XYZ by William Knight - Book Tour & Review + Giveaway
XYZ
Jack Cooper is a depressed, analogue throwback; a cynical, alcoholic Gen-Xer whose glory days are behind him. He’s unemployed, his marriage has broken down, he’s addicted to internet hook-ups, and is deeply ashamed of his son Geronimo, who lives life dressed as a bear.
When Jack’s daughter engineers a job for him at totally-lit tech firm Sweet, he’s confronted by a Millennial and Zoomer culture he can’t relate to. He loathes every detail – every IM, gif and emoji – apart from Freya, twenty years his junior and addicted to broadcasting her life on social media.
Can Jack evolve to fit in at Sweet, or will he remain a dinosaur stuck in the 1980s? And will he halt his slide into loneliness and repair his family relationships?
XYZ is for every Gen-Xer who ever struggled with a device, and for everyone else who loves emojis ... said no one ever.
Purchase Link
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07TTWHYL2
My Review
XYZ is probably the most ridiculous thing I've read all year. And I mean that in the best possible way. It's full of humor and satire and absolutely over-the-top crazy characters. I'm not a Gen-Xer. I'm not a Zoomer. I'm considered a Millennial (turning 35 next month), but I don't really think of myself as relating to any one specific label. However, I have never related harder to a main character than I have with Jack. Even though he's older and a bit rough around the edges, I felt like he was my spirit animal.
His daughter has this hipster punk vibe. His son is a Furry with a name that I suppose would be considered offensive and/or culturally inappropriate (if you're into being butthurt about such things). And his wife is, well... relatively normal, save for the cheating. But Jack isn't all rainbows and sunshine. He drinks like a fish, likes to involve himself in random hook-ups and flirting with younger women, and he's depressed. He's also so not with the changing times.
The new job Jack takes... Ooh, boy. Those characters were quite frustrating at times. They came off as pretentious hipsters who wouldn't know what real work entailed if their lives depended on it. They were fancy coffee drinking, gender-neutral oddballs who believed in over-using emojis, socializing via IMs, and taking work breaks to maximize creativity (or something along those lines).
I really enjoyed XYZ. It hits hard at the labels society likes to slap on people. It showcases the gaps between generations and how they handle them/react to them. It makes fun of the craziness of life in general. It was amusing and entertaining. And I may have snort-laughed at quite a few of the scenes. By the end, I had a huge smile on my face. Jack definitely comes a long way from where he starts, and it was nice to see he'd survived the gauntlet of insanity.
I'd recommend this book to everyone (Gen-Xers, Millennials, Zoomers, and everyone in between). It'll make you laugh. It'll make you shed a tear or two. And it'll drive you nuts.
4 stars from me!
My Review
XYZ is probably the most ridiculous thing I've read all year. And I mean that in the best possible way. It's full of humor and satire and absolutely over-the-top crazy characters. I'm not a Gen-Xer. I'm not a Zoomer. I'm considered a Millennial (turning 35 next month), but I don't really think of myself as relating to any one specific label. However, I have never related harder to a main character than I have with Jack. Even though he's older and a bit rough around the edges, I felt like he was my spirit animal.
His daughter has this hipster punk vibe. His son is a Furry with a name that I suppose would be considered offensive and/or culturally inappropriate (if you're into being butthurt about such things). And his wife is, well... relatively normal, save for the cheating. But Jack isn't all rainbows and sunshine. He drinks like a fish, likes to involve himself in random hook-ups and flirting with younger women, and he's depressed. He's also so not with the changing times.
The new job Jack takes... Ooh, boy. Those characters were quite frustrating at times. They came off as pretentious hipsters who wouldn't know what real work entailed if their lives depended on it. They were fancy coffee drinking, gender-neutral oddballs who believed in over-using emojis, socializing via IMs, and taking work breaks to maximize creativity (or something along those lines).
I really enjoyed XYZ. It hits hard at the labels society likes to slap on people. It showcases the gaps between generations and how they handle them/react to them. It makes fun of the craziness of life in general. It was amusing and entertaining. And I may have snort-laughed at quite a few of the scenes. By the end, I had a huge smile on my face. Jack definitely comes a long way from where he starts, and it was nice to see he'd survived the gauntlet of insanity.
I'd recommend this book to everyone (Gen-Xers, Millennials, Zoomers, and everyone in between). It'll make you laugh. It'll make you shed a tear or two. And it'll drive you nuts.
4 stars from me!
Author Bio –
William Knight is British born writer and technologist currently living and working in Wellington, New Zealand. He’s chased a portfolio career which began in acting, progressed to music, flirted with handbag manufacturing and was eventually wired into technology in the late nineties.
“I had my first feature published in Computing magazine back in 2003 and subsequently wrote about the many successes and failings of high-tech for the Guardian, Financial Times and the BBC among many others publications. I now work as an IT consultant, and write blistering content for technology firms :-)” says William
The Donated (formerly Generation), his debut novel and a Sci-tech Thriller, started in 2001 and was ten years in development. XYZ, “A mid-life crisis with a comic vein”, took far less time. “But I think it’s funnier and better. Yay. Jazz hands!”
Social Media Links –
Giveaway to Win $10 Amazon voucher and a signed copy of XYZ (Open INT)
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