Public Opinion

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC.

Whew, this one was a ride. Buckle in and hold on tight.

Melvin is an online aficionado, crafting personas and shaping lives in the court of public opinion through the use of the internet. A hacker, some would say. Melvin has the ability to control the narrative through social media, media management, and and misinformation campaigns. He’s not just your average troll, though. Melvin works for Hollywood’s elite, taking care of problematic stories as they arise and shaping the narrative to reflect well (or at least less poorly) on his clients. The lengths that Melvin is willing to go to for the right amount of cash is jaw dropping. Everything can be fixed, and every fix has a price.

I haven’t ever read a story quite like this before. It read as part how-to guide to being a well rounded criminal, and part crime thriller. Melvin is taking us on a journey with him, and explaining everything that he’s doing along the way. This will be one of those stories that sticks with you for a long time.

There is not one character in this entire book that you’re going to love. You likely won’t even have the slightest bit of empathy towards any of this bunch. But you also will absolutely have to know what could come next after what you just read. Pettijohn captured a overwhelming sense of mystery around the main character in a way that was pure art. Melvin takes us right along with him through every nefarious step along the way, even going so far as to become our criminal professor, but as a reader I still wasn’t sure that I knew anything real about this guy.

After finishing this book, I can’t help but to wonder how much my opinions of the rich and famous have something to do with an army of Melvins that are out there shaping public opinion. How much here is a stretch for an entertaining story and how much is legitimately happening on a regular basis? Is Pettijohn a very talented storyteller, or is he just sticking to the facts? So. Many. Questions.

TL/DR: If you’re looking for a feel good novel, this isn’t for you. This one is going to touch on just about every trigger you could think of. You’re going to feel uncomfortable, unsettled, disturbed, and a little sad with humanity at points. But, Pettijohn is a talented storyteller and did an amazing job bringing his (unlikeable) characters to life. If you’re into the dark and twisty, saddle up and dive on in.

Public Opinion is a dark, witty and scandalous look at the underbelly of Hollywood and it is not for the faint of heart. It is graphic and uncomfortable and horrifying at times. And yet, I was strangely fascinated by it. I did love the writing style. The pace was pretty steady. The characters, while deplorable, were interesting. There are no heroes in this story, even our MC Melvin/Herb is pretty shady. Much like Joe Goldberg in the book You, since Public Opinion is written in Melvin’s POV, you start, not necessarily rooting for him, but understanding him and his easily bought, jump roping morality. Until he does something really awful and then you remember that he might not be the worst of the bunch, but that’s still not saying much. This book is 100% not for everyone. If you can’t get into unlikeable characters, I’d avoid it. But if you’re looking for something that’ll get you really out of your comfort zone and say “Jesus Christ” every other page, give it a go! This was far from my usual types of books, but I’m glad I went for it.

Unlike most back-of-book descriptions I’ve read, this one’s not too far off the mark. The only detail up for debate is that I don’t think Herb ever tries to build a conscience. The twist is that he ends up ruining his own life. The "no matter how" is true: he never backpeddles or thinks twice about having done what he has.

> "...since I’m dedicating my prime working years to protecting certain slimeballs online while destroying others, something deep inside me can sense that Ruby’s emotionally erratic behavior could someday destroy my life. There is, perhaps, some twisted sense of inevitable karma that subconsciously turns me on."

Public Opinion is worth a read for the nonfiction chunks, plus the "ethically agnostic" perspective character's millennial-age references like "Does this smell like chloroform to you?" It is what it is: a three-star book: I enjoyed it, but it's not getting put on any of my lists.

That said, you can't convince me Nathan Pettijohn is real after all that.

Public Opinion is not necessarily a book I would have gravitated towards. The protagonist, if you can call him that, is a liar, swindler, extortionist, tech savvy narcissist who has few redeeming qualities. Milton, or should I say Herb, is a Hollywood fixer who exacts revenge or extorts film critics using the Internet. He falls in love with a porn star and falls in with a real Hollywood heavy. Again, not a book that would generate my interest.

But I could not put it down! The writing is very good and the story moves along at a brisk pace. There is satire, but not laugh out loud humor. The scenarios seem implausible, but are they? Perhaps the book is more of a comment on the real Hollywood than most of us know. And more enlightening are the ways the Internet can be used to ruin lives and reputations. Much food for thought here.

I did not care much for the ending - it seemed a little too abrupt. Not what I anticipated, but it did have a touch of irony. All-in-all I enjoyed the book, I think in spite of myself.