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Blue Graffiti
A love letter to Johnston, WI, a small town in middle-of-nowhere Midwestern America.
Living in the home he inherited from his mother and abandoned by his father, painter and construction worker, Cash, has never known anything beyond the fields of Johnston, WI—never particularly wanted to, either. Why would he when his friends are there, his work is there, his history is there. He loves Johnston. But when an emerald-eyed stranger named Rose blows into town one summer evening in his favorite local bar, everything changes. It's love at first sight. For Cash, anyway.
What follows is an intimate reflection on the love, faith, and tragedy that courses through the blood of America’s backbone. Cash and his closest friends find themselves vital threads in the fabric of their community, the memory of those forgotten, and partners in a new enterprise: adventure.
A bluesey ode to the Beat generation for the modern era, Blue Graffiti is Wisconsin-raised writer Calahan Skogman's poetic debut imbued with an essential freedom, romance, and longing for a bygone era.
Living in the home he inherited from his mother and abandoned by his father, painter and construction worker, Cash, has never known anything beyond the fields of Johnston, WI—never particularly wanted to, either. Why would he when his friends are there, his work is there, his history is there. He loves Johnston. But when an emerald-eyed stranger named Rose blows into town one summer evening in his favorite local bar, everything changes. It's love at first sight. For Cash, anyway.
What follows is an intimate reflection on the love, faith, and tragedy that courses through the blood of America’s backbone. Cash and his closest friends find themselves vital threads in the fabric of their community, the memory of those forgotten, and partners in a new enterprise: adventure.
A bluesey ode to the Beat generation for the modern era, Blue Graffiti is Wisconsin-raised writer Calahan Skogman's poetic debut imbued with an essential freedom, romance, and longing for a bygone era.
301 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2024
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August 12, 2024
This literary fiction debut by Calahan Skogman is a beautifully poetic and touching tribute to small towns full of both mundane and extraordinary things. With so many deep elements discussed, expect to embark on a journey exploring love, loss, hate, pain, hope, nostalgia, forgiveness, friendship, faith, self-discovery… and shrooms! It tugs at your heartstrings and pulls them back together, it has you coming away from it appreciating life and loving the colour blue. The style was not fully for me but everyone needs to read this – at least, once.
[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
Cash describes himself as “drinking and careening through time” – that sums up most of the book, to be honest. If you want a very short plot summary, that’s it haha! But here is my longer one:
29-year-old Cash has resided in Johnston, Wisconsin all his life working as a painter and construction worker, doing odd jobs really. He is usually found in Jimmy’s Place, the local pub, with his best friends Prince (a very philosophical and rich man) and Leon (a very caring genius of a man, and construction worker).
Cash often considers spreading his wings and leaving the place but feels there is always something about his hometown he is tethered to. His mother died 5 years ago, and his father abandoned him at the same time (from the way he sees it, his father might as well be dead). He and his mates also wonder about buying Jimmy’s Place from Jimmy’s son, Saul.
Most of the time it’s same old, man, same old. That is, until one day a woman shows up at the bar. Rose. A name as gorgeous as she is. Saul’s sister. All at once, Cash is drawn to her. And nothing is ever the same again. Through the combination of flashbacks and present-day events, Cash tells the story of his life these past few decades.
This is told from the first-person present-tense POV of Cash, with various moments in past-tense as he reminisces old times.
OVERALL OPINIONS
ㅤ literary fiction vs the fiction genre
When I first read the blurb, I didn’t initially know this was a literary fiction story. By chapter 2, I thought to myself that this story, and the manner of writing is the sort of thing my English teacher would have picked for us to read in high school (probably omitting its swear words) – and that is when I realised why: because they often pick literary fiction.
Rose is Saul’s sister so I honestly wondered for a moment if we were going to have one of those keep-away-from-my-sis forbidden romance things – but we get none of that. Why? Because this is a trope and you do not get tropes here. So, if you are here to read a contemporary romance or rom-com, you have taken a wrong turn. While there is romance between Cash and Rose, unfortunately, this is secondary to the story’s overall concept.
I have read a few literary fiction stories and their style is often very different from a fictional one.
Literary Fiction: is character-driven, uncategorised (no genres), realistic, does not contain tropes
Fiction Genre: is plot-driven, categorised sub-genres, may have some realistic elements, and contains tropes
Both can have messages and deep aspects to them, and use similar elements of fiction (characters, plot, themes, points of view).
Here, this story does feel very realistic. Cash is an ordinary man, we all know someone like him, he could be a friend or family in real life. There are things he goes through that I think a lot of us can relate to. The conversations do not constantly have “he says” or “she says” or “I say” which flows more like how a discussion in real life would go.
ㅤ Skogman & his style
Now the book’s style has been covered, I would like to focus now on the author and his style.
I loved Calahan Skogman in the Shadow & Bone show as Matthias, his acting was phenomenal so I was very excited to be reading his debut novel! And wow, what an incredible journey this was. This story really helps you get to know the man behind it all. You can tell Skogman has scattered parts of himself into Cash (from his age to him saying “man” to enjoying walking out in nature to his own Christian beliefs).
Wisconsin is Calahan’s own hometown, so it is no wonder this is where his story is set as it has an impact on him. In an interview with Sam Cohen for UpNorthNews, a digital news source based in Wisconsin, he says [on the matter of the town]:
Skogman has previously published poetry and there is so much of his skill and magnificence with words apparent in this work here. Why, even on the first page from this description alone, I could tell this was going to be very poetic and expressive: “She turns her glass slowly, like the universe in orbit”. Another lovely moment I like is when Cash is setting off from town in September and “The leaves on trees are beginning to die in their wondrous display of color. Ready to bid me farewell” – it is September, autumn, and the leaves leaving the tree as he is literally leaving is so poetically fitting!
Indeed, for the majority of the story, it is not about what Skogman says but how he says it. The words are used to illustrate points and set scenes effectively. I will give some examples. Straight off the bat you really get the small-town vibe and tight-knit community, of everyone knowing everyone else, solely from the omission of surnames. First-name terms mean more proximity, being made to feel like you as a reader actually know them. Another very interesting and clever thing is the way Cash refers to his parents, “Ma” (close, endearing) as opposed to “my father” (distant, formal).
And let’s not forget the colour blue. It is everywhere in this story – mentioned a whopping 71 times! Most prominently, Cash’s eyes are blue interestingly like his father, there are mentions of blue jeans, tears, skin, socks, cushions (this is significant as it is at the hospital as he waits for the news of his mother), flowers (this one in particular is interesting because there is a list of colours and blue is at the start showing its priority). There are many ways in which the colour can be interpreted: it can mean loyalty, confidence, freedom, creativity, depth and depression. Here, Cash believes it is “the color of hope in the heart”.
Overall, this was a breathtaking read and I really enjoyed it. I would rate this 4.5 stars if I could! Unfortunately, it was missing some emotional depth from side characters and some of the conversations felt repetitive and boring. This made the story lose some of its charm. A debut novel is not easy to do, however, and I heartily commend Skogman for his efforts.
My favourite moment is when Cash and Rose write their names in the sky. It is so romantic:
<< Positives >>
🠚The cover is symbolic, having a cream wall and blue paint. Cash is a painter and blue is a prominent colour throughout the book, but also it almost looks like the ocean/sea, and Cash mentions this a lot too when he feels uncertain or distant: “I knew my mind was out to sea again, wandering somewhere foreign, perhaps never to return.”
🠚I love the rose as a sort of frontispiece at the start of the book. A literal rose to symbolise Cash’s Rose, her impact on his life. The opening sentence for chapter 1 starts with her “You see it, or you don’t, and from the back of the bar, I see her drinking alone”, so you know she is important, and also indicates he is observant. There is also a quote elsewhere “Rose. There is nothing else” that perfectly reflects how much she means to him.
🠚Skogman captures a lot of relatable things: the loss of a loved one, toxic families, healthy families, found family, the feeling of falling in love with someone and knowing they are the one, feeling alone and down, feeling on top of the world, getting high, having a purpose, finding a purpose, inspired by the stories of other people, thinking the grass is greener on the other side (someone else’s life being better) but it isn’t
🠚Even if the character was not introduced for long, or had passed away off-page, the way it was written had you feeling they usually had an impact no matter how small. I loved Nancy the most, she was so lovely!
