Matthew McBride

Quite a few typos in this book, and a bunch of triggering sex scenes that I could have done without, but I sure loved the surprise at the end.
This story is about a man whose wife cheats on him, more than once, so she divorces him to marry her latest, and he goes to drown his tears to Bali, "the end of the ocean."
He was from Missouri, the same place I was born, and he had been a sales man, and though it was never explained why, he was on unemployment.
He goes by the idiotic name of Sage, and we learned at the end of the book that his name is really Michael. I didn't have much respect for this protagonist.
On the 15-hour flight to bali, Sage meets a man named Wayne tender, supposedly from australia. He farts the whole way through the plane trip. Coincidentally Sage runs into him at a restaurant where he goes to eat. Wayne's girlfriend works there, and after they eat and have a couple beers, Wayne tells his girlfriend to make them a couple of milkshakes. She reluctantly makes them, and Sage has no clue what is coming.
" 'no, you take mushroom shake,' she said. 'Magic mushroom.'
Sage looked at her desperately for advice of some kind but there was none. 'I... I do what? What did I do - what did you say'
Leaning toward him, very close, looking into his eyes, she took his chin in both hands and whispered, 'you do mushroom shake. Much mushroom. Wayne tell me make two shake, Dua - to make strong. It legal here to have mushroom. Sorry you not know. I thought he tell you. Wayne Tender asshole like that' "
That part was pretty funny. Wayne and Sage get on their motorbikes, and drive through a monkey reserve close by. Sage stops and has a conversation with monkeys.
I remember when I was young I did mushrooms a couple of times. They're really fun. I was in this nightclub, and I went over to the under-21 side, and there was this guy dancing like he was swimming, and I was laughing and laughing; it was hilarious.
I hope they make those things legal In california. They're good for treating mental illness.

The man who rents Sage a motorbike, has his relative bring the motorbike over to the hotel Sage is staying at. Sage is impressed with the young beautiful Javanese girl. When Sage goes the next day to the man's laundry business to sign papers for the motorbike, he sees her again. He meets her cousin at the laundry, and the cousin says he'll set them up on a date. The date is going to different shrines to pray to their God for their relatives. Of course Sage doesn't mind this because he's accompanying a beautiful Javanese girl whose name is Ratri.
In no time at all, Sage is in love with Ratri. They start having sex, and this is where I almost gave this book two stars. You don't really need to tell the whole story when someone is having sex. It doesn't do anything for the reader, and for me it's triggering. So it pisses me off when the authors include these f****** sex scenes. And it's not love for the characters; when you're young, it's hormones.
… (más)

Such a sad book, filled with desperate people leading desperate lives. Some of them are just evil, others totally over their heads with no future and an ugly present.

Reading about them is compelling, however, always wondering what other tragedy lies just over the hill.

You won't like any of the characters -- well, perhaps Olen is an exception, -- but you'll feel sorry for some, pity others, and be very glad you play no part in their lives. Most of them I suspect would be waving Confederate flags at a NASCAR race.

I hope McBride writes from imagination and not experience. I fear the latter. His Goodreads' page notes that “These people are the people I know and see every day, and this is the world I know.”… (más)