Sleepwalk

By: Dan Chaon

Narrator: John Pirhalla

ISBN: 9781250175212

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Publication Date: 05/24/2022

Format: Audiobook

My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)

MAY 2022 MUST READ BOOKS

A high-speed and darkly comic road trip through a near-future America with a big-hearted mercenary, from beloved and acclaimed novelist Dan Chaon.

Sleepwalk’s hero, Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At fifty years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. He’s never had a real job, never paid taxes, never been in a committed relationship. A good-natured henchman with a complicated and lonely past and a passion for LSD micro-dosing, he spends his time hopscotching across state lines in his beloved camper van, running sometimes shady often dangerous errands for a powerful and ruthless operation he’s never troubled himself to learn too much about. He has lots of connections, but no true ties. His longest relationships are with an old rescue dog that has post-traumatic stress and a childhood friend as deeply entrenched in the underworld as he is, who, lately, he’s less and less sure he can trust.

Out of the blue, one of Will's many burner phones heralds a call from a twenty-year-old woman claiming to be his biological daughter. She says she’s the product of one of his long-ago sperm donations; he’s half certain she’s AI. She needs his help. She’s entrenched in a widespread and nefarious plot involving Will’s employers, and for Will to continue to have any contact with her increasingly fuzzes the line between the people he is working for and the people he’s running from.

With his signature blend of haunting emotional realism and fast-paced intrigue, Dan Chaon populates his fractured America with characters who ring all too true. Gazing both back to the past and forward to an inevitable-enough-seeming future, Sleepwalk examines where we’ve been and where we’re going and the connections that bind us, no matter how far we travel to dodge them or how cleverly we hide.

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Praise

“[Chaon] does madcap well and likes his characters, even the killers ― especially the killers.” ―The New York Times Book Review

An Indie Next pick for June 2022

Named a Best Book of Spring by Esquire

Named a Best Book of Summer by The Chicago Tribune

Named a Best Book of May by The Philadelphia Inquirer

An NPR "Book of the Day"

A USA Today "Must Read"

Named one of the "27 Books We Can't Wait to Read This Winter" by Thrillist

An Amazon Best Book of May 2022: It might take you a few chapters to figure out who Chaon’s protagonist Will Bear is and what makes him tick, but the chapters are short and soon you’ll have your bearings. Sleepwalk takes place in a near-future dystopia where most of the big problems we have in the world have continued to worsen. Will Bear lives in that worsening world, and he has an unsavory job that keeps him driving around and off the grid, and that sometimes requires him to shoot people—but his humanity and warmth in the face of all that, along with his sense of humor, will win you over. Sleepwalk is a road novel that will make you think and make you laugh. It’s fast-paced, literary, and entertaining. There’s a lot going for it, but in my view, the book’s greatest asset is Will Bear himself. I almost wished I could ride shotgun with him.

—Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor

“Chaon creates a daring irony in the disconnect between the road warrior’s self-deceit and the reader’s skepticism. The mystery, the moral audacity, the sense that anything is possible in these early pages refreshes not only the hit-man trope but also the world itself...What prevails above the plot is the voice, which is consistently winning and ― odd for so bloody a tale ― unfailingly warm. It’s a comic departure from the straightforward darkness of recent Chaon...He does madcap well and likes his characters, even the killers ― especially the killers.”

―Joshua Ferris, The New York Times Book Review

“Chaon’s exuberant new novel draws on an array of genres and narratives, but it's also a visionary work...Chaon balances rage, tenderness, and gallows humor as his Everydude seeks intimacy from a daughter who may or may not be real. A polished performance by a writer in command of his gifts.”

―Oprah Daily

“Chaon, the visionary author of Await Your Reply and Among the Missing, returns with another standout literary thriller...Sleepwalk is Chaon at the height of his powers.”

―Esquire

“Dan Chaon's latest novel has a plot with intrigue in spades as his latest protagonist abandons life off the grid for a high-octane, country-wide expedition.”

―Thrillist

“In prize-worthy prose, Dan Chaon has fathered a protagonist worthy of respect, affection, and loyalty.”

―Washington Independent Review of Books

“There’s plenty of heart and humor in Chaon’s slyly dystopian thriller.”

―The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Dan Chaon's brash, exuberant new novel Sleepwalk [is] a Tarantino vibe in book form with nods to Pynchon-paranoia and Kerouac-style road epic, Greek myths and dystopian fiction. Sleepwalk draws on an array of genres and narratives, but it's also a visionary work, a preview of a nation just minutes away... Sleepwalk is no act of dull somnambulism but rather a vigorous, polished performance by a writer in command of his gifts.”

―Hamilton Cain, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Thoroughly engaging, a rollicking trip from one misadventure to another, populated by an eccentric cast.”

―New York Journal of Books

“[A] mind-bending experience...There are surprises on every page of Dan Chaon’s terrific, darkly funny new novel.”

―Akron Beacon Journal

“Sleepwalk is a literary picaresque full of dark wit and quirky observations set in an alternate America. Mixed in with the purely imagined are characters, technologies, and events that are real, and taken together, demonstrate just how close we are to things getting really weird.”

―Electric Lit

“Sleepwalk is a wild ride. It’s an unputdownable novel that is never dull and so beautifully written that it is a simple pleasure just to get lost in the prose and a frightening new world that could resemble ours in the future.”

―BookReporter

“A fast-paced dystopian thriller and a touching exploration of the power of familial love.”

―BookPage (starred review)

“This strange and compelling plot features Chaon’s signature imaginative flair and brilliant pacing to create an ominous tension infused with sly wit . . . A consummate storyteller, Chaon imbues the darkly comic with colossal heart.”