🠚There are only a few women in his life, and they are all quite different: Mo (Leon’s wife, very compassionate), Rose (becomes part of Cash’s life so easily), Mrs Miller (the mother of late schoolfriend Tommy, very kind), Alexa (hairdresser, only mentioned, innocent and trusted the wrong man), Nancy (neighbour in Cambridge, helps him see a purpose), Kassy (beautiful but insecure), and Cash’s late mother (loving, religious, always tried to teach Cash to be forgiving).
🠚The relationship between Rose and Cash, though bumpy to begin with, is so nice by the end of the novel. I like that they communicate effectively. I like that the first time he talks to her he collapses haha! I was hoping more would have been done with that, that she would have been there when he woke up.
🠚I especially liked the father-and-son dynamic. While it would be very difficult to forgive someone like him, I liked the way this was handled. We have a very powerful parallel where as a kid Cash “looked up to my father like a Greek God or hero, he looked down at me, ant-like, small.” and then later the roles have reversed, his father is frail and “looks up to me. The son, taller than the father”.
🠚Most of the flashbacks from his younger days provide a purpose: one example is when he used to go to the theatre with his mother and all is dark for a moment before the spotlight shines on the main character – this is how he feels in the present moment when he looks at Rosie again.
🠚The story ends on a hopeful note as he moves to Arizona with Rose and Prince.
🠚Cash has great character development.
<< Negatives >>
🠚Some of the backstory felt unnecessary as it did nothing to the character development or overall plot. For example, the nasty twins that are mentioned: I did not need a whole story about what they were like in school because we never meet them.
🠚That one backstory about the Boxer just…why? I get the imagery but of all things it was so unnecessary.
🠚The way the novel is set up, focusing so much on Cash noticing Rose, I assumed she would be in the story far more than she actually was.
🠚I actually thought Cash getting with Kassy was random, too random. I really wanted the first steamy scene in this story to be him with Rose.
🠚It is ashame that Cash never got to properly talk to his father about his father’s past as I too wanted hear where he had been (his mistake was thinking they had time). I also would have wanted his dad to give him a proper apology rather than an indirect one. At the end of the day, it does not matter where he has been but who he is: trying to fix the past, wishing he had been a better father.
🠚Some of the conversations were confusing actually because of the omission of “he says”/“she says”/“I say”. There were certainly moments where I had to jump back to the beginning of the convo just to remember/work out who was talking.
🠚Cash gets drunk quite a lot in this story, was hoping he would change his ways.
🠚I think they should have played pool more often! It is a missed opportunity because he was good at it, and it was something his dad taught him.
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Cash꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ He has been through a lot. I like that he goes from someone who loathes his dad and any time he is mentioned to being at peace with and understanding him, that he did actually love him but did not show it too well. That parallel when he held his hand in church as a boy to his dad holding his hand and face as an adult was really something.
🠚When he said “sometimes I forget that I am one body, one story, one self. When I look back at my life I can forget that it was me all along” – I felt that in my soul! Sometimes you forget things you did as a child, what you have been through, and then one day someone mentions something and it instantly unlocks a memory.
🠚He overthinks moments and I am the same: “I can’t help but feel I could have said that all a bit better but my mind’s running crazy now.”
🠚I like the part where Rose says to him “But everyone loves you.” And he corrects her with “Everyone knows me.” – he was only really loved by his mother and believes he is not worthy of love.
🠚A little inconsistent as he gets offended and is like “I can’t let it slide” but then a page later… you guessed it, lets it slide?
-ˋˏ ꒰ Other characters꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Rose was a character I did not warm to, actually, until way later. Probably the moment where she admits she noticed him too. I hated her audacity of leaving and not leaving a note or anything. But I sure did I love his descriptions of her, with universe analogies “constellation of freckles on her cheeks”.
🠚Prince and Leon are sweet, though I could not relate to them much. I loved that one conversation where Leon says she saw Rose while Cash was away and he wants details but he hasn’t much to say. It is such a typical guy thing haha! I also love that description about Prince that “It was nearly impossible to be absolutely certain whether he was high or not. It just sorta matched his personality, ya know? His sensibility. You really had to know him to tell” – you know the sorts of people just like that.
🠚Nancy though she was not in it loads really captured my heart, the way she essentially adopts Cash when he comes to help her and all she just wants is company. Bless her!
FAV QUOTES
• She gave me the warm hug of forgiveness, and it washed over me like a cleansing ocean wave, moved by centuries of love. Her arms were a blanket stitched together by every patient mother, everywhere.
• Rose Rose Rose... Do stay. I want to take your hand in mine. I want to kiss your red lips and see through your eyes. I want to look through your greens, and you can look through my blues. We could be the same, in the end, me and you.
• It was the closest I ever felt to him, and I was a million miles away.
• Winter makes the spring and the summers what they are. Just as dark defines light and pain defines joy. They need one another.
• We are all born into this big mess with a purity, with a goodness. No hate, no anger. It’s only over time, with the pain that comes through the course of life that we get strapped with all the unfortunate things that happen to us. What a shame. We grow older and more careful, hardened and quieter. But every once in a while, you’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in another and maybe you’ll feel like you’re flying. You’ll find a good swing and be reminded that when we strip ourselves down, away from all those things we carry, we are free. We are free as we were at the start.
• We kiss. We are stars in the sky, like far away lamps, in a blues dipped, infinite world.
• I had painted a magnificent mural of abstract cuts and swoops, splashed and chaotic but somehow specific, right on the money. The wall looked like it was crying, like it was hemorrhaging blue. I had covered the entire wall of my basement in blue graffiti.
• “Do you want to tell me about it?” And for the first time in years I feel willing. Her kindness, her honesty. Her vulnerability. Here she is, in my home, with enough courage to come back. To see. For the first time in years I want to tell someone everything.
• “You’re so beautiful,” I say quietly, and I know I’ll say it a thousand more times if she’ll let me.
• There’s enough heartbreak in the room to kill a man and enough love to keep him living.
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Calahan Skogman, The Unnamed Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
I thought about our lives, and the graffiti of our town. We each left our mark. We are cracks in sidewalks, bent street signs, rusted gutters and train tracks. We are nails in wooden boards, handprints in cement. We are creaks in the doors of diners, stains from cigarettes. We are streaks of graffiti, blue as the sky.
[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
Cash describes himself as “drinking and careening through time” – that sums up most of the book, to be honest. If you want a very short plot summary, that’s it haha! But here is my longer one:
29-year-old Cash has resided in Johnston, Wisconsin all his life working as a painter and construction worker, doing odd jobs really. He is usually found in Jimmy’s Place, the local pub, with his best friends Prince (a very philosophical and rich man) and Leon (a very caring genius of a man, and construction worker).
Cash often considers spreading his wings and leaving the place but feels there is always something about his hometown he is tethered to. His mother died 5 years ago, and his father abandoned him at the same time (from the way he sees it, his father might as well be dead). He and his mates also wonder about buying Jimmy’s Place from Jimmy’s son, Saul.
Most of the time it’s same old, man, same old. That is, until one day a woman shows up at the bar. Rose. A name as gorgeous as she is. Saul’s sister. All at once, Cash is drawn to her. And nothing is ever the same again. Through the combination of flashbacks and present-day events, Cash tells the story of his life these past few decades.
This is told from the first-person present-tense POV of Cash, with various moments in past-tense as he reminisces old times.
OVERALL OPINIONS
ㅤ literary fiction vs the fiction genre
When I first read the blurb, I didn’t initially know this was a literary fiction story. By chapter 2, I thought to myself that this story, and the manner of writing is the sort of thing my English teacher would have picked for us to read in high school (probably omitting its swear words) – and that is when I realised why: because they often pick literary fiction.
Rose is Saul’s sister so I honestly wondered for a moment if we were going to have one of those keep-away-from-my-sis forbidden romance things – but we get none of that. Why? Because this is a trope and you do not get tropes here. So, if you are here to read a contemporary romance or rom-com, you have taken a wrong turn. While there is romance between Cash and Rose, unfortunately, this is secondary to the story’s overall concept.
I have read a few literary fiction stories and their style is often very different from a fictional one.
Literary Fiction: is character-driven, uncategorised (no genres), realistic, does not contain tropes
Fiction Genre: is plot-driven, categorised sub-genres, may have some realistic elements, and contains tropes
Both can have messages and deep aspects to them, and use similar elements of fiction (characters, plot, themes, points of view).
