Channelling Lewis Carroll andJonathan Swift.....</b>

Still battling to escape from guilt and PTSD thanks to the Vietnam war, Stan falls down a rabbit hole, or rather a gopher hole and embarks on a psychedelic journey taking us all over the place. Whilst letting this fantastical world play out his past comes more into focus. Moreover actions become so much clearer when seen through the lens of that pretty blue pill.

Whilst enjoying the writing, I found myself wishing for it to be shorter, would have been a tighter gem then.

An ARC gently given by author/publisher via Netgalley.

It took me a while to get into the story, be it the plot or the concept. The writing was straightforward and humorous at times but also emotional, which helped ease me into this rather extraordinary blend of fantasy and reality.
It is not fantasy in the traditional sense of fiction; there is no unique worldbuilding with an intricate power dynamic. It is almost the ramblings of a mind under too much emotional stress and prescription drugs to battle PTSD. I say almost because the distinction is blurred: We have evidence of other people also seeing the 'delusions' of the main characters or at least the aftermath. Until the end of the book, I was torn about making up my mind about the context but finally decided I did not have to be a hundred per cent sure of anything!
Our lead protagonist is a grizzled ex-Vietnam vet who works in a small town for the local newspaper. He makes a trip to Vietnam at the beginning of the book, and we continue to get flashes of his time in the army and his painful, conflicted memories from that time. This provides fuel to his ongoing disconnect from the world around him.
We have a murder mystery, a corporate takeover and an arsonist thrown into the mix. The magical gophers play a role in almost all the branches of the main story. We get a form of closure towards the end of the book, which made me like the book more than I thought I would going in. If the book was shorter, even by a little bit (given the weight of the content), I would have enjoyed it more. As it stands, I had to take many breaks in order to finish it.
It is a complicated insight into a troubled mind of an essentially good person, and I would still recommend it to anyone who liked either my review of the blurb!
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of This book via netgalley!

A man who brings home the Vietnam war due to the atrocities that he witnessed there. a man who struggles with his hallucinations while struggling to preserve his current life. A different and fascinating book.

This is a pretty good read that displays the author's imagination. The writing is solid and paced well, and I found it to be unpredictable. Recommended for fans of dark comedy.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!