A review by efenstermaker
Ohio by Stephen Markley

1.0

This book was RANK. Like good prose, yes, but in the way that you know that Stephen Markley is so aware that it is good prose. This plot unfolds over the course of one night from four different perspectives (with 8,000 flashbacks along the way), and over and over again I felt like I just wanted to shower. It's very clear that Markley (Iowa Writer's Workship graduate ofc ofc) has a resoundingly bleak view of humanity, coupled with a performative need to extend a sympathetic eye to everyone ranging from rapists to military apologists to literal white supremacists, and it made me want to vomit. Markley cannot inhabit as many perspectives as he thinks he can, and while the final twist was wild, it is nowhere near enough to make up for the grueling journey through the absolute muck and grime that he drags the reader through prior to the reveal. Would not recommend to anyone; the book completely disintegrated in the chaos of my car and it is a fitting end.