Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an e-copy of this book.

I downloaded this one not knowing much about Daniel Sloss; I knew he was a British comedian and this was a collection of darkly comic essays. Sign me up! Well, when I learned he was Scottish, I went immediately to download an audiobook edition, because I figured hearing him read it was definitely the move.

Highly recommend the audio; Sloss is a gifted comedian, the timing is first-rate. I switched back and forth between listening and reading, and found that some things that felt meandering on the page felt naturally flowing in Sloss’s delivery.

This is a laugh out loud funny book; Sloss’s sense of humor is brutal, and if you enjoy comedians who don’t shy away from darkness, you’ll find a lot to like here. (See for instance, the title, the cover. One of Sloss’s standup specials was about the death of his disabled sister, and another was about a toxic relationship that pushed him to consider suicide. Sloss’s claim to fame is that his comedy has inspired hundreds of couples to break up. Really!! So, y’know… dark!)

But there’s also some cringey stuff in here, and worse, some unfocused stuff. I think it could have used a bit more editing, perhaps been about a third shorter – the chapters about his toxic relationship is particularly painful, because he just rants in an angry way without giving many specifics, so there’s not a lot to grab onto.

The lads chapter is discouraging. It’s like he *sees* toxic masculinity, and even uses the term, but he doesn’t really quite have the self awareness to see how his behavior perpetuates it. In another uncomfortable section, he talks about a male friend whom he believes committed sexual assault; this is also a really tough section to listen to because it’s painfully earnest and, to my way of thinking, he draws all the wrong conclusions: he pathologizes this person and makes them into a monster, missing the broader culpability of rape culture. It’s just not a problem Sloss can solve by ostracizing one dude and deciding there was always something funny about him anyway so that’s all dealt with. Politics aside, it seems like something he’s struggling with, and it’s uncomfortable to watch him process it in the context of a banter-y book.

In general, there’s just a considerable immaturity that’s frustrating here. Early in the book, covering the same ground George Carlin and Lenny Bruce charted out ~a half century ago, he argues that words aren’t harmful – but y’know, a lot has happened since then, and it’s not the best look in 2022 to be the straight white male comedian explaining to the rest of the world how they’re too sensitive, and he can say what he wants as long as he says it without hatred. Yikes, yikes, yikes.

Now I’m being a little too hard on it; I did enjoy it, especially the early chapters about England and America. I wish it had been shorter and more focused, but I think he’s a talented and perceptive writer, will seek out his specials (which I expect are more finely-honed), and I’d probably pick up another book of his Would recommend highly to fans of his standup, I am sure they will find loads to like here.

I've watched a few of Sloss's specials and find him hilarious--his act involves verbally walking up to the electrified fence continuously, about to put his finger on it, but knowing when to pull back so that even when he's crude, or has contradictory statements ping pong back and forth--as comedians are want to do--he doesn't lose his audience. He sets up the right amount of rapport with the audience that when he does tackle a serious topic--the death of a sister; a female friend who was sexually assaulted by someone he and his friends knew--you're with him, and stay with him, as he knows the right comment to toss in the middle to break the tension ever so slightly, while still staying serious.

It's a gift that, unfortunately for him and some fellow comedians, doesn't always translate to the page.

I couldn't stop laughing at the start of the book, but then the repetition of a particular idea over and over (how great his parents are, whether people should be parents overall) lost me, as the crude became cruder, and then cringe-worthy, all for sake of filling pages. The book could've been better edited, but then it would've been half its size. Some really great jokes get buried in a pile of muck that after 20% I couldn't keep sifting through. It's taking an hour-long special and stretching it out to a 2+ hour read. I'm kinda disappointed.

While I do watch this comedians comedy specials, I personally found this book a little too crude for me.

That being said, I'm sure there are other people that would find this work perfectly suitable for their sense of humour, however it just did not translate for me personally.

This unfortunately was just not my cup of tea. I couldn’t find it humorous and the relevancy just wasn’t there for me. I felt something was lost in translation and it seemed to be one that the humor would be more easy to connect with life as opposed to in the written word.

This book was received as an ARC from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

From beginning to end, the entire book was non-stop hysterical. I can totally relate to David as he "dissects" every particular relationship he or his friends have ever been in and he can tell whether or not to end it. Many scenarios in the book, I had a lot of a-ha moments and they justified me ending the many difficult relationships I had. Our community will not only relate to this book, but it will be a much needed comedy to read during this pandemic.

We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I had high expectation for many laughs and the title grabbed me. This was too crude even for me and I like inappropriate sarcastic humor. Sorry, not sorry, not recommending this.

Thanks to Netgalley, Daniel Sloss and William Heinemann for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/25/21

I received this on Netgalley. I expected more. I have a weakness for Scottish comedians.
Sloss sucks!
No funny
Money!
5 bucks to go away.
Seriously?.
Go away.
This shit ain't happening.
Everest Danny Bhoy?
This ain't cutting it.

Okay, I must be the only person in the world that never heard of Sloss, it was the title of the book that grabbed me. If you like Ricky Gervais’s brand of humor, you’re going to love Sloss, who spare no one and nothing from his scathingly hysterical rants. Trust me, in a world gone completely mad – you need this book right now!!