audiobookish's Book Journey

"There is certain work that cannot be done well and cannot be done poorly. It can only be done or undone."

I picked up this book and it picked on me. Every page was a mask I tried on, a job I had, a life I lived. I felt everything and nothing at all. But I did my job. I finished the book. In all its absurd, mundane, magically realistic, satirical, charming, existential, Kafkaesque wonder. And what did I get for finishing my job? Another job. And another after that. I unread the book and read it again. I auditioned for the part of philosophical reader, but they told me I was too concrete and told me to go use my skills to lay sidewalks in the moist, soggy areas of my brain. The unused paths, the things I'd rather not think about. I got stuck in the concrete, my legs heavy and aching. I auditioned for the role of existential dread, and I almost got the part. More wallowing, they told me, and had I tried cutting myself off at the knees? There's a me-shaped hole in the concrete now. Many things have tried to take my place, to crush and twist and compact themselves into a hollow memory of where I once was. I got the role for temporary insanity instead.

Tl;DR - A short read, yet delightfully strange and beautifully impactful little fever dream of a book. Heavy on the absurd and magical realism. One of my favorite reads this year. The audiobook narrator was incredible, and already I can't wait to reread.