This had the makings of something great - a roadtrip story following a unique and likeable character through a series of quirky misadventures. For me, it fell a little flat and I struggled to follow each new plot twist and every new character. I think it was a me problem that this just didn't capture me despite sounding great on paper and being written in an approachable, humorous style. It seems like there's just a little too much going on and the main storyline gets a little lost. Overall though, it's an enjoyable read and a well-written story.

I finished this book so quickly, I HAD to know how it ended. As a Houstonian myself, I really enjoyed the setting in which some of this story took place. I really liked the characters and I appreciated the humor coming from each one. I'd probably describe this novel as a "dramady" (a comedy and drama wrapped up in one). I hope my fellow readers can find some joy in this novel like I did.

The style of writing and "dark humor" were fairly entertaining, but there were a lot of parts that seemed to be just thrown in for the writers sake of writing them. Overall, the book was pretty fun in many parts but I found myself skimming over long sections of stories that didn't seem related much to the actual story.
I appreciate the ARC from NetGaleey in exchange for my opinion.

I am sorry to say that I didn't really connect with the characters or plot of this book, I hope other readers enjoy it more.

📚book review:
A Feral Chorus by Matthew J. White • general fiction / humour •pub 2023

A huge thanks to @netgalley and #booksgosocial for gifting a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Guy, a law school drop-out turned used car salesman, takes another u-turn in life when he finds himself on an unexpected road trip in the USA searching for answers and reflecting on how his life has ended up the way it has.

My thoughts:
This book had some fun characters and humorous (slap stick-ish) dialogue as well as some interesting detours. I did find this novel a little hard for me to connect with at parts and found myself skimming through some sections.

Feral Chorus by Matthew White starts off with a call from his Aunt Imogene looking for his Uncle Harry, who is not home at the usual time from the office. So begins the tale of law student/ used car salesman Matt in an unorthodox romp from Houston to New Orleans in search of a missing wife and, more importantly, himself. This is a tongue-in-cheek story full of humor, mostly noir, of how to handle whatever life throws at you. Every person in the book is quite a character, and every character has suffered at the hands of life, but none take it lying down. The writing is reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen and Tim Dorsey, but the development is totally original.The totality of voices in Matt’s life in the story are indeed a feral chorus of everyday crazy life that can get in the way of our dreams, or define them. The message is that sometimes we are right where we need to be. Kudos to Mr. White!

A Feral Chorus by Matthew J. White is about a car salesman's attempts to salvage his marriage and his ambitions.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book. I read about 20% of the way through, but I found it hard to connect with the narrator, mainly because I found that the sentences were too long, as in there were too many unnecessary words which got in the way of me being able to connect with the story.

This was a great, humorous book that kept me engaged the entire time! I didn't know what to really expect going into it, but I had a wonderful time reading A FERAL CHORUS.

I loved the characters and descriptions of the settings. My only complaint is that it could do with some editing. Felt like it had quite a bit of filler, and I found myself hoping the author would just get on with the story. One example is a character describing a movie he saw. The description and retelling of the movie's plot just felt like filler and added nothing to the story.

I really enjoyed reading this, it worked as a humor novel and it was a great plot going on. I enjoyed how Matthew J. White wrote this, it did what I was hoping it would. I was invested in the story and hooked from the first page. I'm excited to read more from Matthew J. White.

"The cop pulled a device off his belt and pecked at the screen like a European waiter ringing up dinner table-side. After a minute or two of this rather inefficient data entry, a pink piece of paper rumbled out of the top of the machine. He tore it off, handed it to me, and took great pleasure in pointing out my appearance date in municipal court on a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of traffic."