‘The Nix’ by Nathan Hill tells the story of Samuel Andresen-Anderson, a thirty-something college professor with writer’s block whose estranged mother Faye is arrested for throwing rocks at a conservative Presidential candidate and subsequently portrayed in the media as a radical hippie. Samuel is on the verge of being sued by his publisher for failing to produce the novel he received a huge advance for several years earlier and in order to avoid bankruptcy, he must write a biography of his mother who he hasn’t seen for over twenty years. However, his quest for information about Faye reveals that she has a far more complex past than he ever imagined.

The first thing to say about ‘The Nix’ is that it is very long, or sprawling as some might say, clocking in at over 600 pages. As with almost any novel of significant length, there are sections which could have been subject to some harsher editing and as a result, the story tends to go off on some fairly long descriptive tangents. However, the plot is skilfully constructed in such a way that none of the subplots or characters could easily have been edited out completely which is a pretty remarkable achievement. All of the different elements of Samuel’s family story are essential to the plot and the supporting characters are equally well drawn, from his childhood friends Bishop and Bethany to his grandfather’s early adulthood in Norway during the Second World War through to Faye’s upbringing in Iowa and involvement in the countercultural movement in Chicago in 1968.

The second thing to say about ‘The Nix’ is that it is a satirical novel which is genuinely and consistently funny throughout. The passages from the 2011 strand of the story about the effects of Samuel and his online friends’ addiction to the computer game Elfscape – not a million miles away from a possible ‘Black Mirror’ style scenario – and his meeting with serial plagiarist student Laura Pottsdam are particularly brilliant. I think comedy is one of the most difficult things to pull off convincingly in fiction – Hill not only manages to do this repeatedly in several different contexts but also balances the satire effectively against the more poignant aspects of the story.

‘The Nix’ has been mentioned in virtually all of the “ones to watch” lists and for very good reason. Yes, it could have been shorter, but above all, it is a hugely entertaining and very well written debut novel. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a review copy via NetGalley.

I became completely immersed in this debut novel about a man who searches for the truth surrounding his estranged mother. The narrative switches between 2011 and the Chicago riots of 1968 without losing pace. It successfully explores a range of themes from family and forgiveness to gender and politics. I would definitely recommend this book.

I’d glanced at ratings for this book (uniformly four or five stars from my book reading friends) and had read enough of the accompanying commentaries to know that this was a big book (over 600 pages) covering a lump of time from the late 1960’s onward. I’d also gleaned that it was a family saga, with some political history thrown in for good measure. All good so far. What I’d no doubt have discovered if I’d dug a little deeper is that this book is brilliantly written in a style that reminded me of esteemed pensmiths such as Donna Tartt and Tom Wolfe. It also includes a wry and often hilarious look at how social media and online gaming have gainined such a foothold in the lives of so many people in the 21st Century.

It’s a book that jumps back and forth in time; early on we meet an eleven-year-old Samuel (Sam) Andresen-Anderson, a boy who cries a good deal. He is befriended by Bishop, a similarly aged, confident boy from his neighbourhood who already has career ambitions to be a soldier. Bishop introduces Sam to Bethany, his twin sister. Sam is instantly entranced by Bethany. The first major trauma in Sam’s life has already been signalled in the opening of the book but now it’s acted out in full: his mother, having clearly planned her escape in advance, walks away from the family home, never to return. Later the loose ends left by these early encounters and events will be fleshed out – deliciously so.

As the story plays forward we see that Sam has become an English literature professor and is having problems with one of his students. Laura Pottsdam decided some time ago that cheating her way to a degree is the way to go and she’s not happy that Sam has rumbled the fact that her latest paper is an act of pure plagiarism. Sam really is too busy keeping up with her vast array of acquaintances on the social network iFeel to have time to actually research and write a paper of her own. Not one to bow down to authority, Laura will find a way of combatting her professor’s annoying accusation, that for sure.

Sam is very much the lead character here and it’s through him we continue to meet the rest of the cast, even as we start to realise what a mess his life really is. It would appear that as an aspiring writer he managed to secure a substantial advance for a book he has yet to write. The money is, of course, already spent and the publisher is now demanding the return of the lucre. To add to Sam’s woes, he has no woman in his life and all his non-working time is entirely taken up by his addiction to an on-line game called World of Elfscape (easily identified as a close cousin of a certain ever expanding game my nineteen-year-old son seems similarly addicted to!) We will spend quite a bit of time in Word of Elsfscape, where we will also meet ‘Pwnage’ the game name for a fellow gaming addict and acknowledged master Eflscape raider – and probably my favourite character of all.

I’m not giving much away here as all these events occur very early on. From this point the fractured narrative takes us on a big ride through the decades as major events unfold, questions are asked and answered and the lives of our characters are lived. It’s a truly spectacular piece of fiction. The novel mixes serious observation on real events (though the author has confessed he took some liberties with the fine detail), deep personal tragedy and absolute hilarity. And it does all of this brilliantly well, whilst telling a complex and compelling story the kept me glued to the text throughout.

