Hell of a Book: A Novel by Jason Mott
A Review By: SY
In Jason Mott’s Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: Mott’s novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour.
As these characters’ stories build and converge, they astonish. For while this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it’s also about the nation’s reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America.
Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? Unforgettably told, with characters who burn into your mind and an electrifying plot ideal for book club discussion, Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head for the last ten years. And in its final twists, it truly becomes its title.
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2020
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): JD Jackson, Ronald Peet
"The South is America's longest running crime scene."
Hell of A Book is a fascinating observation that is equal parts experiencing and passively witnessing Blackness in America.
Author Jason Mott takes an interesting tack in telling a generations-old story: racism in America. In Hell of A Book, the fictional accounts of a Black, best-selling traditionally published author on a book tour and the journey of a young, extremely dark-skinned boy in a small southern town don't seem to have much relationship to one another. The popular author is seemingly oblivious to the world around him - overindulges in alcohol and sex, while absorbing mainstream acclaim and providing his fans with scripted diatribes about what his latest smash novel means. The intersection of his character arc with that of the young boy are delivered in a fascinating fashion and rightfully challenges the listener about our responsibilities to use our voices for social justice. The story methodically - but cleverly - reminds people of the constant ebb and flow between concession and rage that defines the Black experience in the U.S.
The selection of JD Jackson and Ronald Peet to co-narrate this project is excellent. Peet's smooth, melodic voice taps into the solemn undertone of the young boy's story, while Jackson provides the quirky, offbeat personality of the famed author. Mr. Jackson's subtle shift in tone as his character becomes more self-aware is slight, but feels intentional and necessary. Both narrators are fantastic and give the right cadence to lull listeners into this unorthodox story.
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: 5 (I need another one!)
Content Warnings? Physical abuse/violence
