So this book feels more like a lightly fictionalized memoir than a novel. The narrator is an early middle aged man who is reflecting back on his youth growing up on the North Side of Chicago with a group of five other male friends. It explores how early drinking shaped their social lives, interactions and relationships, with many maturing, evolving and pursuing careers, families, marriage. Others struggle to find their place in the group, in society and use alcohol as a crutch. A key plot point refers around a prank that may/may not have changed the trajectory of a key relationship in the book. It's fine, not a must read -- but if you live in or know Chicago, you will enjoy the specific cultural references, sites and sounds of the City.

I’m sorry but I didn’t get to this book before its archive date. I hope to read it in the future as the description was intriguing and prompted me to request an ARC of it.

Really solid. The biggest part that stood out is how real this felt, I seldom walk away from a book really loving the male protagonist but here it was easy to empathize and visualize.

I could of read more of this and even wished for a tiny bit more plot but I also loved that it didn’t veer away from the little, small, unimportant parts of life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Great Disasters” by Grady Chambers is a beautifully written coming of age novel following 6 young men through high school and beyond. We follow these men as they face a country facing and entering war as well as a plethora of other things as they age. With age, we do see the group grow apart in various ways, but the novel shows how these connections can persist after years apart.

The writing was exquisite- I found myself underlying many passages. More character driver than plot driven, but that is something I enjoy. I did enjoy the ending as well.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

I look forward to reading whatever Grady Chambers writes next!

Wow! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! This book will leave you wanting for more and the characters and storyline stick with you long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and pick up this page-turner!

An intense and moving chronicle of six young men, from high school through adulthood, experiencing new relationships, marriage, parenthood, loyalties, alcohol abuse, mental illness, and trauma, amid wars in Iran and Afghanistan, and U.S. administrations. It was political, naturally, but I enjoyed it. Well-written, and a great new voice in literary fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House Books for giving me the opportunity to read this galley.

A beautiful story of friendship. I really enjoyed the writing and storytelling. Atmosphere was amazing and I really cared about these characters.

I feel badly writing this review about a debut author, but this book was simply not good. It seems the author was trying to work through some personal things and tried to turn a memoir into a novel and failed on both accounts. Aside from the story meandering all around between time periods and being more about the main character's former friend than himself, the historical inaccuracies absolutely enraged me. Yes, the author included a note about how some major historical events were changed, but I'm talking about simple things like the fact that teenagers did not have cell phones with traffic map capabilities in 2003. Or cell phones they could text regularly on in 2001. The description made it sound like it was going to be like A Little Life.. and maybe it was trying to be a little bit? But it was just a mess.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is a thought-provoking and ultimately powerful novel about a group of teen-aged boys and their travels through life. Alcohol plays a major role in their lives, from high school through adulthood. Different events, from the seemingly insignificant youthful pranks to wars, politics, and personal relationships, influence their decisions and the paths they would follow.

As I was following the incidents portrayed by the narrator as he reflects on his life and actions, I began to think about our own decisions along the way, and how unpredictable events, both large and small, shape the course of our lives.

Great Disasters (2025)
By Grady Chambers
Tin House/Norton, 256 pages.
★★★★

Have you ever hung out with a group of people throughout high school and felt so close to them that you assumed you’d be BFF? If so, you probably won’t be surprised when I assert that it usually doesn’t work out that way. That’s one meaning of Great Disasters, the debut novel of Grady Chambers, who has hitherto been known mostly as a poet. A second meaning is that alcohol abuse was a central feature of the friendship between the six boys/young men from middle school until middle age. Third, our narrator and central character, Graham Katz, has trouble maintaining connections to anyone by the time he reaches adulthood.

Chambers’ novel follows seven Chicago area individuals: the handsome but brash Ryan, his girlfriend Jana who is a ballet dancer, David who comes from wealth, Eduardo known as Caesar because of his love of pizza, Ben whose desire to improve the world gained the nicknames of “Club Kid” and “Greenpeace,” Neil, and Ricky. The six boys were all hockey players though one wonders how, as they were so often drunk. I don’t mean weekend binges, I mean toasted more times than they are sober. They drink in homes, at parties, at get aways, on the beaches of Lake Michigan, at hockey camp….