Here, this story does feel very realistic. Cash is an ordinary man, we all know someone like him, he could be a friend or family in real life. There are things he goes through that I think a lot of us can relate to. The conversations do not constantly have “he says” or “she says” or “I say” which flows more like how a discussion in real life would go.
ㅤ Skogman & his style
Now the book’s style has been covered, I would like to focus now on the author and his style.
I loved Calahan Skogman in the Shadow & Bone show as Matthias, his acting was phenomenal so I was very excited to be reading his debut novel! And wow, what an incredible journey this was. This story really helps you get to know the man behind it all. You can tell Skogman has scattered parts of himself into Cash (from his age to him saying “man” to enjoying walking out in nature to his own Christian beliefs).
Wisconsin is Calahan’s own hometown, so it is no wonder this is where his story is set as it has an impact on him. In an interview with Sam Cohen for UpNorthNews, a digital news source based in Wisconsin, he says [on the matter of the town]:
I spent so much of my life observing and noticing what made everybody different, and beautiful, and the nuances of what would appear to be a not-so-complicated life are actually incredibly complicated and incredibly deep. It was a place where I could foster a lot of the things I hold dear to me now as far as ideals of love and loyalty and faith, and honor and hard work and honesty, and showing up for one another and family, and the things that keep me rooted to the ground when life wants to smash me up and throw me in different directions. I’m profoundly thankful I grew up there because it’s a very nice center. My life has changed so much since those years that it’s been something I can always return to and I can always resonate with.About a third of the story was written in Wisconsin and most of the rest in Vancouver during COVID-19, a time where people both had to be and felt isolated. This is conveyed through hearing Cash’s thoughts as he reflects on there being times where he felt “dramatically alone…for weeks I could pretend as if the world had abandoned me and it would continue to do so from there on out”. Ah, all the highs and lows in life are covered so well!
Skogman has previously published poetry and there is so much of his skill and magnificence with words apparent in this work here. Why, even on the first page from this description alone, I could tell this was going to be very poetic and expressive: “She turns her glass slowly, like the universe in orbit”. Another lovely moment I like is when Cash is setting off from town in September and “The leaves on trees are beginning to die in their wondrous display of color. Ready to bid me farewell” – it is September, autumn, and the leaves leaving the tree as he is literally leaving is so poetically fitting!
Indeed, for the majority of the story, it is not about what Skogman says but how he says it. The words are used to illustrate points and set scenes effectively. I will give some examples. Straight off the bat you really get the small-town vibe and tight-knit community, of everyone knowing everyone else, solely from the omission of surnames. First-name terms mean more proximity, being made to feel like you as a reader actually know them. Another very interesting and clever thing is the way Cash refers to his parents, “Ma” (close, endearing) as opposed to “my father” (distant, formal).
And let’s not forget the colour blue. It is everywhere in this story – mentioned a whopping 71 times! Most prominently, Cash’s eyes are blue interestingly like his father, there are mentions of blue jeans, tears, skin, socks, cushions (this is significant as it is at the hospital as he waits for the news of his mother), flowers (this one in particular is interesting because there is a list of colours and blue is at the start showing its priority). There are many ways in which the colour can be interpreted: it can mean loyalty, confidence, freedom, creativity, depth and depression. Here, Cash believes it is “the color of hope in the heart”.
Overall, this was a breathtaking read and I really enjoyed it. I would rate this 4.5 stars if I could! Unfortunately, it was missing some emotional depth from side characters and some of the conversations felt repetitive and boring. This made the story lose some of its charm. A debut novel is not easy to do, however, and I heartily commend Skogman for his efforts.
My favourite moment is when Cash and Rose write their names in the sky. It is so romantic:
She points her finger about an inch from the moon and traces my name in the sky. She whispers to herself as she does it, “Cash.” And I’ve never been so moved in my life. With her hand silhouetted by thousands of stars, I join her in that painting, and I write her name as she did mine. “Rose,” I say softly. She touches my finger with hers, for only a moment, and smiles. “Now, we live forever.” And I believe her.
<< Positives >>
🠚The cover is symbolic, having a cream wall and blue paint. Cash is a painter and blue is a prominent colour throughout the book, but also it almost looks like the ocean/sea, and Cash mentions this a lot too when he feels uncertain or distant: “I knew my mind was out to sea again, wandering somewhere foreign, perhaps never to return.”
🠚I love the rose as a sort of frontispiece at the start of the book. A literal rose to symbolise Cash’s Rose, her impact on his life. The opening sentence for chapter 1 starts with her “You see it, or you don’t, and from the back of the bar, I see her drinking alone”, so you know she is important, and also indicates he is observant. There is also a quote elsewhere “Rose. There is nothing else” that perfectly reflects how much she means to him.
🠚Skogman captures a lot of relatable things: the loss of a loved one, toxic families, healthy families, found family, the feeling of falling in love with someone and knowing they are the one, feeling alone and down, feeling on top of the world, getting high, having a purpose, finding a purpose, inspired by the stories of other people, thinking the grass is greener on the other side (someone else’s life being better) but it isn’t
🠚Even if the character was not introduced for long, or had passed away off-page, the way it was written had you feeling they usually had an impact no matter how small. I loved Nancy the most, she was so lovely!
🠚There are only a few women in his life, and they are all quite different: Mo (Leon’s wife, very compassionate), Rose (becomes part of Cash’s life so easily), Mrs Miller (the mother of late schoolfriend Tommy, very kind), Alexa (hairdresser, only mentioned, innocent and trusted the wrong man), Nancy (neighbour in Cambridge, helps him see a purpose), Kassy (beautiful but insecure), and Cash’s late mother (loving, religious, always tried to teach Cash to be forgiving).
🠚The relationship between Rose and Cash, though bumpy to begin with, is so nice by the end of the novel. I like that they communicate effectively. I like that the first time he talks to her he collapses haha! I was hoping more would have been done with that, that she would have been there when he woke up.
🠚I especially liked the father-and-son dynamic. While it would be very difficult to forgive someone like him, I liked the way this was handled. We have a very powerful parallel where as a kid Cash “looked up to my father like a Greek God or hero, he looked down at me, ant-like, small.” and then later the roles have reversed, his father is frail and “looks up to me. The son, taller than the father”.
🠚Most of the flashbacks from his younger days provide a purpose: one example is when he used to go to the theatre with his mother and all is dark for a moment before the spotlight shines on the main character – this is how he feels in the present moment when he looks at Rosie again.
🠚The story ends on a hopeful note as he moves to Arizona with Rose and Prince.
🠚Cash has great character development.
<< Negatives >>
🠚Some of the backstory felt unnecessary as it did nothing to the character development or overall plot. For example, the nasty twins that are mentioned: I did not need a whole story about what they were like in school because we never meet them.
🠚That one backstory about the Boxer just…why? I get the imagery but of all things it was so unnecessary.
🠚The way the novel is set up, focusing so much on Cash noticing Rose, I assumed she would be in the story far more than she actually was.
🠚I actually thought Cash getting with Kassy was random, too random. I really wanted the first steamy scene in this story to be him with Rose.
🠚It is ashame that Cash never got to properly talk to his father about his father’s past as I too wanted hear where he had been (his mistake was thinking they had time). I also would have wanted his dad to give him a proper apology rather than an indirect one. At the end of the day, it does not matter where he has been but who he is: trying to fix the past, wishing he had been a better father.
🠚Some of the conversations were confusing actually because of the omission of “he says”/“she says”/“I say”. There were certainly moments where I had to jump back to the beginning of the convo just to remember/work out who was talking.
🠚Cash gets drunk quite a lot in this story, was hoping he would change his ways.
🠚I think they should have played pool more often! It is a missed opportunity because he was good at it, and it was something his dad taught him.
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Cash꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ He has been through a lot. I like that he goes from someone who loathes his dad and any time he is mentioned to being at peace with and understanding him, that he did actually love him but did not show it too well. That parallel when he held his hand in church as a boy to his dad holding his hand and face as an adult was really something.
🠚When he said “sometimes I forget that I am one body, one story, one self. When I look back at my life I can forget that it was me all along” – I felt that in my soul! Sometimes you forget things you did as a child, what you have been through, and then one day someone mentions something and it instantly unlocks a memory.
