Random Read: The Hollow City

I first was heard of Dan Wells right after his first novel I Am Not a Serial Killer came out. Someone mentioned it in passing and I thought "hmm, maybe I should read that," before getting distracted by other books. A couple years later I moved to Orem and became acquainted with Dan Wells' daughter. I was floored when I realized my young friend's dad was a published author of a book I'd actually heard of. (Most people I know who have published books have self published and no one has heard of them or their books). I promptly bought his first book, devoured it, and instantly became a Dan Wells fan.

The Hollow City surpassed my expectations. It is not merely a good book, it's words are intricately woven together to form a masterpiece. And I'm not saying this just because I know the guy. I may know Dan Wells, but I know books better than I know him. I would read this book again in a heartbeat and I can't say that about most of the books I read.

The main character of the novel, Michael Shipman, has paranoid schizophrenia. His entire world is full of people, sounds, sights, even flavors that don't actually exist. He believes faceless men are chasing him, can't remember two weeks of his life, and very quickly becomes the main suspect in a series of murders involving people from his past.

The book is not only intriguing, it rings true. While not a paranoid schizophrenic, I was placed on an antipsychotic as a mood stabilizer at the beginning of July. This is the reason I didn't finish the book until today. I got to the section where Michael is placed on medicines and his symptoms were like a carnival mirror version of mine--distorted and larger but recognizably like mine. It was simply too much to read Micheal's journey while I was traversing my own. So I waited until my symptoms died down and today I picked up the book again. Note how I'm reviewing it the same day I read the second half. It was that good.

It's a twisting journey through the mind of a man who can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not. I highly recommend The Hollow City. It will make you question reality, think deeper than you have thought in a while, and entertain you all at the same time. Journey with Michael as he discovers not all the monsters in his head are fake and as he discovers the answer to the question "who can you trust if you can't even trust yourself?"