'Pillowhumper' is gritty literary fiction without being problematic, a hard stretch for many authors. The story begins with Jordan Gregorek, the protagonist, feeling his luck has changed for the better when his wife asks for a divorce. Jordan's life had been in a rut and when Annie releases him from their marriage, he tries to live his life in ways he hopes will bring him the happiness he'd sorely been lacking. Unfortunately, much of Jordan's decisions are tainted by his self-medicating and self-destructive behaviors.
Jordan's journey might be one of those that many singles in their thirties identify with, making it a boring read. But Hyde does an incredible job of telling the tale of Gregorek's self-discovery. With engaging storytelling, I was hooked and couldn't put down this vulgar, yet incredibly relatable and realistic story.
I highly recommend 'Pillowhumper' for readers with a tolerance for profanities and who love contemporary literary fiction.
Being my first read by Jason Hyde, I was incredibly impressed.
Pillowhumper tells the story of Jordan, a man suddenly free of the bonds of marriage, now on a journey of finding himself and his own happiness.
Unfortunately Jordan’s methods of self discovery are less than ideal and we see him reach what he feels is the “top” only to try to revert back to his original persona bring him back to the “bottom”.
Hyde does a remarkable job of highlighting the highs and lows of “starting over”, suddenly able to do as you please, no daily responsibilities aside from the typical job.
The relatability of the daily grind is more than apparent and I found myself sympathizing with the characters.
Phenomenal story and absolutely worth the read.
30-yr-old Jordan Gregorek (MC) is a train wreck waiting to happen. And it does, pretty much.
After his divorce, Jordan feels free, but pretty soon, that freedom turns into a spiral down the pits of depression, booze, drugs and sex. And along for the ride is his best friend (and lesbian) Kiara.
This novelette is Jordan's journey - from selfish drunk asshole to a less selfish drunk asshole. But strangely enough, the reader does end up sympathizing with the main character. He acts like an asshole, but is fully aware that he is acting like an asshole and he just can't help himself. We have all been there, at one point or another in our lives.
Hyde's writing is smooth and efficient. There are no words minced here. There is brutal honesty in his words, that one rarely gets to see in writing these days. Hyde has a way of making the mundane, extremely interesting.
I do feel like the author ended the story too soon and there could have been more development done on the main character. There was an emptiness to the story, which was, weirdly, very readable and effective, for the kind of tale it is. I'm not sure if this was deliberate by the author.
Overall though - I must say, I could not peel my eyes away from the dumpster-fire of Jordan's life. I had no idea where the plot was heading, but I still kept reading, because the character kept on making questionable decisions! Lol! XD
This was definitely a character driven story. Kinda sad, kinda depressing, maybe a little horrifying, but thoroughly entertaining.
It's like reading someone's diary - a little bit naughty, a little bit thrilling - you know the deal.
If you're into trashy (the title of the book is "PILLOWHUMPER" ffs!) done well - then I definitely recommend this book.
4/5 Stars - This book has potential to be a LOT more.