―Booklist (starred review)

“As ever, Chaon expertly fuses the dystopian nightmares of technology and crime with fascinating characters who cross a hellscape to find each other. This is his best one yet.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“To say this is one of the best novels I’ve read in years is almost not enough. Dan Chaon’s Sleepwalk is a thrilling and often hilarious road trip across America in the very near future, told by a winning and murderous narrator. But beneath the zigzag adventure tale is a poignant reminder of the fragile nature of our humanity, an appreciation of the tricky balancing act of living. It’s a beautiful, unsettling, and thoughtful novel ― told by one of America’s great storytellers.”

―Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

“Sleepwalk is an addictive dystopian picaresque, by turns darkly funny, deeply harrowing, and surprisingly poignant. Dan Chaon’s vision of our future will give you chills of dread and recognition.”

―Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers

“How to describe this excellent novel? Slapstick of the sinister might capture something of its peculiar, bighearted and epic scope, but Dan Chaon’s books are always hard to sum up. Anyway, I loved it.”

―Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble

“Dan Chaon has given us one of the most intriguing, original, and fully-realized characters in recent memory; that he's the center of an absolute page-turner is the icing on the cake. Sleepwalk is riveting, propulsive, chilling, and (no shocker) pure genius.”

―Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers

“Sleepwalk is a deeply satisfying thriller. Though Dan Chaon’s novels are never quite what they seem, this book still surprises―it’s a frightening indictment of corporate power and the surveillance state, as well as a tender story about the depth of parental love. What an absolute marvel.”

―Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind

"Dan Chaon's future America may be truly wrecked but it's also familiar and perhaps quintessential. Out of this wreckage Chaon has constructed a gloriously entertaining page-turner of a novel. Bravo!"

―Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends

“Filled with brilliantly bleak humor, unflinchingly raw emotional insight, and an unforgettable journeyman mercenary, Sleepwalk takes us on a riveting road trip through a county past the point of no return. A marvel in the offing.”

―Ivy Pochoda, author of Wonder Valley

“Dan Chaon just keeps getting better, stranger, and harder to predict. Sleepwalk is an amiable apocalyptic epic, narrated by the sweetest, most charming deadly itinerant mercenary I’ve encountered in fiction, and it never fails to surprise and delight. To every pandemic survivor haunting the earth with their phone at 3 percent, this creepy, weirdly optimistic campfire tale is for you.”

―J. Robert Lennon, author of Subdivision

"Set in troublingly probable future and full of heartbreak, Dan Chaon’s Sleepwalk is nevertheless an achievement of humor, tenderness, and human connection."

―Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek

My Review

SLEEPWALK by talented bestselling author Dan Chaon is darkly funny, wild, crazy, and utterly entertaining!

I read (listened) to the audiobook when it came out and realized I failed to post my review.

It will be one of the weirdest and wildest audiobooks (books) you will ever read. The audio narrator, John Pirhalla (was exceptional) and a perfect voice for mercenary Will Bear (Mad Max), among other aliases. You will find yourself rewinding parts again and again.

Fascinating!

I enjoyed reading Chaon's previous book, Ill Will and was excited to read his latest and he does not disappoint!

The narrator of this well-written tale is Will Bear ("Barely Blur"), a 50-year-old fixer/courier who lives off the grid and was hired to perform specific duties, and not many of them legal. He kills people.

He is working off some kind of debt incurred by his deplorable mother, he eventually murders as a contract killer and cleanup man. We get some funny flashbacks. She taught him to never trust anyone. He will have to put this one to the test.

On the road traveling cross country from one project to another, with his sidekick dog 60-pound pit bull named Flip- a former fighting dog (with PTSD) he also does plenty of daily micro-dosing of LSD, among other things to keep himself occupied.

In between all the adventures, he receives an intriguing call on one of his many old burner phones. Who has this number?

Her name is Cammie, a young woman claiming that she's his daughter via a sperm donation made in his youth and that he has many more offspring. She is curious and wants to know more about her father. They seem to enjoy their phone calls and he finds himself looking forward to her calls.

His boss, a shadowy organization called Value Standard Enterprises is worried about a security breach; how did she find him? Is she really who she claims to be? Is she an AI bot built to lure him into the open? OR artificial intelligence?

We also get a glimpse into the near future dominated by billionaires and their corporations, white Christian nationalists, religious cults, environmentalist and animal welfare communes, anarchist, and computer hacker collectives, and other identity groups.

Billy has a complicated backstory which is slowly revealed with flashbacks from present to past.

A quintessentially American journey, Will reflects on his past and why his sperm was used so often and the prices people paid to get it. This exploration involves bigger questions, about the obligations he has to his offspring, the meaning of family, and genetic identity.

Beneath the rough exterior, there is humor, tenderness, and human connection. Will is charming, and we can see this shine through when he starts speaking with his daughter on the phone.

If you love quirky road trip adventures, near-future dystopia meets literary fiction with a leading man who is a laid-back contract killer with a big heart—this one is for you!

What an imagination! The author dazzles.

A special thank you to #MacmillanAudio and #Netgalley for an advanced audiobook copy.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5 ✨✨✨✨✨

Pub Date: May 24, 2022

May 2022 Must-Read Books

Dan Chaon is an American educator and award-winning writer, the author of the national bestseller Ill Will which was recognized as one of the top 10 books of 2017 by a number of publications, including The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Los Angeles Times.

About the Author

Dan Chaon is the author of several books, including Ill Will, a national bestseller, named one of the ten best books of 2017 by Publishers Weekly. Other works include the short story collection Stay Awake (2012), a finalist for the Story Prize; the national bestseller Await Your Reply; and Among the Missing, a finalist for the National Book Award. Chaon’s fiction has appeared in the Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize Anthologies, and the O. Henry Collection. He has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award in Fiction and the Shirley Jackson Award, and he was the recipient of an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Chaon lives in Cleveland.

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