual rut, one heavy foot ahead of the other.
I struggled with Coe as a character - he felt very much like a narrator/camera, like his presence was used to illuminate all of the characters around him but I did not develop the same kind of relationship with/for him as with the others. The conversations between Robert and Coe; the overheard one between Vanessa and Alta were some of my favorite dialogs.
I was excited about the premise of the Death Watch, finally someone was going to seize the Zeitgeist by the throat, but for all of its potential I think the story failed to deliver the killing stroke.
I recommend reading it because it is a great conversation piece - launch off point for exploring our true nature.
I struggled with Coe as a character - he felt very much like a narrator/camera, like his presence was used to illuminate all of the characters around him but I did not develop the same kind of relationship with/for him as with the others. The conversations between Robert and Coe; the overheard one between Vanessa and Alta were some of my favorite dialogs.
I was excited about the premise of the Death Watch, finally someone was going to seize the Zeitgeist by the throat, but for all of its potential I think the story failed to deliver the killing stroke.
I recommend reading it because it is a great conversation piece - launch off point for exploring our true nature.
September 6, 2023
I was really quite disappointed at this lost opportunity. The premise is a great idea, and there was a lot the author could have done with it, but the characters are too busy trying to be cool ad people to engage with the existential issues that the Death Watch ought to bring up for them. They never really grapple with anything bigger than, 'Oh crap, what have we done?!" This left me SO frustrated, because I can think of a million interesting directions to take this, more if I consulted a philosophy major, I'm sure!
Technically, the writing was really unoriginal and the characters never took on dimensionality. The last few paragraphs were good, but because the main character's ambivalent relationship with his father is dropped through the middle of the book, it's unclear what we are supposed to make of the ending. Did the character change/learn/grow? I think we are supposed to think so, but I didn't see it. The author was too busy showing off his knowledge of exclusive wines and displaying, through his characters, his counter-culture bonafides, to actually pay attention to the plot. Honestly, I was very surprised to read that this isn't their first novel.
Technically, the writing was really unoriginal and the characters never took on dimensionality. The last few paragraphs were good, but because the main character's ambivalent relationship with his father is dropped through the middle of the book, it's unclear what we are supposed to make of the ending. Did the character change/learn/grow? I think we are supposed to think so, but I didn't see it. The author was too busy showing off his knowledge of exclusive wines and displaying, through his characters, his counter-culture bonafides, to actually pay attention to the plot. Honestly, I was very surprised to read that this isn't their first novel.
December 1, 2023
interesting Premise. Imperfect Execution
This novel had a very interesting premise: an ad agency is hired to promote a watch that can’t be removed from your wrist and will someday kill its wearer (with tiny blades built into the band that will at some random future time go off). They’re initially told the fatal part is a hoax so they take the gig, but then when they’re successful and the watches start killing some of their wearers they realize they’ve been duped. To make matters worse, one of the owners of the ad agency has put one of these watches on his wrist.
Like I said, interesting premise.
Unfortunately, this book, for me, went a little off the rails and didn’t live up to its promise. I felt it could have dug much deeper into what is wrong with a society that would actually buy and wear a watch like this, like how fatalistic would you need to be to engage in something so self destructive, yet it barely scratched that surface. And the ending, which was obvious to me from the very beginning, provided no closure.
This novel had a very interesting premise: an ad agency is hired to promote a watch that can’t be removed from your wrist and will someday kill its wearer (with tiny blades built into the band that will at some random future time go off). They’re initially told the fatal part is a hoax so they take the gig, but then when they’re successful and the watches start killing some of their wearers they realize they’ve been duped. To make matters worse, one of the owners of the ad agency has put one of these watches on his wrist.
Like I said, interesting premise.
Unfortunately, this book, for me, went a little off the rails and didn’t live up to its promise. I felt it could have dug much deeper into what is wrong with a society that would actually buy and wear a watch like this, like how fatalistic would you need to be to engage in something so self destructive, yet it barely scratched that surface. And the ending, which was obvious to me from the very beginning, provided no closure.
