Synopsis: Flynn is stuck—depressed, recently dumped, and living at his mom’s house. The supermarket was supposed to change all that. An ordinary job and a steady check. Work isn’t work when it’s saving you from yourself. But things aren’t quite as they seem in these aisles. Arriving to work one day to a crime scene, Flynn’s world collapses as the secrets of his tortured mind are revealed. And Flynn doesn’t want to go looking for answers at the supermarket. Because something there seems to be looking for him. A darkly funny psychological thriller, Supermarket is a gripping exploration into madness and creativity. Who knew you could find sex, drugs, and murder all in aisle nine?
If you’re like me, you probably know Bobby Hall better as Logic, the rapper. I have loved nearly every one of Logic’s albums (even the Supermarket one, which I’ll talk about later), so I figured that I would give his book a try. If he’s that good with lyrics, then maybe he’s also got a bit of talent for writing! I had read the synopsis at the store and was pretty intrigued. Plus the book has a really nice cover, super minimalist but bright red. So it was a cover and an author buy mainly, the author photograph on the back is just so cute. Oops haha.
Overall, my main feeling towards this book was necessarily good or bad, it was just kind of meh. There were instances where I was super intrigued by what was going on and a couple of really good twists, but there were also things that I felt fell a little flat. For example, what the synopsis claimed was a ‘darkly funny psychological thriller’ was… not that thrilling for me. I think the premise of the novel was really interesting, but I don’t think that the execution was all that good. I can see where Logic was going with it, but I’m not sure he landed it properly. Additionally, I didn’t really enjoy the dialogue in the novel. It felt stilted and disjointed (as did the novel at times) and I found it hard to believe that these were actually people rather than characters. I also didn’t really love Mia’s character, because even though she was meant to be this super cool girl for Flynn, I almost got the sense that she was a caricature rather than a real person. Someone who was just so perfect for Flynn, she wasn’t like other girls, she was into Tame Impala and did Karate… so… basically a lot of girls? Like, not a single flaw was introduced in this girl, which is just unrealistic. So while it wasn’t horrible, I think Bobby Hall has a ways to go for characterization and working on the flow and execution of plot and dialogue.
Something that I did really like was how he described anxiety and depression in the book. He treats them seriously and respectfully, and I really appreciate that. The protagonist also breaks the 4th wall at some times, which either worked well, didn’t really add anything or was distracting. Some of the plot twists I did actually really like, like the one with Red and the ending. I’ve seen a lot of reviews questioning the ending, and I’m not really sure what I think (in all honesty, this was probably a part that Hall could’ve improved and made a little bit clearer). There were also points in the book that made me laugh, and some that made me pretty uncomfortable. One thing that I felt a lot of was sympathy for Flynn – going through what he was experiencing would of course be terrifying, and wanting someone there with you is totally understandable.
Including everything that I felt about this book really made it a mixed bag. Because of that, I ended up rating this a 3 stars, completely middle of the road. Didn’t hate it but also didn’t love it. I have read a lot of really negative reviews, and while I do think they make valid points I also think that they may be a little harsh. This was Hall’s first book, and maybe with some practice he could write something really good! No one should be discouraged for trying something they are passionate about. Saying that, I would probably buy another book of Hall’s when (if?) it comes out, because who knows, maybe he’ll have improved a bunch.
Either way, 3/5 and I wish Logic all the best as a writer!
That’s all for now ducks, I’ll see you again soon with a review of a book that has become very near and dear to my heart. Have a great day!
~ Mon
Words, Pages, Books 