I picked up Cherry because Andy Greenwald, host of TheRinger podcast, mentioned the book as his favorite of 2018. I am usually wary of recommendations from pop culture pundits – fearing pretentious prose or someone trying hard to impress their followers. I quickly discovered this was not the case as Walker’s writing was anything but pretentious.

This semi-biographical novel comes with an R rating and is definitely not for everyone. The sentences are short, disjointed and full of crude remarks. The story is told through the stream of conscious of our narrator and tracks his training and deployment in Iraq, as well as his return to society.

Cherry is repetitive in its plot and use of crass language. This tactic serves to illustrate the mundane and traumatizing effects that war and substance abuse can have on their victims.

While I appreciate the very real, seemingly unexaggerated events, I ultimately found this read too repetitive. I commend Walker on his debut novel (from jail no less) and his insight into the desensitized mind of a soldier and junkie. However, the construction and prose makes it very hard for me to recommend it with confidence to even my closest of friends.

Verdict: Skip it. (2/5 Stars)
Length: 300 pages
Quote: By the time it was fall you could tell we were all a little off. In that state none of us could have passed in polite society.
Instead Try: Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

Buy Cherry by Nico Walker