🠚He overthinks moments and I am the same: “I can’t help but feel I could have said that all a bit better but my mind’s running crazy now.”
🠚I like the part where Rose says to him “But everyone loves you.” And he corrects her with “Everyone knows me.” – he was only really loved by his mother and believes he is not worthy of love.
🠚A little inconsistent as he gets offended and is like “I can’t let it slide” but then a page later… you guessed it, lets it slide?
That’s a thing people so often misunderstood, silence. All my life I’ve watched the quiet and the loud, and let me tell you something real that you can trust - the quiet ones are more interesting, complex, and unpredictable... I always thought they knew some profound truth about life that all those circus folks with loose mouths…would never understand. What a drag, that bunch. Give me the quiet, the listening folk every time.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Other characters꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Rose was a character I did not warm to, actually, until way later. Probably the moment where she admits she noticed him too. I hated her audacity of leaving and not leaving a note or anything. But I sure did I love his descriptions of her, with universe analogies “constellation of freckles on her cheeks”.
🠚Prince and Leon are sweet, though I could not relate to them much. I loved that one conversation where Leon says she saw Rose while Cash was away and he wants details but he hasn’t much to say. It is such a typical guy thing haha! I also love that description about Prince that “It was nearly impossible to be absolutely certain whether he was high or not. It just sorta matched his personality, ya know? His sensibility. You really had to know him to tell” – you know the sorts of people just like that.
🠚Nancy though she was not in it loads really captured my heart, the way she essentially adopts Cash when he comes to help her and all she just wants is company. Bless her!
FAV QUOTES
• She gave me the warm hug of forgiveness, and it washed over me like a cleansing ocean wave, moved by centuries of love. Her arms were a blanket stitched together by every patient mother, everywhere.
• Rose Rose Rose... Do stay. I want to take your hand in mine. I want to kiss your red lips and see through your eyes. I want to look through your greens, and you can look through my blues. We could be the same, in the end, me and you.
• It was the closest I ever felt to him, and I was a million miles away.
• Winter makes the spring and the summers what they are. Just as dark defines light and pain defines joy. They need one another.
• We are all born into this big mess with a purity, with a goodness. No hate, no anger. It’s only over time, with the pain that comes through the course of life that we get strapped with all the unfortunate things that happen to us. What a shame. We grow older and more careful, hardened and quieter. But every once in a while, you’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in another and maybe you’ll feel like you’re flying. You’ll find a good swing and be reminded that when we strip ourselves down, away from all those things we carry, we are free. We are free as we were at the start.
• We kiss. We are stars in the sky, like far away lamps, in a blues dipped, infinite world.
• I had painted a magnificent mural of abstract cuts and swoops, splashed and chaotic but somehow specific, right on the money. The wall looked like it was crying, like it was hemorrhaging blue. I had covered the entire wall of my basement in blue graffiti.
• “Do you want to tell me about it?” And for the first time in years I feel willing. Her kindness, her honesty. Her vulnerability. Here she is, in my home, with enough courage to come back. To see. For the first time in years I want to tell someone everything.
• “You’re so beautiful,” I say quietly, and I know I’ll say it a thousand more times if she’ll let me.
• There’s enough heartbreak in the room to kill a man and enough love to keep him living.
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Calahan Skogman, The Unnamed Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
August 11, 2024
*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*
3.75 out of 5 stars!
I want to start off by saying that this book as a debut was very gripping and one will finish it in only one sitting. That's how fast-paced, easy going and gravitating this story was.
I'm also going to include some quotes that spoke to me the most from Cash's (aka the main character of this book) inner monologue.
It's been a while since I've been so mesmerised by the writing style of a book, I kept myself wanting to include lines and lines of the mmc's monologues, that's how much I enjoyed it.
I'm going to find out how she got her walk all dangerous and tailored musically like she has it. Rose. You have done it. It's obvious. You swam to the top of my soul and are floating, effortlessly. I will stand on this maple, and I will call out your name. Rose. The Fox will take the echo. I know this river. Up and down the banks it will travel, and you'll hear me, I know it. Just listen for it Rose, that familiar sound, whispering everything you were meant to hear from the start.
I absolutely adored the short chapters. I think it's every readers dream to read a book which has short chapters. It feels like a reward, most of the time.
I also loved that from the very beginning we get to meet not only the main characters, but the secondaries as well. They were all from very early on fully described how their outer looks were, plus some backstories about them and what kind of a relationship they share with the main character. It truly felt like a movie!
However, on the other hand, the too much of the people's descriptions in the early chapters made me feel a bit icky sometimes.
Do stay. I want to take your hand in mine. I want to kiss your red lips and see through your eyes. I want to look through your greens, and you can look through my blues. We could be the same, in the end, me and you.
Every now and then I got Nicholas Sparks vibes from this book, especially his recent works. I think I can say that this book can be categorised as coming of age, but for adults, if that is a thing.
We are stars in the sky, like far away lamps, in a blues dipped, infinite world.
Coming back to descriptions and how some moments were written out; They felt very poetic, lyrical and even romantic. A lot of the scenes that happened and how they were described made me long for them, doesn't have to be about a person, it was also about moments in the past or just feelings.
But tonight, we are endless. We are spirits in Johnston and on the road right to Heaven. We are story.
I also loved how faith was always there in the plot and in the characters' minds, and that throughout the entire book it was present.
If I didn't know any better I'd tell you God is speaking in the wind. I'd tell you He is speaking all the time, in everything. He's been sailing the ship all along, in no hurry.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this and I loved how easy it was to get into the story!
A romance literary fiction by Calahan Skogman? I'm going to melt...
3.75 out of 5 stars!
I want to start off by saying that this book as a debut was very gripping and one will finish it in only one sitting. That's how fast-paced, easy going and gravitating this story was.
I'm also going to include some quotes that spoke to me the most from Cash's (aka the main character of this book) inner monologue.
It's been a while since I've been so mesmerised by the writing style of a book, I kept myself wanting to include lines and lines of the mmc's monologues, that's how much I enjoyed it.
I'm going to find out how she got her walk all dangerous and tailored musically like she has it. Rose. You have done it. It's obvious. You swam to the top of my soul and are floating, effortlessly. I will stand on this maple, and I will call out your name. Rose. The Fox will take the echo. I know this river. Up and down the banks it will travel, and you'll hear me, I know it. Just listen for it Rose, that familiar sound, whispering everything you were meant to hear from the start.
I absolutely adored the short chapters. I think it's every readers dream to read a book which has short chapters. It feels like a reward, most of the time.
I also loved that from the very beginning we get to meet not only the main characters, but the secondaries as well. They were all from very early on fully described how their outer looks were, plus some backstories about them and what kind of a relationship they share with the main character. It truly felt like a movie!
However, on the other hand, the too much of the people's descriptions in the early chapters made me feel a bit icky sometimes.
Do stay. I want to take your hand in mine. I want to kiss your red lips and see through your eyes. I want to look through your greens, and you can look through my blues. We could be the same, in the end, me and you.
Every now and then I got Nicholas Sparks vibes from this book, especially his recent works. I think I can say that this book can be categorised as coming of age, but for adults, if that is a thing.
We are stars in the sky, like far away lamps, in a blues dipped, infinite world.
Coming back to descriptions and how some moments were written out; They felt very poetic, lyrical and even romantic. A lot of the scenes that happened and how they were described made me long for them, doesn't have to be about a person, it was also about moments in the past or just feelings.
But tonight, we are endless. We are spirits in Johnston and on the road right to Heaven. We are story.
I also loved how faith was always there in the plot and in the characters' minds, and that throughout the entire book it was present.
If I didn't know any better I'd tell you God is speaking in the wind. I'd tell you He is speaking all the time, in everything. He's been sailing the ship all along, in no hurry.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this and I loved how easy it was to get into the story!
A romance literary fiction by Calahan Skogman? I'm going to melt...
Want to read
June 15, 2023NEED THIS SO BAD😭😭😭😭😭
Want to read
June 17, 2023I AM SO NOT READY FOR THIS 😭😭❤❤
Literally have no idea what it's about but I need it <3
Literally have no idea what it's about but I need it <3
June 19, 2024
This is probably one of the best books I’ve read. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s lost a loved one and to anyone who’s angry at their parents for what their parents did to them. Also for people who are still trying to figure things out, people who are looking for something without knowing what that something is.
