The Nix

This is a very readable yarn about a man, Samuel, whose mother, Faye, walked out when he was a boy. Many, many things happen in this book, some of which we might not need to know about. We're introduced to and spend significant time with characters who serve a minor purpose and then sink out of the story. If the storytelling hadn't been so good, I might not have finished the book. As it was, I enjoyed the read but didn't think it was anything special.

Nix is passionate, sweet, cringeworthy, and full of naïveté.

Remember all the opportunities to make poor choices you've had in your life, especially in youth? Nathan Hill puts those choices under a microscope for two very different characters, mother and son, in Nix.

The main characters are well developed, and the supporting characters get varying degrees of attention. The overwhelming need to know, more than the action, drives this story forward. The book unfolds back and forth in time and from different perspectives. Hill sets the scenes well, giving enough detail so you can fill in a picture in your mind.

This story, which I read because it is a book club book, is outside of my typical fantasy genre, but I would recommend this book to adult readers who enjoy memoir or believable fiction. Warning: There are sexual scenes, and they may be difficult for younger readers.