No Names
September 21, 2025 — Greg Hewett
Review
DNF around page 100.
Very, very, much not for me I’m afraid. This was a runner-up for my book club, and I was really hoping it’d win. So, when I saw a copy in a bookstore while traveling, I picked it up and took it to a bar to read a bit. I’ve struggled with it for around 10 days since.
This book centers on teenage or thereabouts characters, who share a deep love of music, and are often musicians themselves. This means there is a lot of talk about different songs, lyrics, etc. Unfortunately, I absolutely detest reading song lyrics. This is a me problem, I want to be clear. It happens often enough, and the sort of saccharine or overly emotional quality to the dialogue alongside doesn’t work for me. In many cases, I just could not believe the characters or the way in which they spoke, nothing felt true to me.
I think if you like fiction that centers on this age-group, and if you don’t mind music lyrics in writing, my complaints won’t matter. But I’m sorry to say it didn’t work for me at all and I can’t force myself through the rest.