brenticus reviewed Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff by Sean Penn
None
1 star
I think this is the worst book I've ever read. The constant alliteration is bad. The interspersed bits of poetry are bad. The plot is entirely nonsensical, even for what I think was largely a PTSD induced fever dream. I think Penn was going for something like Palahniuk's writing but with no understanding of how either reading or writing work.
The narrator, part way through, introduces himself as a random character Bob meets in a diner. There are four or five references to the fact that Bob "just does stuff," all of which are wildly cringeworthy. How do you even write this and not think "this is fucking stupid" and then do it repeatedly?
This is all without getting into the blatant misogyny and racism and the almost literal beating Trump's presidency over the head with a hammer for basically no reason. Bob just gets into it sometimes.
I don't …
I think this is the worst book I've ever read. The constant alliteration is bad. The interspersed bits of poetry are bad. The plot is entirely nonsensical, even for what I think was largely a PTSD induced fever dream. I think Penn was going for something like Palahniuk's writing but with no understanding of how either reading or writing work.
The narrator, part way through, introduces himself as a random character Bob meets in a diner. There are four or five references to the fact that Bob "just does stuff," all of which are wildly cringeworthy. How do you even write this and not think "this is fucking stupid" and then do it repeatedly?
This is all without getting into the blatant misogyny and racism and the almost literal beating Trump's presidency over the head with a hammer for basically no reason. Bob just gets into it sometimes.
I don't fucking know. Everything about this was bad but life feels better having read it because it can really only go uphill from here. Don't buy this, but if you want to feel better about yourself go get this from the library.
