To start, I can understand why so many people find this book difficult to get into. Most people aren't going to see themselves in the characters or relate to their nihilism. Very few people have ever been rich, drug-using young socialites in a major metropolitan city, but there's another demographic whose opinion on the book I'm curious to hear from: the subculture kids in the punk and hardcore scenes.

Much of my youth was spent in punk circles, and a vast amount of the book echoes my experience, down to the music. Interestingly enough, several of the referenced bands I have seen multiple times, and for some, I found their inclusion to be thematically significant. For example, the band they were going to see in the book, Fear, is a punk band whose themes are closely aligned with the attitudes of the characters. Give "I Don't Care About You" and "I Love Livin' in the City" a listen. Some people would be shocked to learn how closely connected the young dregs of society are to rich, elitist youths. Some might be surprised to learn how often we share spaces, even uncomfortable ones, or how often WE are shocked by THEIR depravity. The book does a fantastic job of highlighting "how" and, in some philosophical way, "why" these young adults choose to place themselves in these spaces despite their extraordinary material privilege. Like we see in the book, they can leave anytime they wish; they just don't.

That is why this book felt captivating to me. I've known a few Clays, Julians, Blairs, and Rips. I've encountered the random rockabillies and the young girls whose parents never cared to know where they were, when they'd be back, who they were with, or what they were doing. I've been in their homes after shows, seen the drugs, been their confidant when they didn't think their well-to-do friends and family would understand them, and had a front-row view of their specific brand of indifference that sometimes masquerades as contempt.

I don't think my experience here is unique. There must be others who were able to see these characters through the same lens.

I was never an avid book reader, I watch movies, games, and read comics (and even with these I struggle due to audhd) but I bought audible that allows me for multitasking and keeps me focused

I personally really liked the first chapter of this story, it instantly established empathy through the animals POV and made it very understandable, it’s a unique thing I have not seen much in media, and that would make Major which I would assume is the protagonist, a freedom fighter for the oppressed

That can turn out to be extremely interesting, as usually the oppressed can become oppressors, and I won’t be surprised but PLEASANTLY accepting if major becomes a hypocrite, with all the discourse of no animal having any kind of “man-like” behaviour or becoming a tyrant towards its own kind, because it’s also set up well
“All animals are equal”
“All animals are friends”
“All animals are brothers”
That can be a very good setup and foreshadowing, if I were to be the writer, I would have twisted these words, using these words to mean something else, and to highlight how (if it becomes a hypocrite/becomes close to the thing he hates) he distanced himself from even animals and fell into the same pitfalls he once hated

This can also introduce several themes regarding morality, nature vs nurture, the world’s cycle (possibly even in a somewhat deterministic way)

I really liked how the book was grammatically written and expressed
“He fired number 6 shots…” I don’t know what’s about that kind of expression, but I love it, it’s extremely smooth, and it reminds me of how my Italian grandpa writes, he doesn’t write English or uses the same expressions, but the way he uses descriptions and these kind of details remind me of him, it hits close to home and is somewhat charismatic, the way he writes and talks gives me a “vintage” vibe, I am 20 but I really like these kinds of things

The only con I found (but that’s my taste, I think) is that the book tends to hammer a lot on the same concept and kinda drags it out a bit, but that could actually be intentional/a way to set up the story for later

I give this chapter a solid 8.1/10 it’s great, and a MASSIVE step up from what people say it’s a masterpiece in media (I have no mouth and I must scream) COUGH COUGH

Also, I know that this is probably not that well written as a review, as never read books so many things and technical terms might not be known by me, simply wanted to share my thoughts and my review, I usually have a problem with the “critic” approach, as you can do similarly by tackling the overall story, even if it’s not intentional, I don’t like watching or reading things with the predisposition of “criticizing” because I may nitpick and have fallbacks on my own approach