I can only compare the feelings I’ve had when reading this book with The Outsiders (and maybe Wait Until Spring, Bandini?). I remember reading that book and just feeling broken and full, just being grateful that I had experienced it. Blue Graffiti has me feeling that same thing. The writing is just spectacular and the story is so mundane that it is heartbreaking. Like, the main character goes through things you’ve probably gone through or know someone that’s been through it, and it makes this intimate story feel so small and so universal.
Story-wise, there isn’t much to this book. Blue Graffiti is an intimate reflection on the tragedy of being human. Cash has lived all his life in middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin, has odd jobs here and there, and meets his friends at the same bar his own father used to get drunk at. This may not seem like a lot, but Skogman really just went all out and made this into a tale about surviving and forgiving the sins of our fathers, faith, and (yes) having the blues.
I’m deeply and utterly obsessed with the writing. This is a book you need to own and DESTROY because I felt like highlighting entire sections and dog-earing so many pages for easy access - but alas, I’m reading an e-ARC so that will have to wait. I found myself reading this book slowly but compulsively. It seems Skogman also writes poetry and you can clearly tell by how he writes because I found myself going over sentences multiple times just amazed and what he had done. Honestly, I am obsessed.
My biggest surprise was that I did not expect to end up choking back tears for half of this book. Well, maybe not ‘half of the book,’ but a few chapters had me on the verge of sobbing. I did not expect to care so much about Cash’s mother. And, damn, Cash’s dad? I don’t know. This was just so tough to read. I kept thinking back on people that I’ve lost myself. There are so many reflections on losing people because of death or because of choice, and it was just very touching and relatable.
My last praise will be a big one for me. I always say I’m a character-focused reader. I also put Stephen King on a pedestal because it doesn’t matter how good or bad his books are, King can introduce a character for two pages and then kill them, and you’ll care about that character. Well, Skogman’s right there with him. This book is a love letter to small towns and what are small towns if not their people? Cash would talk briefly about people that live or lived in the town and have you emotional about them, or you’d smile about them, or you’d worry. I often hate books that don’t manage to make you care about the main character after 400 pages, and here’s Skogman being like “yeah well, this character will only show up on this page” and here you are wanting to give them a hug.
Five stars (though I do want to say this book had some weird stylistic choices that had me raising an eyebrow but oh well we roll).
In the end there is this suffering, or there is the drink, and on again. Flip a coin.
* Thank you Unnamed Press for the ARC.
I can only compare the feelings I’ve had when reading this book with The Outsiders (and maybe Wait Until Spring, Bandini?). I remember reading that book and just feeling broken and full, just being grateful that I had experienced it. Blue Graffiti has me feeling that same thing. The writing is just spectacular and the story is so mundane that it is heartbreaking. Like, the main character goes through things you’ve probably gone through or know someone that’s been through it, and it makes this intimate story feel so small and so universal.
Story-wise, there isn’t much to this book. Blue Graffiti is an intimate reflection on the tragedy of being human. Cash has lived all his life in middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin, has odd jobs here and there, and meets his friends at the same bar his own father used to get drunk at. This may not seem like a lot, but Skogman really just went all out and made this into a tale about surviving and forgiving the sins of our fathers, faith, and (yes) having the blues.
I’m deeply and utterly obsessed with the writing. This is a book you need to own and DESTROY because I felt like highlighting entire sections and dog-earing so many pages for easy access - but alas, I’m reading an e-ARC so that will have to wait. I found myself reading this book slowly but compulsively. It seems Skogman also writes poetry and you can clearly tell by how he writes because I found myself going over sentences multiple times just amazed and what he had done. Honestly, I am obsessed.
My biggest surprise was that I did not expect to end up choking back tears for half of this book. Well, maybe not ‘half of the book,’ but a few chapters had me on the verge of sobbing. I did not expect to care so much about Cash’s mother. And, damn, Cash’s dad? I don’t know. This was just so tough to read. I kept thinking back on people that I’ve lost myself. There are so many reflections on losing people because of death or because of choice, and it was just very touching and relatable.
My last praise will be a big one for me. I always say I’m a character-focused reader. I also put Stephen King on a pedestal because it doesn’t matter how good or bad his books are, King can introduce a character for two pages and then kill them, and you’ll care about that character. Well, Skogman’s right there with him. This book is a love letter to small towns and what are small towns if not their people? Cash would talk briefly about people that live or lived in the town and have you emotional about them, or you’d smile about them, or you’d worry. I often hate books that don’t manage to make you care about the main character after 400 pages, and here’s Skogman being like “yeah well, this character will only show up on this page” and here you are wanting to give them a hug.
Five stars (though I do want to say this book had some weird stylistic choices that had me raising an eyebrow but oh well we roll).
In the end there is this suffering, or there is the drink, and on again. Flip a coin.
* Thank you Unnamed Press for the ARC.
June 15, 2023
i’m not mentally prepared for this but thank you 🥲🫶
Want to read
March 4, 2024the only male author i’ll read🫡 only because it’s him <3
Want to read
June 15, 2023I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I HAVE THIS IN MY HANDS
Currently reading
September 2, 2024guys, i'm meeting cal and leigh bardugo for this book tour next month :')
--------------
CAL SKOGMAN WROTE A BOOK AND IT’S REPRESENTED BY BRANDON TAYLOR??!
ohhhhhhhhh he’s taking it!
--------------
CAL SKOGMAN WROTE A BOOK AND IT’S REPRESENTED BY BRANDON TAYLOR??!
ohhhhhhhhh he’s taking it!
August 4, 2024
A meandering, lyrical, nostalgic story that romanticizes life in the American Midwest. The novel did a good job of conveying the protagonist's emotional struggles and ambitions. It depicts childhood friendships that turn into adulthood companionship, has a sweet love story intertwined with parental issues, and an exploration of grief. The prose was beautiful in some places, but it was a bore to get through in some. It was a tender, slow, reflective read. By the end of this novel, I did feel an emotional attachment to the characters, but I don't think they were particularly memorable. A 3.5-star book, pretty good for a debut.
Thank you Netgalley and Unnamed Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you Netgalley and Unnamed Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
September 20, 2024
“I thought about our lives, and the graffiti of our town. We each left our mark. We are cracks in sidewalks, bent street signs, rusted gutters and train tracks.”
Blue Graffiti is a book I have been waiting for since June 15 2023, the very first moment it was announced. It has now been a few weeks since I first read the book and have been unable to finish this review as I was struggling to put my feelings and love for this book into words, but I’m gonna try again.
A big thank you to unnamed press for providing me with an arc and allowing me to read this debut💙
In this book you follow the main character, Cash, throughout his days in Johnston, from his work to drinking with his friends, while every few chapters making jumps to his childhood, his complicated and hard relationship with his father, the loss of his mother, friends he’s lost and gained, and many more good, bad, and complicated memories.
It’s a beautiful and sometimes heavy story about love, grief, faith, and freedom and it is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. It cuts open your chest and places itself inside to stay with you long after you finish it. The way the words wrap themselves around your mind in such a raw and beautiful way makes sure of that.
Throughout the book I was so in awe of the way Cash’ thoughts and feelings were written and described. Calahan’s ability to transform the most complicated and heavy feelings into words is admirable and forces the reader to confront their own emotions.
“When Doctor Clark gave us the news there was nothing alive in the depths of my chest. There was no soul. No heart. No guts. I was cavernous.”
“There is no way to go through the world and not have our name in the heavens, written by someone who knew us.”
While the characters were not perfect and all had their own flaws, they felt real and you grow to love them as you follow them.
Especially the relationship between Cash and Rose, which was one of my favourite parts of the book. They were two people, both having dealt with loss and tragedy, finding each other and healing.
“If you write mine, then I’ll write yours.”
“We are nails in wooden boards, handprints in cement. We are creaks in the doors of diners, stains from cigarettes. We are streaks of graffiti, blue as the sky.”
Pre-read, 15 June 2023:
I really cannot wait for this I love him
Blue Graffiti is a book I have been waiting for since June 15 2023, the very first moment it was announced. It has now been a few weeks since I first read the book and have been unable to finish this review as I was struggling to put my feelings and love for this book into words, but I’m gonna try again.