If I were looking for a criticism, it might be that there are some sections that do jabber on a bit. Could some passages have been selectively pruned? Well yes, but I’m not sure that this would have improved the book, in fact I think it would have been to its overall detriment. I believe these rambles are part of the soul of this piece. The writing is top drawer and each character and each event has its place in the overall puzzle. At no point did I become lost in the maze or bored by a particular character or switched off by a protracted rant – it all fits together, it’s all part of the overall prize. Reading this book was a wonderful adventure and I’m really sad I’ll not be waking up tomorrow to eagerly gobble up the next chapter or two. I already miss it.

I was given a free copy of The Nix to give an honest review for Net Galley. Samuel is a struggling lecturer, previously predicted to be one of the next big writers but stagnating in a job he loathes, and his only comfort is his increasing submersion in the computer game World of Elfscape. When he discovers that his mother, Faye, who abandoned him at the age of 11 has committed a ridiculous act that finds her facing trial by media, as well as numerous charges with lengthy penalties, Samuel is manipulated into regaining contact with her. But this renewed contact and his investigation into her past reveal how very little he has ever known about her.

This is a story of political protest and turmoil, the peace movements of the 1960s, identity, duty, family conflict, the Norwegian Nix and a bit of romance. It has it all. It starts a little slowly but is well worth persevering with as this is an excellent work of literature. I particularly enjoyed reading about Faye and Samuel’s individual histories, every new thing you learn about Faye making sense of her actions later on. The sections at the protest in 1968 made for thrilling reading. A must-read.

Oh my, what a book and what a start to the reading year. A synopsis of this book wouldn't do it any justice in the slightest as the scope and depth of the writing is miles ahead of so many other books right now. A quick overview is that Samuel is a college professor coasting through life while lamenting the writing career which never was and the lost love who never quite was when he learns that his estranged mother, Faye, has been arrested for assaulting a politician. Desperate for a kick start for his writing career and keen to learn about the mother who abandoned him as a child, Samuel starts picking apart Faye's story.

The character studies in this book are what makes it so beautifully readable. Samuel has to deal with a troublesome student who plagiarises an essay and while what should be a routine situation escalates we then learn more about his student's life, her motives and how easy it is for her to fall into the role of victim. The scope of the book is huge, it covers the online gaming world, the 60s protest movement in Chicago, small town rural life, the list goes on. It's an incredibly absorbing book and for all of its 600 plus pages doesn't waste a word. This will be one of the most talked about books of 2017 and quite rightly so.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I found the story long winded and it didn't appeal to me.

I'm quite wary when it comes to enormous books and The Nix makes a quality doorstop at well over 600 pages. But when I saw comparisons to the work of John Irving and David Foster Wallace, I felt like I had to give it a shot. Twenty pages in, I knew it was a good decision and I hungrily devoured the rest of this glorious novel over my Christmas break.

Samuel Andreson-Anderson is a Professor of English at a small American university. Deserted by his mother Faye without explanation when he was 11 years old, he now lives an unfulfilling existence and spends most of his free time on a World of Warcraft style MMO game called Elfscape. But when Faye becomes a viral sensation for a spontaneous attack on a Presidential candidate, Samuel is forced to confront his past and decides to seek answers for the devastating abandonment that changed his whole life.

This novel is absolutely bursting at the seams with ideas (perhaps *too* many). It is as if Hill has thrown everything including the kitchen sink into his debut effort. Throughout the course of the story, he manages to address a dizzying array of topics as diverse as the circus of American politics, gaming culture, social media addiction and the ongoing cable news frenzy. Not all of it is necessary, and some of it should probably have been excised, but it all serves to demonstrate his dazzling abilities and versatility as a writer.

The book that The Nix reminds me of most is The Goldfinch, and this is no bad thing. Much like Donna Tartt's wonderful novel, this story is at its most engaging when tackling a child's profound longing for an absent mother. I admit that I found certain aspects of the plot implausible, such as (view spoiler) But there is so much to love in this sprawling tale. Characters like Samuel's mischievous childhood friend Bishop and the well-intentioned guild master Pwnage will live long in my memory. When The Nix is good, it is *very* good and you can forgive some of the less engaging detours. One thing's for certain: Nathan Hill is the real deal, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

4.5 stars. This is a big book: in page count, in cast, in time-periods and settings. The writing style and the scope definitely reminds me of John Irving. Not once in this over 600 page book did I become bored, I loved that I could never guess what would happen next. I can't believe that this is a debut, the writing is amazing, not beautiful or flowery, but smart and insightful. I especially enjoyed Pwnage's and Laura's stories that looks at the effects of technology on our world and our lives. I highly recommend this book, it will take you various places, introduce you to very interesting characters, and share some wonderful (and witty) ideas.

The Story: The book centers on would-be writer Samuel, who goes in search of the true story of his mother, who abandoned the family when he was a child and gets caught on camera throwing rocks at a politician.

This is a book that is both funny and cynical. Three stories are interwoven - that of Faye, who grows up in rural Iowa, her son Samuel's childhood, which is interrupted when she suddenly leaves the family home, and then the present day, when Samuel is working as an English college professor and is re-united with his mother after she becomes a notorious figure both admired and reviled after she throws small rocks at a right wing presidential candidate.
Along the way there are some hilarious (if cynical) insights into contemporary US culture, where gamers collapse after spending so long conquering goblins that they don't have time to drink and where students have a sense of entitlement that endures even when they plagiarise essays. There is a rather wonderful chapter on the realities of the 'post truth' world we now live in.
An engaging and virtuoso read, if not always comfortable.