Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsQuirky, odd and a bit weird
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 January 2024
This is a weird mix of a book, from the premise of a reverse guardian angel intent on moral rebalance, to the odd interventions by the author and the dual narrative of the present and the fantasy horror of the protagonist's childhood.
The premise is simple enough: a thoroughly nice man loses his job, his fiancee and favourite chair for no obvious reason. He takes it all in his stride even though he doesn't know why these bad things are happening to him. Then he receives a video message telling him that he is about to receive something - a crate that contains a seven-feet tall giant whose aim is to right the wrongs on the nice man's behalf. The Bad Weather Friend. There is a violent tendency but the nice man insists that there is to be no physical torture. What happens is revenge by humiliation.
There is no real sense of vengeance in these escapades only of farce and comedy. The flashbacks to the nice man's cruel and disturbing childhood verge on horror and fantasy, and are rather separate and distracting to the main story, which doesn't really warrant any length.
The writing is expansive and full of cultural name-dropping of actors, films and music, but it is the chapter titles that often serve as the most wordy. For example, "Listening To 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' in the Wake of Jill's Rejection, Benny Remembers His Grandmother" and "Waiting with Harper, Benny Recalls a Monstrous Sight From His Third Night at Briarbush Academy". Koontz leaves comments about what points to discuss during book club reads, pointers to foreshadowing and what he originally wanted to name the novel. All this adds up to a satirical version of the revenge action trope and a fun read.