A big thank you to unnamed press for providing me with an arc and allowing me to read this debut💙
In this book you follow the main character, Cash, throughout his days in Johnston, from his work to drinking with his friends, while every few chapters making jumps to his childhood, his complicated and hard relationship with his father, the loss of his mother, friends he’s lost and gained, and many more good, bad, and complicated memories.
It’s a beautiful and sometimes heavy story about love, grief, faith, and freedom and it is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. It cuts open your chest and places itself inside to stay with you long after you finish it. The way the words wrap themselves around your mind in such a raw and beautiful way makes sure of that.
Throughout the book I was so in awe of the way Cash’ thoughts and feelings were written and described. Calahan’s ability to transform the most complicated and heavy feelings into words is admirable and forces the reader to confront their own emotions.
“When Doctor Clark gave us the news there was nothing alive in the depths of my chest. There was no soul. No heart. No guts. I was cavernous.”
“There is no way to go through the world and not have our name in the heavens, written by someone who knew us.”
While the characters were not perfect and all had their own flaws, they felt real and you grow to love them as you follow them.
Especially the relationship between Cash and Rose, which was one of my favourite parts of the book. They were two people, both having dealt with loss and tragedy, finding each other and healing.
“If you write mine, then I’ll write yours.”
“We are nails in wooden boards, handprints in cement. We are creaks in the doors of diners, stains from cigarettes. We are streaks of graffiti, blue as the sky.”
Pre-read, 15 June 2023:
I really cannot wait for this I love him
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 27, 2024I won’t get these 39 minutes back and I am mad about it
July 28, 2024
this was an absolute masterpiece. im so thankful i received an arc. i’ll be posting the full review in a few days but i’d just like to say calahan has an amazing career as an author ahead of him. so proud ❤️
August 17, 2024
god i feel awful writing this review, i really do.
This is the author's debut novel. I know this author because he was in one of my favorite TV shows, Shadow and Bone (he played Matthias). Anyways, I really like the actor and when I found out he was writing a book, I immediately preorderd it and then started to read it the day of. I was SO excited.
And man oh man did I really not like this book. AND I FEEL SO BAD. But alas I need to be honest in my reviews. Calahan, I really really hope you're not reading this review cause you won't like it.
I'm going to break it down, starting with the writing, the characters and then the plot.
1) The writing: By far his best feature of this book was his writing. He does write very well. It felt very poetic? I feel like a majority of the book was pros and there wasn't a ton of dialogue. With that being said, whenever there was a lot of dialogue between two characters, he would stop saying who was saying what. For example, it would end of being like this (i'm making up a random story this is not the writing of the book lol).
"I wanna go to the store"
"Why do you want to go to the store"
"To see sally"
"who's sally?"
"The girl who I went to elementary school with"
"Why do you want to see her?"
Anyways (lol can you tell i'm not a writer? I had no idea what made up story to do), notice how I never said who was saying what line? Imagine that conversation going for an entire page. by the end, I was like who's saying what?? And then I'd have to go all the way back to the beginning of the conversation and then count every other line to remember who's saying what. moral of the story, that irritated me so much and it happened multiple times. But yeah, writing was his strong suit. But because the rest of the story sucked, his writing had no pull/power on me.
2) the characters: It follows one guy and then he randomly has like 2 friends that you sort of kind of get to know? And are sort of kind of there? And there's this random girl that he "falls" in love with (i put quotes cause they have 2 conversations before they're in love like their relationship was so weird and very underdeveloped). And oh, there's this other random girl that he sleeps with. And there's his dead mom and his neglectful dad. But with all of these people, you just don't know them enough to have an opinion on them? you know? Like I don't care for any of the characters cause there's nothing super appealing about them? Like the main guy and his two buddies live in a small town and go to the bar every night and work and yeah that's it. Like that's literally it. There's absolutely no character development or literally anything interesting about any of the characters.
3) the plot: By far the worst part of the book. LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK. There's the main guy and his two buddies who work and then sit at the bar. They think about buying the bar but that doesn't work. And then there's this girl who the main guys falls in love with. And then his dad comes back to town. AND THAT'S IT. Like where's any sort of drama? Where's any sort of climax? WHERE'S ANYTHING? I was so dang bored reading this book. Even though his writing was beautiful, the lack of any sort of excitement killed the book for me. Who wants to read pretty writing when you have absolutely no investment in the plot? Like i needed something more to happen. This also takes place in the midwest and although I have never lived in the midwest, I have spent a good amount of time there. There are cool places in the midwest and there are boring places in the midwest. Why he decided to write a book about a dud place in the midwest doesn't make sense like it was soooo boring. like SO boring. I debated putting this down about every chapter but I told myself that I will read Calahan's debut novel cause I'm a committed fan (although not a very nice one if I'm writing this mean review).
Overall, not a fan at all. His writing is beautiful. I needed a better plot, better background and better characters to be invested. I feel like he also went into huge detail about odd things, like his buddy's family or his dead mom or idk random people's neighbors like how does this connect to the plot at all? But then I remembered there is no plot so maybe that's the vibe? IDK but it wasn't my vibe that's for sure.
This is the author's debut novel. I know this author because he was in one of my favorite TV shows, Shadow and Bone (he played Matthias). Anyways, I really like the actor and when I found out he was writing a book, I immediately preorderd it and then started to read it the day of. I was SO excited.
And man oh man did I really not like this book. AND I FEEL SO BAD. But alas I need to be honest in my reviews. Calahan, I really really hope you're not reading this review cause you won't like it.
I'm going to break it down, starting with the writing, the characters and then the plot.
1) The writing: By far his best feature of this book was his writing. He does write very well. It felt very poetic? I feel like a majority of the book was pros and there wasn't a ton of dialogue. With that being said, whenever there was a lot of dialogue between two characters, he would stop saying who was saying what. For example, it would end of being like this (i'm making up a random story this is not the writing of the book lol).
"I wanna go to the store"
"Why do you want to go to the store"
"To see sally"
"who's sally?"
"The girl who I went to elementary school with"
"Why do you want to see her?"
Anyways (lol can you tell i'm not a writer? I had no idea what made up story to do), notice how I never said who was saying what line? Imagine that conversation going for an entire page. by the end, I was like who's saying what?? And then I'd have to go all the way back to the beginning of the conversation and then count every other line to remember who's saying what. moral of the story, that irritated me so much and it happened multiple times. But yeah, writing was his strong suit. But because the rest of the story sucked, his writing had no pull/power on me.
2) the characters: It follows one guy and then he randomly has like 2 friends that you sort of kind of get to know? And are sort of kind of there? And there's this random girl that he "falls" in love with (i put quotes cause they have 2 conversations before they're in love like their relationship was so weird and very underdeveloped). And oh, there's this other random girl that he sleeps with. And there's his dead mom and his neglectful dad. But with all of these people, you just don't know them enough to have an opinion on them? you know? Like I don't care for any of the characters cause there's nothing super appealing about them? Like the main guy and his two buddies live in a small town and go to the bar every night and work and yeah that's it. Like that's literally it. There's absolutely no character development or literally anything interesting about any of the characters.
3) the plot: By far the worst part of the book. LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK. There's the main guy and his two buddies who work and then sit at the bar. They think about buying the bar but that doesn't work. And then there's this girl who the main guys falls in love with. And then his dad comes back to town. AND THAT'S IT. Like where's any sort of drama? Where's any sort of climax? WHERE'S ANYTHING? I was so dang bored reading this book. Even though his writing was beautiful, the lack of any sort of excitement killed the book for me. Who wants to read pretty writing when you have absolutely no investment in the plot? Like i needed something more to happen. This also takes place in the midwest and although I have never lived in the midwest, I have spent a good amount of time there. There are cool places in the midwest and there are boring places in the midwest. Why he decided to write a book about a dud place in the midwest doesn't make sense like it was soooo boring. like SO boring. I debated putting this down about every chapter but I told myself that I will read Calahan's debut novel cause I'm a committed fan (although not a very nice one if I'm writing this mean review).
Overall, not a fan at all. His writing is beautiful. I needed a better plot, better background and better characters to be invested. I feel like he also went into huge detail about odd things, like his buddy's family or his dead mom or idk random people's neighbors like how does this connect to the plot at all? But then I remembered there is no plot so maybe that's the vibe? IDK but it wasn't my vibe that's for sure.
