If you like dull tales of non stop simmering violence for no purpose you might like this story but probably not, because it's so repetitive and tiresome. Even stuck at an airport with nothing else to read, I opted for staring into space rather than reading about this unlikeable character who lists the inane things that happened to him in any given way. Wish I hadn't wasted £1 reserving this in the library. How it got onto the same lists as the likes of Sloane Crosley is beyond me.

strange but great

I will not apologize for enjoying Matt Sumell's Making Nice. The book's interrelated stories essentially constitute a novel, albeit a work that's rude, crude and assuredly offensive to many. Too bad for those who interpret the book with such shortsightedness. I found Making Nice a genuine representation packed full of real-world vernacular, experiences, issues and emotions. Sumell deserves credit for authoring such an honest book that effectively and poignantly--movingly, even--explores the pain of loss, aging and unrealized dreams.

I guess someone might like to spend time with a literary experiment featuring crass and angry people, but I don't.

alby is a vivid character, that's for sure. having experience with the central plot of this (death of a parent), i was probably too frustrated with him to really enjoy (or read without projecting). that said, i laughed out loud quite a few times, but in the end, this was too disjointed. i think i would have liked this in small chunks, blog post style or something.

Picked up this book BECAUSE of the reviews, calling it hilariously raw, and it does not disappoint. It as an absolute clusterfuck, but a beautiful one at that. Alby is a deeply flawed character grappling with the loss of his mother and his own self destructive tendencies and anger issues. I was surprised by how many negative reviews the book has gotten due to Alby’s lack of self improvement and chaotic writing style, but those are the qualities I most enjoyed.
Alby IS a deeply flawed character who doesn’t improve, that’s the entire point. His actions are frustrating, but it leads an interesting

I can't bring myself to finish this book, which almost never happens. I get that the protagonist is "raw" and "unfiltered" but at some point the rape jokes, recklessness and violence has to develop into something in order to keep it interesting. It's described as "hilarious" but truthfully, it's stale. The "raw-ness" of the lead character isn't wild and honest, it's unimaginative and boring. I think Sumell has done a good job with other aspects of the book but they all get buried beneath Alby. At times you lose track of where the story is headed or coming from because Alby goes into some long-winded, overwrought excuse for his violence or offensiveness.

I tried, I really did.

I'm not sure why I went ahead and decided to read this book. Something about the description must have captured me, but the opening chapter turned me off. i put it down for a few days, but then I kept reading. And I laughed. I laughed out loud! And I felt compassion and even an affection for the crazy narrator, Alby, as well as for his family. I was also inspired to keep reading since I grew up on Long Island, which is the main setting for this story. So the book had a couple of things going for it, including the fact that i found myself laughing out loud quite often.

Alby is an angry young man--think Holden Caufield meets a straight David Sedaris--he is disillusioned, and from a highly dysfunctional but loving family,grieving over the loss of his mother and trying to deal with the inability of his dad to cope with the loss. Their family is dysfunctional to start with, as so many families are. Alby drinks, fights, and is almost completely unable to control his impulses to do and say the whatever comes into his head. He is clearly a man of actin. But he is also a very sensitive person. When you get to know Alby, you might even like him. Many people do. And he is also someone who is has a natural love for the helpless and the hurt.

Don't expect an amazingly written and beautiful novel, but this might be something you could take a chance on. The writing reflects the gritty nature of a family that has experienced great loss and pain, reflected in one family member. Alby is funny, angry, horrible, and lovable all at the same time. you might even need a tissue. The honest story makes up for the lack of polish in the writing, and was actually suitable, since Albvy is anything but polished. I'd give Mr Sumell a chance again.

***LANGUAGE ALERT!!!***
If you are easily offended by bad language, or base talk about sexual acts, this is NOT the book for you. Do not read this. If you can accept that some characters (and people) use this language as a regular part of their vocabulary, and that it is part of what makes this book work, than you may do okay. I had a hard time when I first started reading the book because of this language, but then you see who he is, and how it is necessary to understand the narrator.

While others have said this book is laugh out loud funny and hilarious, I found it very difficult to read. It's one part self loathing mixed with one part family disfunction and one part grief. There was nothing funny reading about how the main character, Alby, drank himself silly, treated his family like crap, etc., etc., following his mothers death.

I attribute my negative reaction to the fact that I received an advance copy of Making Nice. The cover is a bright yellow and says, "Meet Alby. He's having trouble making nice." For some reason I interpreted this to mean the story was humorous and light hearted, something like David Sedaris. It's not. If the copy I received had more clearly outlined this is a story of grief and coping I may have enjoyed it much more. As it was, I had to force myself to finish it out of obligation for receiving the advance copy.