For a novel that has the hallmarks of a roadtrip, this story is very claustrophobic, seeing events through the thoughts of the two male leads (and a 3rd character towards the end) and their own self-made prison of emotional immaturity, seething insecurities, and toxic masculinity. The novel feels as though it seizes the zeitgeist discussions around the challenges faced by (young) men in learning to integrate into a world which is feeding their darker sides.
To an extent, this book makes an interesting companion piece to last year’s Netflix series Adolescence, with that show looking in, while this book is seen from the inside-out. Where they differ, though, is in the cultural contexts. Adolescence feels very English, from the low key bureaucratic arrest at the start through to the cul-de-sac middle England of the final episode. Building this book around the great American idea of expansive and a roadtrip allows it to critique deeper on American culture. There are elements which touch on Kerouac’s On The Road (which also had problematic moments), the ages of the boys bring to mind Huckleberry Finn, and some of the scenery descriptions evoke classic Westerns. The hollow confidence shown by (some) American men, and the emotionally stunted archetype of the stoic, taciturn cowboy are all on display here in one form or another, and all feed into the downfall of the two boys.
Saying that, though, feels like drawing lines the author didn’t necessarily make. Where some possible causes are mentioned; first person shooter videos games because history isn’t a circle but it might be a spiral, the manosphere and books that run adjacent to it; lines are drawn and underlined. It’s only really on the final epilogue where we get another man’s perspective that the more likely causes of social isolation, limited emotional vocabulary and fluency, and fear of putting yourself out there are touched on.
Think I need a palate cleanser after this one.