Although each will spend time away from Chicago–Ryan will serve in Afghanistan–one of the more interesting parts of Great Disasters is that the characters observe many of the nation’s disasters–9/11, Desert Storm, antiwar demonstrations, the housing bubble, recession, Trump’s election–away from the Eastern Seaboard. Insofar as Graham is concerned, Obama’s election is about the only thing that brought him joy. Put another way, in this coming of age novel, Graham has trouble doing so. He always thought that Ryan and Jana had a love that would endure forever, though he and his buddies sometimes did stupid stuff that jeopardized it. For the most part, Graham is sullen and perhaps suffers from OCD; he is the pessimist to his parents’ hopeful activism, messes up a research grant, and is bored with his post-college job. From high school on he has a string of girlfriends, none of whom are more important than drinking.

Here's another experience that you might have had. Did you ever get together with old friends and try to rekindle old times? Maybe get drunk or high and rehash old battles and memories? Of course, come Monday morning there are jobs, spouses, kids, perhaps an interview or a report that the boss needs. Such a weekend takes place on Long Island at one of David’s homes, a phrase that tells you his life has changed dramatically. Several friends, including Ryan, have gone through AA programs. His life is still complicated, but he too is married and has kids to consider. Graham is a writer, but for all intents and purposes, he is stuck in the past.

This is a very good novel, though it must be said that Chambers’ release suffers from bad timing. By this I mean that though set ups and circumstances are different, it bears similarities to Fredrik Backman’s My Friends. It’s very hard to tread upon even tangentially similar themes and compete with Backman, especially given Backman’s mastery of leavening humor to offset challenging material. Chambers’ novel certainly showcases comparable comradery, but given that Graham is akin to Peter Pan, the little boy who refuses to grow up, there is a tragic tinge to Great Disasters.

Two small glitches. It seems like a cop out to make Graham to narrator and alleged novelist of the same story. I also think the novel could have been benefitted from losing a character or two. This is especially the case given that Neil and Caesar have thin stories, whereas Graham’s high school girlfriend Sam(antha) has a bigger role than either of them.

Chambers is a gifted writer who takes us inside Graham’s confused mind, but Graham is also a hard character to like at times. Great Disasters is pegged as a novel about enduring friendship, but that’s not how I read it. If anything, it’s about testosterone poisoning and the destructive power of alcoholism. It’s a powerful work, but I’d recommend you leave a gap between reading Backman and Chambers, It would be another “disaster” to miss this one.

Rob Weir

#GreatDisasters #NetGalley

I found Great Disasters both relatable and bittersweet. It's A poignant story I think most people could relate to, filled with yearning for belonging.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC provided by the publisher, but unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.

The prose and pacing didn’t click with me, and while the story itself is clearly an important one, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. About a third of the way in, I decided to set it aside.

The writing often felt borderline pretentious, and while I can enjoy a vivid description of an otherwise ordinary moment, this book was essentially a collection of those passages strung together. It read more like a series of “one-liners” than a flowing narrative.

That said, I can see myself possibly revisiting it down the road—but not anytime soon.

I can always count on beautiful writing from an author who starts out as a and Grady Chambers doesn't disappoint. the writing is beautiful, I wish could say the same for the story.
I should have known from the title that this wasn't going to be an uplifting story, but I found it incredibly depressing. When these boys started drinking at 14, I was expecting a disaster due to an horrific accident. Instead, the disaster, still driven by alcohol-fogged schoolboys, was more of a prank with consequences delved out by Jana, the only mature teenager in the group.
I was disappointed that Graham never admitted to alcoholism nor acknowledged that much of his isolation and depression was a result of that disease. I was disappointed that his friends, who somehow survived their alcohol abuse, never had the courage to confront him about it.. I was disappointed that the parents seemed absent from their lives (but maybe that was intended), yet for decades the media has portrayed Mellinnials as victims of "helicopter" parents. I didn't see a single rotor hovering over these boys. I don't expect good novels to have a tidy ending every time, but this one really seemed to beg for more resolution.
On a personal note, I'm a Boomer and have an only child, privileged and single for many years. She is the same age as Graham Katz, the narrator of the novel. Her world view mirrors Graham's and it breaks my heart. She only sees disaster, so why bring life into that world?

I was offered the chance to read an advanced copy of a debut novel to be published in November written by Grady Chambers called “Great Disasters” from its publisher, Tin House. It sounded interesting, being described as a coming of age novel about six men and their enduring friendships, moving between memories of their times together in junior high and high school and young adulthood to consider the meanings of friendship, love, protests, and other life lessons.  I received my advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley, and my review of the novel is voluntary.

