I think fans of Jason Pargin's prior work will enjoy this new stand alone novel. If you haven't read anything by Jason Pargin before, this is a great place to start as this is probably his most accessible book to date since it isn't horror or sci-fi. Don't worry, it still contains some of the humor we have come to expect, although more subdued than in past novels. Jason has a real talent for unloading a lot of interesting and useful information without boring the reader. I think this book has an important message that you don't hear anyone else talking about. I believe the world would be a much more pleasant place if we could all change our perspective and have gratitude for how good we really have it instead of focusing on the negatives. I found the pacing to be great and finished this quickly and enjoyed every minute of it.

What do you do when a random woman orders a rideshare and then asks you to drive her and her mystery box across the country, for $200,000 dollars? Well, if you’re Abbott Coburn, apparently you agree. You leave behind all your electronics and head east on an old fashioned road trip. What could possibly go wrong? A mysterious box in an SUV headed toward DC could never lead to any sort of wild speculation, right?

This book was not what I expected. I tried to go in with zero expectations, but as we all know that’s basically impossible. So I expected, while this was a standalone novel, it would function much like his other works: a story taking place in our world, but not really. The John, Dave, and Amy books are cosmic horror comedies, and the Zoey Ashe series is a near future, sci-fi series, so they deal with modern day topics through the lenses and expectations of those genres. I’ve always liked that about Pargin’s work. It is close enough that the real world problems are there, but they are exaggerated by the fantastical elements the genres bring and allows for them to be talked about in really interesting ways. . . with fart jokes. This book was the most uncomfortable reading experience I’ve had reading a Jason Pargin novel and that’s not a bad thing.

With none of the trappings of horror and sci-fi through which to filter the discussions of humanity, you are left with a story, set in a very real world, that can be uncomfortable to inhabit. Every POV character has a valid point. Every POV character makes bad choices. There seems to be no good guy to root for. There seems to be no bad guy to root against. They are all just people. Making their way through life, making the best choices they can, with what information they have, in the most difficult world: ours. But isn’t that kind of the point?

This book has compelling characters, a fun plot, and a lot to say about how humans interact with each other, in person and online. And if you’re interested in discussions about online spaces and how they have been affecting our lives for the last 30 years, this is a very entertaining way to approach that subject matter.

As a long time fan, this story felt new while also staying true to the voice Jason has cultivated over his previous seven books. The ability to discuss difficult topics in a nuanced way has always been my favorite thing about Jason Pargin's work, and that is alive and well in Box of Doom.