August 17, 2023
It ends exactly how you think it will and just isn’t worth the effort. Too many clunky plot lines and written from the perspective of someone who is entranced by the idea of flashy wealth which undercuts the seemingly anti-capitalist message. The author also doesn’t seem to understand watches outside of “people play tens of thousands of dollars for something your phone can do!!” How did the Cassius watch work? Was it mechanical or quartz? It could conceivably last forever but how could it be serviced? If it was mechanical, couldn’t you just leave your arm still or not wind it until the spring wore out then remove it? If quartz, how does the battery get replaced? Either way, the size of the watch itself wouldn’t have th power to operate a killing complication but even if it could, you could just slide a metal shoe horn under the watch and keep it there while trying to remove it. Just dumb.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2024
Interesting premise for a book: Can an advertising agency get people to buy an expensive watch which may kill the wearer at any random time (title is a pun that you're on a "death watch" waiting to see if your death (wrist) watch will kill you)? A few watches are sold once the ad exec (main character) figures out the targeted audience (male nihilists); however he is horrified that sales take off once the watch actually kills a few people, and is determined to stop the sales. While the plot and characters are a bit thin in spots, the idea that people would buy a watch that could kill you seems possible in a world full of thrill-seeking people who are always looking to "one-up" everybody else.
March 9, 2023
Main character, Coe Vessel, along with his ad company, land the sought after marketing campaign for eccentric artist, Watanabe, to help sell a high-end watch that has the potential to kill its wearer, or does it?
A well crafted and tensely paced thriller with well developed characters, a satirical component in relation to consumerism and the art world, plenty of dark humor, and even an underlying touch of body horror.
Loved it! Highly recommended.
A well crafted and tensely paced thriller with well developed characters, a satirical component in relation to consumerism and the art world, plenty of dark humor, and even an underlying touch of body horror.
Loved it! Highly recommended.
July 30, 2023
I read about this in The NYT and was excited to dive in. The beginning felt strong with a good narrative on sales pitches and advertising but wow how things can down hill. The second half of the book felt rushed and predictable. The characters aren’t developed and the ending was poor. Did the author just strap themselves into writing and then give up. More deathplot than deathwatch in the end.
August 15, 2023
I read this after seeing it recommended as a great summer read. I liked it, but I did not love it. I was hoping for a page turner with a decent to substantial dose of social critique. For me, it fell a little flat on both parts.
As an aside, there were some significant editorial mistakes that I found jarring. (duplicate words, misplaced quotation marks.) Not enough to wreck the book, but enough to interrupt the vibe some.
As an aside, there were some significant editorial mistakes that I found jarring. (duplicate words, misplaced quotation marks.) Not enough to wreck the book, but enough to interrupt the vibe some.
July 29, 2023
Meh
Unlike the characters in this book, I didn’t put on a watch that would kill me. On the other hand, led by a New York Times review, I read this book and allowed it to kill my suspension of disbelief. So, the best thing I can say about this novel is congratulations for replicating its message in real life
Unlike the characters in this book, I didn’t put on a watch that would kill me. On the other hand, led by a New York Times review, I read this book and allowed it to kill my suspension of disbelief. So, the best thing I can say about this novel is congratulations for replicating its message in real life
July 8, 2023
A quick page-turning beach read if you want a fiction thriller about a marketer, money, and a brand new luxury product designed to give a select few exactly what they want. Mindless and mostly fun with a dark hue.
August 23, 2023
Well that was…interesting. Kind of. Pretty easy to get through, only took me 2 days but then it ended abruptly right when you think it’s starting to get to the wrap up of it all, and it’s just kind of like…oh. That’s it. Interesting premise, decent characters, but that’s it.
December 18, 2023
I was excited to read this because the concept is right up my alley, but I was disappointed with the delivery. The writing and especially the dialogue just wasn't for me. The pacing was also a bit slow.
December 22, 2023
A 2023 Fiction Favorite pick from Natalie! For readers of In Persuasion Nation by George Saunders and Memoirs and Misinformation by Jim Carrey.
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...
December 23, 2023
I enjoyed this book -- witty, well-written, smart -- until the last paragraph. I won't spoil it but it presents a metaphysical and logistical conundrum. For that, I have to knock off a couple of stars.
January 26, 2024
I'm surprised by how much I liked this book. It's very dark. But the characters are complex and flawed and believable. By the end the protagonist is endearing. And it's got moments of real humor and warmth. Definitely not for everyone.
June 8, 2023
“Acatalepsia?”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews