I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
An ambitious young filmmaker puts himself through untold dangers to sell his dream project to a streaming service in author Rupert Taylor’s “Please let Me Destroy You”.
The Synopsis
In this darkly comic rollercoaster of a novel, a desperate young filmmaker goes on a global quest for perfect content.
While trying to heist a casino in the Cambodian jungle, Apollo Jones has a crippling panic attack. But he’s no seasoned crim, he’s a filmmaker, and he’s heisting the casino so he can turn the story into the first season of a preposterously ambitious TV show he hopes to sell to HBO or Netflix or some other global streaming powerhouse. Spoiler alert: his panic attack stuffs up the heist. As punishment, his partners slice off his right pinky. But the TV show is all he has, so Apollo bandages his stump and heads off on a search for stories that will take him to the steaming streets of Saigon, the glittering hills above Hollywood, and all the way back to the dark and damp Cambodian jungle, where he may or may not be forced to dig his own grave.
The Review
This was an intriguing and memorable read. The author does an incredible job of creating a wide array of characters, some that feel relatable and engaging and others that play to the absurdist and thoughtful nature of the main story. The shifting perspectives from the protagonist to the side characters he meets along the way were great to see come to life on the page.
The powerful themes and rabbit hole of a narrative were an instant draw for the book. The protagonist is ambitious yet self-absorbed and lacks any self-awareness, contributing significantly to the many misadventures he finds himself on. The theme worked on two fronts, with an examination of the cutthroat world of Hollywood in the 21st century becoming part of the central plot and a harder examination of the dog-eat-dog world that so many people in society live by, with everyone looking out for themselves without any awareness of the lives of others around them being explored on a much grander scale.
The Verdict
Stylistic, engaging, and visceral in its approach, author Report Taylor’s “Please Let Me Destroy You” is a must-read genre fiction novel. The almost lyrical and attack-style of writing keeps readers mesmerized by the twists and turns in the story. The dynamic character development will keep readers returning for more as the story progresses. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Rupert Taylor is from Aotearoa New Zealand. He wrote a film called BEVERLY that screened at one film festival. That’s right, one. He also won a major international screenwriting competition that led to absolutely nothing getting made, but he does have several TV series in development, so you never know. His short fiction has appeared in Hobart, X-RAY, Maudlin House, Points In Case and others, and he currently lives in Sydney, with his partner and his daughter, who likes unicorns and shouting.