September 11, 2024
I feel bad writing this review, since I kindly received this eARC through NetGalley, but in the name of being honest, I simply did not like it.
Let’s start with a positive, I think this book had a clear tone it was going for and stuck to it. Very meandering, small town, and low stakes.
Which leads me to my biggest criticism which was the plot. To me, nothing really happened in this book, and since it’s almost 400 pages, that makes it a bit of a drag to get through. The majority of this book is the main character contemplating about his life in this small town, Johnston and thinking about the people that live in this small town.
The writing didn’t particularly stand out to me either and the main character was not someone I connected with all that much, since his main interests were drinking, smoking and Johnston.
I’m sad I didn’t enjoy this more but I do think this is a book that could work for those ho want a low stakes small town literary fiction.
Let’s start with a positive, I think this book had a clear tone it was going for and stuck to it. Very meandering, small town, and low stakes.
Which leads me to my biggest criticism which was the plot. To me, nothing really happened in this book, and since it’s almost 400 pages, that makes it a bit of a drag to get through. The majority of this book is the main character contemplating about his life in this small town, Johnston and thinking about the people that live in this small town.
The writing didn’t particularly stand out to me either and the main character was not someone I connected with all that much, since his main interests were drinking, smoking and Johnston.
I’m sad I didn’t enjoy this more but I do think this is a book that could work for those ho want a low stakes small town literary fiction.
September 7, 2024
Rating: 3.5 stars
Huh, I picked up this book because of Calahan. Buuut, I stayed for the story. It was the kind of story that weaves a spell around you, builds the world in front of your eyes and pulls at your heart. Often times I would look up from reading it, and I would still be immersed in the book.
The first part was the best part, I would definitely read it again. But I don't know if I could say the same thing about the second part; it's the reason this is not a 4 stars.
A good debut nevertheless, hopefully he will write more!
Huh, I picked up this book because of Calahan. Buuut, I stayed for the story. It was the kind of story that weaves a spell around you, builds the world in front of your eyes and pulls at your heart. Often times I would look up from reading it, and I would still be immersed in the book.
The first part was the best part, I would definitely read it again. But I don't know if I could say the same thing about the second part; it's the reason this is not a 4 stars.
A good debut nevertheless, hopefully he will write more!
Want to read
July 4, 2023At first, I was confused about why I saw a bunch of people getting super excited about this, and then *dramatic pause*
I realized
August 8, 2024
This book is filled with hesitation, longing, desperation, but mostly with love. Love to this little town in the American Midwest, to its residents, to the landscape, and wider - to America. It's a tribute.
Cash, the protagonist, has been living and working in Johnston his whole life. This is where he was born, went to school, where he loved and was looking for someone who would love him back. He loves this town. "Every hidden corner of Johnston I knew and loved so well." The fragment, where he talks about the Princes' parents' country house and the fields around is truly touching. It's too long to quote it all, but this one sentence should give you a hint: "Prince and I would sit on his porch for hours and watch over his kingdom, sometimes saying nothing at all."
He loved his mother, whom he lost at the age of 22, more than any other person. The way he talks about her is heartbreaking. This is the prose from a higher shelf. So touching, so emotional, so beautiful. His mother loved him like only a mother does. His father was cold and distanced. He made Cash feel unloved by him, which pained the mother. "No woman like my mother should have eyes so sad, but in that moment, she did."
Cash seems to be lost, he is looking for something and doesn't know what it is exactly, but he keeps looking. Alcohol and drugs are meant to fill the void. The void that only love can fill.
Stunning prose. Highly recommended.
Cash, the protagonist, has been living and working in Johnston his whole life. This is where he was born, went to school, where he loved and was looking for someone who would love him back. He loves this town. "Every hidden corner of Johnston I knew and loved so well." The fragment, where he talks about the Princes' parents' country house and the fields around is truly touching. It's too long to quote it all, but this one sentence should give you a hint: "Prince and I would sit on his porch for hours and watch over his kingdom, sometimes saying nothing at all."
He loved his mother, whom he lost at the age of 22, more than any other person. The way he talks about her is heartbreaking. This is the prose from a higher shelf. So touching, so emotional, so beautiful. His mother loved him like only a mother does. His father was cold and distanced. He made Cash feel unloved by him, which pained the mother. "No woman like my mother should have eyes so sad, but in that moment, she did."
Cash seems to be lost, he is looking for something and doesn't know what it is exactly, but he keeps looking. Alcohol and drugs are meant to fill the void. The void that only love can fill.
Stunning prose. Highly recommended.
August 21, 2024
First things first: the biggest, most thorough content warning of my life on a giant billboard right in front of your eyes. See it? Ok. Let’s begin.
I haven’t read writing like this, ever, in my life. Except maybe Steinbeck. Which is WILD to say about a debut. But truly. The most beautiful, gut-wrenching, human, American, philosophical, otherworldly, down-to-earth truth telling I’ve ever read. Skogman’s mastery of prose is astounding, his run on sentences enchanting, his characters lifelike and lovable, his settings picture perfect. It’s the most beautiful, life-changing writing in the midst of copious amounts of substance abuse and I’m still trying to align myself with the two things at the same time. My rating will likely change, possibly multiple times, but I know I will reread it, pen to paper, notes in the margins and underlining everything style. Cash/Calahan, I love you. I love you. I love you.
I haven’t read writing like this, ever, in my life. Except maybe Steinbeck. Which is WILD to say about a debut. But truly. The most beautiful, gut-wrenching, human, American, philosophical, otherworldly, down-to-earth truth telling I’ve ever read. Skogman’s mastery of prose is astounding, his run on sentences enchanting, his characters lifelike and lovable, his settings picture perfect. It’s the most beautiful, life-changing writing in the midst of copious amounts of substance abuse and I’m still trying to align myself with the two things at the same time. My rating will likely change, possibly multiple times, but I know I will reread it, pen to paper, notes in the margins and underlining everything style. Cash/Calahan, I love you. I love you. I love you.
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 15, 2024I have had very bad luck with arcs this year, and, while I was anticipating this book, I figured out pretty early that it is not for me, so I am choosing to spare myself (and this book) and dnf. This is a small town Midwest romance from the point of view of a rugged man and I really couldn’t care less about the story or the man and found it to be a bit too stereotypically gendered for me.
dnf at 4%
thank you Netgalley for the arc.
dnf at 4%
thank you Netgalley for the arc.
Want to read
July 6, 2024WISCONSIN MENTIONED!!!!!!!!!!!
September 16, 2024
Thank you to Unnamed Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As far as summaries go, I don't really know where to start with this one. We spend the book with Cash, a 29-year-old man living in Johnston, WI. He's always been there. Most everyone has always been there. Things change, sure, but day after day rolls by and Cash finds himself in the same place and is content to remain that way. And then a woman walks into his local bar.
My favorite kind of fiction skews literary and is often about not a whole lot -- day-to-day life, the emotions we all deal with as it grinds by. Joy, fear, grief, love, anger, etc. That's what I thought 'Blue Graffiti' would be, but it was so much more. It felt like all of my favorite books about places -- Steinbeck writing love letters to the Salinas Valley, William Least Heat Moon weaving his way through an America that doesn't exist anymore along blue highways, lessons about the universe through motorcycle maintenance. I'm incredibly impressed by the utterly absorbing tone with which Skogman writes. It's poetry sandwiched between the ordinary exchanges of people who love and know each other, and it's a deep, romantic ode to the Midwest (transferrable to any place you've ever loved singularly, I'm just biased as a Midwest girl myself).
Though the narrative is in first person, the way Cash describes the people and places around him makes them stand on their own. I grew to care for his entire crew, for the places he visited in his mind and in the story, and I felt for them just as much as he did. The entire book just seeps with tenderness, a raw wound of nostalgia and searching for something, for purpose, love, for the answer, who knows.
I know that I'll be going back to reread and pull from this novel many times. It's one of those, folks!
4.5 stars.
As far as summaries go, I don't really know where to start with this one. We spend the book with Cash, a 29-year-old man living in Johnston, WI. He's always been there. Most everyone has always been there. Things change, sure, but day after day rolls by and Cash finds himself in the same place and is content to remain that way. And then a woman walks into his local bar.
