Funny yet serious, this is an entertaining, unique read. It’s satire that is very timely and the author does not shy away from today’s issues especially related to race and white power. This novel is an highly original take on the coming-of-age novel. Our hero hates his parents and, in doing so, shows us all the ugly underbellies of our society in the most brash, outlandish, and often funny descriptions. The insights and commentary from this young man are often hilarious, and overall seem to come from a genuine place of trying to understand the world he is growing up into. He sounds real and I felt like I got a glimpse of the world from the perspective a Gen Zer.
This is a book that I really want to talk about with others. I don’t yet see reviews in Net Galley for me to get an idea of how others respond to it and I’m so curious to see how this book lands. It started off in a jokey jumpy tone that took me a while to get, but gradually it settled down and was easier to read. I’m not sure how the author did it, but the voice of the narrator seemed to mature as he graduated from high school and moved to NYC, attended college, met a girl, and got to travel. The perspective he portrays as a child seems so real as to how a young person might interpret events. He is such a sensitive soul, and I honestly grew to really root for him as a young white man trying to be the best human he can be. He is constantly learning and revising his past insensitivities and I got the impression that the end of this book is just the beginning.
I also love the romance angle. It was believable but as a reader I felt like I was missing out on the whole story in this relationship and others. There were some chapters where I felt like I’d been dropped into a scene without much preparation. I like when the author treats me as an intelligent reader so don’t usually have a problem filling in blanks but maybe I need to reread this book to ensure I did get it all! Maryam was an interesting character in her own right and her story and perspective definitely enhanced the story. I like how we get the idea that then do end up together and enjoyed the foreshadowing that allows me to believe that the ending doesn’t have to be the end for them.
I enjoyed the scenery also – Tanzania, Ghana and New York City as backdrops were fascinating. To see Tanzania through a child’s eye and then Ghana from an adult perspective showed me how our main character developed but still had a lot to learn.
There’s SO much to say about this book! Loved it overall and I’m still thinking about it weeks later. I think it will stay with me as I puzzle it all out.
Thanks to Mariner Books and Net Galley for the early review copy. This is a book that made me think and it will remain with me for a long time.

Three stars. I enjoy an unreliable narrator and there were times when I wanted to stop reading but Harry fascinated me. I did find the beginning of his journey, okay the part with his parents, to be mostly heavy and dark which I guess is the point. The book picks up when Maryam comes on the scene and I wish there was more of her.

Okay, so I don’t know if I just wasn’t the target audience for this book, but the synopsis of this story didn’t really prepare me for what I was about to read. This story does, in fact, follow Harry Sylvester Bird through a 10-year span of time, and he explores his true identity after leaving his hometown and parents who are all around, pretty ugly humans.

However, the way he tries to “become his true self” was, in my eyes, incredibly offensive and out of touch. I had a really hard time getting through this book because I disliked the main character so much. I felt sick at times with his behaviors and actions that I almost DNF’d multiple times, but pushed through hoping the story would go a different direction. I have had a really hard time figuring out how to rate this, and I still don’t really know. This may be up some people’s ally, but it was not up mine at all. I wouldn’t recommend this book to others. Despite the synopsis saying this was satirical, I didn’t feel like that came through and just found myself angry and sick throughout most of the book.