While the book is just over 250 pages long, it seemed longer to me, as I found much of it to be dull and uninteresting. I was encouraged to read it because it was said to be beautifully written and profoundly moving. While I agree that the overall writing was good, I did not find the story moving, nor did I like its structure. It constantly jumps back and forth in time without rhyme or reason and generally seemed disorganized, like just a bunch of random thoughts thrown together haphazardly. Some parts of it were well done and interesting, while I found other sections lacking.

The characters had no depth. All began drinking and taking drugs at a very young age, and only two admitted to being alcoholics. I suspect the main protagonist, who is the narrator, also to be one, and although he claims throughout to be self-reflective and introspective, it doesn’t appear to me to be the case. Basically, the book was disappointing to me and left me wanting, though I saw moments of great possibility.

This novel centered around a group of childhood friends and their lives as they grow older. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. It is told from the point of view of one of the friends and his observations of things that happen in their lives. While normally I enjoy multi-timeline novels, I thought this one jumped around a lot, without really indicating to the time you were jumping to. Alcoholism was really a center to almost every story told by Graham throughout the book, with sobriety and mental health factors as well. While those are all very important topics, I felt some of that was repetitive, but then maybe that was the point. Overall, I thought the book was heavy and I personally did not enjoy the politics brought into it, though I understand why for the story around one friend that ends up enlisting. I did enjoy following the characters throughout their lives, seeing the consequences of their actions, etc., but I felt like we need a prologue set 5 or 10 years later.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

this book truly captures the idea of the butterfly effect, which hit home for me. (i literally have a tattoo of it) although i was not in my formative teenage years during 9/11 & the events that followed, (i was just born at that time lol) this was still very thought provoking & emotional for me. i do think if you were a bit older than me, it would probably be a better read for you since you got to experience these events first hand.
this was mainly a character study of their friend group & it was told in a sporadic timeline which kept me invested. beautifully nostalgic writing even when covering such heavy topics. since this is pretty political, it covers a lot of topics like 9/11, iraq & afghanistan wars, protests, bush, trump, & biden’s administration. it also touches a lot on alcoholism, sobriety & mental health issues. the characters were well fleshed out & you really felt a part of the group while reading their story over the years.

A gripping and heartfelt exploration of resilience in the face of catastrophe. The Great Disasters masterfully weaves compelling characters and vivid storytelling into a narrative that stays with you long after the last page. Grady Chambers delivers a powerful story about survival, community, and hope.

This story follows the main character Graham as he looks back on his life, specifically as it revolves around his childhood friends. He stayed in touch with most of them, but the childhood ‘ringleader’ joined the army, partially spurred by 9/11 has lost touch with him. I found this story very nostalgic and written with love. How quickly it can seem that those who know us best become those we barely know at all.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy what could have been, regret, and youthful friends that stay and those that don’t.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

This debut novel offers a tender, beautifully observed coming-of-age tale that captures the essence of youth with quiet empathy. It's reminiscent of a lyric poem in prose form, heartfelt and reflective. Chambers’s background as a poet shines through every scene, giving the novel a gentle rhythm that lingers long after you’ve set it down. Its small cast of characters—six young men on the cusp of adulthood—is both intimate and deeply affecting. I found myself rooting for them, moved by the universality of their dreams and vulnerabilities. This is a book that feels like meeting a new friend who understands your hidden parts.

As someone who has struggled with addiction, I appreciated the way the author described and spoke on how small habits and then a bigger event often triggers those struggling into a downward spiral. While the narrator eluded to his issue, it told a story of real life, watching others get help and/or find sobriety while you continue to struggle. No one else's sobriety can get you sober, it must be for you. I wanted to know more about the friend group, as it mostly focused on Ryan and quick tales of all the others. I really enjoyed the way the author intertwined the flashbacks into his writing, blending them quickly into a storyline and then moving along. I wanted to learn more about each season of life the narrator went through, as it seemed very surface-level in order to move through time quicker than I would have wanted. Not a ton of character depth, just the narrator making observations and explaining idiosyncrasies picked up from these. This has much potential to be a tour de force, but everything just stayed a bit too high-level for where I wanted it to go. All in all, loved the storytelling and the author's voice, but would have loved a bit deeper dive.