Up Nights

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Average customer rating 5 (1 comments)

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From my full review at thenerdmethod.com: Rating: I'll be honest, I didn't expect to like this book. With the comparisons to Kerouac's work and the fact that the characters are all into drugs and other things like that I just didn't think it'd be my cup of tea. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Kine was able to pull me in with his monumental character work. Bravo. 5 out of 5. You should definitely think about buying this book. Review: I want to start by saying that those who are comparing this book to Jack Kerouac's On the Road are both accurate and inaccurate. It's fair to say that this work is analogous to that book, but only insofar as the framework goes. The guts of this book are very different, for a different time where different issues need to be addressed. It's Kerouac for the "now". This book, unlike On the Road, does not require you to be able to adapt to the odd style of the author; Daniel Kine's prose is easy to understand and follow, even if it is a little bit basic. Where Kine shines as a writer is in his ability to highlight some interesting visual details and in his character building. I usually don't like druggy, scummy characters in my books even if the idea is to see them through the lens of poverty or whatever, but Kine does such a great job of adding dimension to the characters that you can't help but become invested in them. That's not to say that all of the characters are equally fleshed out or that you'll become attached to all of them, but in their own ways they are all distinctive (which is something not all writers can do, sadly). This book is a conundrum; it's arresting and beautiful on the one hand, but it's seedy and dark with little room for redemption on the other hand. It's worth your time and your consideration, though, that's for sure.