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A review by thebakersbooks
Mr. Big Empty by Gregory Ashe
5.0
4.5/5 stars — a gritty, twist-filled story I devoured in one sitting
Mr. Big Empty is a novel whose characters range from morally gray to entirely monstrous. The backdrop, a seedy small town in Wyoming, showcases the worst of humanity. Finally, the book's events necessitate a double handful of trigger/content warnings (see below for my partial list). In short, it's not the kind of story I expected to love.
I came for the psychic kid detective story and stayed for the psychic himself. Vie, the main character, is sixteen-year-old with a tortured past and an infinitesimally brighter future. He's often his own worst enemy, which I found relatable. Despite his jaded nature, Vie is endearingly quick to stand up for the disadvantaged and refreshingly at ease with his sexuality.
The story itself is tense and chilling. Vie's psychic ability forces him to see people's worst (or sometimes most emotional) memories, a power he turns to solving the mystery of a fellow classmate's disappearance. Suffice it to say I did not correctly guess the person behind the crime, but the groundwork was properly laid.
I think this is a book you'll either love or hate. It's much darker than my usual fare, and I might not have picked it up if I'd been aware of some of the potentially triggering content. However, I enjoyed Ashe's prose, the main character's voicy snark, and even the bleak setting. This is a four-book series and I'm hoping for more character growth for Vie, particularly regarding his powers and placing trust in others.
** content warnings (the major ones; there are MANY, so err on the side of caution): self-harm, attempted suicide, child abuse, child neglect, homophobia and homophobic slurs, implied rape, murder, explicit violence, drug abuse **
Edited to add: a) I didn't realize this was self-published! b) I saw a couple of reviews complaining about typos, but although I noticed several, none of them interfered with my reading flow or understanding of the prose.
Mr. Big Empty is a novel whose characters range from morally gray to entirely monstrous. The backdrop, a seedy small town in Wyoming, showcases the worst of humanity. Finally, the book's events necessitate a double handful of trigger/content warnings (see below for my partial list). In short, it's not the kind of story I expected to love.
I came for the psychic kid detective story and stayed for the psychic himself. Vie, the main character, is sixteen-year-old with a tortured past and an infinitesimally brighter future. He's often his own worst enemy, which I found relatable. Despite his jaded nature, Vie is endearingly quick to stand up for the disadvantaged and refreshingly at ease with his sexuality.
The story itself is tense and chilling. Vie's psychic ability forces him to see people's worst (or sometimes most emotional) memories, a power he turns to solving the mystery of a fellow classmate's disappearance. Suffice it to say I did not correctly guess the person behind the crime, but the groundwork was properly laid.
I think this is a book you'll either love or hate. It's much darker than my usual fare, and I might not have picked it up if I'd been aware of some of the potentially triggering content. However, I enjoyed Ashe's prose, the main character's voicy snark, and even the bleak setting. This is a four-book series and I'm hoping for more character growth for Vie, particularly regarding his powers and placing trust in others.
** content warnings (the major ones; there are MANY, so err on the side of caution): self-harm, attempted suicide, child abuse, child neglect, homophobia and homophobic slurs, implied rape, murder, explicit violence, drug abuse **
Edited to add: a) I didn't realize this was self-published! b) I saw a couple of reviews complaining about typos, but although I noticed several, none of them interfered with my reading flow or understanding of the prose.