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A review by jessplayin
Brat by Gabriel Smith
1.0
First off, thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for a copy of this book. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but sadly, that's not the case.
It follows the story of Gabriel, whose skin starts peeling off like a snake as he attempts to keep his father's house that is falling apart while his mother is in a care home. There is also a series of manuscripts and tapes that also keep telling a story that is eerily similar to his own life, but they keep changing.
It's an interesting concept that could have some neat thematic leeway, but the main character is insufferable, and the prose is tedious. Could have done without the frequent use of ableist, misogynistic, and homophobic language that never really seems to serve any purpose as well. There are also lots of things that never really get resolved. Frankly, it feels like it's trying to be weird for the sake of being weird and feels very outdated. Would have been better as a short novella, I think. It needs tightening.
It follows the story of Gabriel, whose skin starts peeling off like a snake as he attempts to keep his father's house that is falling apart while his mother is in a care home. There is also a series of manuscripts and tapes that also keep telling a story that is eerily similar to his own life, but they keep changing.
It's an interesting concept that could have some neat thematic leeway, but the main character is insufferable, and the prose is tedious. Could have done without the frequent use of ableist, misogynistic, and homophobic language that never really seems to serve any purpose as well. There are also lots of things that never really get resolved. Frankly, it feels like it's trying to be weird for the sake of being weird and feels very outdated. Would have been better as a short novella, I think. It needs tightening.