Book Review: Wayward Suns by Hamelin Bird

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“ . . . death, ladies and gentleman; that was the unspoken word of the day, the elephant in the room of our own sad lives.”

📚

It’s 1987, and Weston Mercer has a familiar routine: days passed in a drug-induced, TV-consumed haze; evenings spent at the local bar; and late nights whiled away watching his cousin’s notorious band. He’s depressed, the usual haunts and typical habits losing their sparkle, the people around him changing, and not for the better. And when a stranger comes into his life, Wes’s world alters irreparably, exposing him to grim possibilities that toe the line into insanity. Can he separate fact from fiction, or is he actually going insane?

Wayward Suns crafts a rich, singular atmosphere that makes it feel like an instant classic. Through its many endearing, laugh-out-loud moments surrounding the protagonist’s furious (and unwittingly hilarious) frustrations, it evokes shades of The Catcher in the Rye and Seventeen: funny, yet also heartfelt and intensely moving. The writing is smooth and layered, poetic and beautiful, genuine and shrewd to such a degree that the reader repeatedly pauses to admire the skill and perfection, as well as the precision and care that clearly went into crafting each sentence.

This is an introspective, character-driven slow-burn that immerses the reader in its reality: mundanity that rockets into chaos and horror. It’s bleak and unsettling, captivating and mystifying; there’s so much to appreciate and enjoy, from the fully-fleshed characters and fantastic dialogue to the complex plot and cinematic supernatural elements, as well as a delightful Double Vision crossover. In just over 200 pages, the storyline explores a range of topics and themes, including love, friendship, and mortality; addiction, obsession, and self-destruction; music, magic, and madness; Hell, evil, and the transcendental; and time, choice, and truth. It’s a bright spot of a novel and a brilliant exploration of life’s dark side.

Thank you to Hamelin Bird for gifting me a copy of this truly special coming-of-age tale.

🖤Amanda

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