My favorite kind of fiction skews literary and is often about not a whole lot -- day-to-day life, the emotions we all deal with as it grinds by. Joy, fear, grief, love, anger, etc. That's what I thought 'Blue Graffiti' would be, but it was so much more. It felt like all of my favorite books about places -- Steinbeck writing love letters to the Salinas Valley, William Least Heat Moon weaving his way through an America that doesn't exist anymore along blue highways, lessons about the universe through motorcycle maintenance. I'm incredibly impressed by the utterly absorbing tone with which Skogman writes. It's poetry sandwiched between the ordinary exchanges of people who love and know each other, and it's a deep, romantic ode to the Midwest (transferrable to any place you've ever loved singularly, I'm just biased as a Midwest girl myself).
Though the narrative is in first person, the way Cash describes the people and places around him makes them stand on their own. I grew to care for his entire crew, for the places he visited in his mind and in the story, and I felt for them just as much as he did. The entire book just seeps with tenderness, a raw wound of nostalgia and searching for something, for purpose, love, for the answer, who knows.
I know that I'll be going back to reread and pull from this novel many times. It's one of those, folks!
4.5 stars.
July 24, 2024
I was provided with an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
As excited as I was for Blue Graffiti, I struggled to get into it at first. The novel is steeped in nostalgia and showcases the lives of regular folks, but it also meanders and feels aimless for a large portion of the story. It really took some time until I found that connection to the characters and started to care or figure out where the plot was even supposed to go.
In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I was the right reader for this story, but I saw parts of it that really resonated with me. It was truly at its strongest when the writing was focusing on the exploration of grief. Those chapters really struck a nerve and maybe even had me shed a tear or two.
Despite my quarrels, it all came together quite beautifully in the end, but it feels like a novel you have to stick with to get to the "good" parts.
As excited as I was for Blue Graffiti, I struggled to get into it at first. The novel is steeped in nostalgia and showcases the lives of regular folks, but it also meanders and feels aimless for a large portion of the story. It really took some time until I found that connection to the characters and started to care or figure out where the plot was even supposed to go.
In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I was the right reader for this story, but I saw parts of it that really resonated with me. It was truly at its strongest when the writing was focusing on the exploration of grief. Those chapters really struck a nerve and maybe even had me shed a tear or two.
Despite my quarrels, it all came together quite beautifully in the end, but it feels like a novel you have to stick with to get to the "good" parts.
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 18, 2024Unfortunately chose to DNF “Blue Graffiti” due to the amount of language early on. Sadly, I didn’t get far into the book so I can’t speak on the writing or plot. As a heads-up for my girlies who want content warnings: I did flip through the book to help me make a decision and ran into
Best of luck to the author and I hope those who read it enjoy it, but this book evidently wasn’t for me. 💙
Best of luck to the author and I hope those who read it enjoy it, but this book evidently wasn’t for me. 💙
September 18, 2024
so romantically written!
September 20, 2024
"I want to nothing more than to channel classic Beat culture and I really, really like the nostalgic iconography of Budweiser." - Skogman, probably
May 27, 2024
“I wept for everything. I wept enough for every kid that ever found something to cry for. All the lonesome souls like me”
“I saw the stars and the moon and felt universal in anguish. I had no ability to sort it out, but it was there, in the blues, and I knew. And I know it now, ever-still"
This is completely different to anything I've ever read in the past. I went into it expecting romance. It is not a romance. It’s so much more than that. I have been anticipating this book since Calahan announced he was writing it, I can’t actually believe I was accepted for the ARC on Netgalley. It’s one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I love his poetry and this did not disappoint. I hope he continues to write and I’ll eat all of it up!
Calahan is a poet, his writing is simply exquisite. The way he describes the turmoil of losing a parent will always stick with me. Cash is struggling with the mundanity of his life. He talks about the people in the quiet town of Johnston with such adoration and respect. It makes you think of the “little people”, the people who go about their daily life without fanfare. People like my mother who worked every day so that me and my sister wouldn’t lose our home, who go to work and don’t want anything more than to provide for their children. These smalls towns are built up with people like these but all we see are the people on social media bragging about what they can afford. After reading this book you won’t be the same, it will make you think about your neighbours, the people who serve you in the shop, the people you say hello to in the street. Everyone is in their own story.
“We are born into this big mess with a purity, with a goodness. No hate, no anger. It’s only over time, with the pain that comes through the course of life that we get strapped with all the unfortunate things that happen to us. What a shame. We grow older and more careful, hardened and quieter. But every once in a while, you’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in another and maybe you’ll feel like you’re flying”
Skogman’s writing is poetic and dreamy. The way he wrote the love scenes are some of the best I've ever read in a book. The romance is a teeny, tiny part of this story but it is done with tenderness and affection. It’s the kind of book you sit down and read and have to sit afterwards with your thoughts because you don’t quite know what you just read. It isn’t romance or plot heavy but it’s full of heart and soul for a town and characters who are so realistic you could pass them in the street.
Thank you to Netgalley and Unnamed Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own
“I saw the stars and the moon and felt universal in anguish. I had no ability to sort it out, but it was there, in the blues, and I knew. And I know it now, ever-still"
This is completely different to anything I've ever read in the past. I went into it expecting romance. It is not a romance. It’s so much more than that. I have been anticipating this book since Calahan announced he was writing it, I can’t actually believe I was accepted for the ARC on Netgalley. It’s one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I love his poetry and this did not disappoint. I hope he continues to write and I’ll eat all of it up!
Calahan is a poet, his writing is simply exquisite. The way he describes the turmoil of losing a parent will always stick with me. Cash is struggling with the mundanity of his life. He talks about the people in the quiet town of Johnston with such adoration and respect. It makes you think of the “little people”, the people who go about their daily life without fanfare. People like my mother who worked every day so that me and my sister wouldn’t lose our home, who go to work and don’t want anything more than to provide for their children. These smalls towns are built up with people like these but all we see are the people on social media bragging about what they can afford. After reading this book you won’t be the same, it will make you think about your neighbours, the people who serve you in the shop, the people you say hello to in the street. Everyone is in their own story.
“We are born into this big mess with a purity, with a goodness. No hate, no anger. It’s only over time, with the pain that comes through the course of life that we get strapped with all the unfortunate things that happen to us. What a shame. We grow older and more careful, hardened and quieter. But every once in a while, you’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in another and maybe you’ll feel like you’re flying”
Skogman’s writing is poetic and dreamy. The way he wrote the love scenes are some of the best I've ever read in a book. The romance is a teeny, tiny part of this story but it is done with tenderness and affection. It’s the kind of book you sit down and read and have to sit afterwards with your thoughts because you don’t quite know what you just read. It isn’t romance or plot heavy but it’s full of heart and soul for a town and characters who are so realistic you could pass them in the street.
Thank you to Netgalley and Unnamed Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own
Read
August 7, 2024a beautiful novel, written by a very promising author 🩵 congrats on this wonderful first book, i can’t wait for the world to read it🫶🏻
“i saw the stars and the moon and felt universal in anguish” 🥹🌟💘 this book. i can’t. the plot was very based around the characters and their personalities/lives, depicting their experience in a small town, focusing on Cal. i didn’t know what to expect here, but i could not have imagined this. cal’s love of poetry shines through in this novel, and it was perfect. i love words with beauty to me, and this book definitely had it.
***more of a review coming soon***
thank u for the arc, i could not be happier !!! big big fan of cal. this is incredible
“i saw the stars and the moon and felt universal in anguish” 🥹🌟💘 this book. i can’t. the plot was very based around the characters and their personalities/lives, depicting their experience in a small town, focusing on Cal. i didn’t know what to expect here, but i could not have imagined this. cal’s love of poetry shines through in this novel, and it was perfect. i love words with beauty to me, and this book definitely had it.
***more of a review coming soon***
thank u for the arc, i could not be happier !!! big big fan of cal. this is incredible
April 2, 2024
Pre book being read:
I need a large amount of Wisconsin references in this book. I want cabin summers and a brat fry, Fish Fry Fridays and the lake, PBR and Kwik Trip.
Post book being read:
Y’all. Y’all. Y’ALL. I’m in pain. And I don’t know how to say it.
I need a large amount of Wisconsin references in this book. I want cabin summers and a brat fry, Fish Fry Fridays and the lake, PBR and Kwik Trip.
Post book being read:
Y’all. Y’all. Y’ALL. I’m in pain. And I don’t know how to say it.
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