Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
My amazing husband often sends book ideas to me as he comes across recommendations. This book came to him because the author is from North Carolina and is friends with my husband’s high school buddy. I decided to give it a read because I want to support NC authors, but now, it’s everywhere!
And let me tell ya – it’s a hell of a book.
I don’t even know where to begin. The fictional story reads like it is part memoir, with a bit of fantasy and a healthy dose of a love story. It hooked me immediately with the tale of a young boy whose skin is so dark we only ever hear him called Soot. Then, our main character’s story pulled me in; he’s an author on a book tour promoting his newest release, Hell of a Book.
Mott does an incredible job of painting realistic pictures using simple yet beautiful language. Some sentences read like they’re straight out of a 1940s Bogart film, while other sentences are so moving and vivid, you want to close the book and hug it for a moment.
There were many paths Mott could have taken when writing, but how everything came together and ended felt different and unexpected. It speaks not just to one type of reader but to everyone and asks the reader the question, “What does it mean to be me?”
Hell of a Book* is fun, heartbreaking, hauntingly beautiful, powerful, empowering, and exceedingly well-written. This is a book to be passed on to friends, family, and future generations.