Everywhere You Don't Belong is a heartbreaking debut novel. One that fools you with simplistic prose and a story that jumps quickly along. The emotional complexity sneaks up on you in lyrical prose that reads more like a series of short stories.

The anticipation and excitement in Everywhere You Don't Belong builds to a frenetic, surreal frenzy and you can't imagine putting it down. Easily finished in an afternoon of binge reading. 3.5/5

While I enjoyed the book, a coming of age novel of a young black man Claude who is searching for a way to fit in, to make something of himself. The setting is the South Side of Chicago. I think the first part of the book kept me engaged, but that fell off about halfway through. I think this was quite a different style of writing as well. Different is good, though it sometimes made it hard to follow. I appreciate that Claude wanted to make changes in his life, and that like some people, there is often no way to get completely away from our past.
Thank you to Kristen at Algonquin books for providing a free electronic ARC of this book for an honest review. I DO see a future for further work of Gabriel Bump!

Man. I really wanted to like this one more. I truly did. But it just never gave me the wow factor I was looking for. I think I was expecting something that this wasn’t. The book did discuss the racial injustices currently in our American society, but it was told in a darkly comical way, rather than reading as a fact sheet which I did like. The story was realistic, too. But at the end of the book, I was left feeling a little lost and almost as if the book wasn’t finished. I had a lot of questions and not much was really tied up neatly in a bow; but I guess that’s a good nod to racism here in the United States. Nothing is really solved, it will never be tied up neatly in a bow and sent away never to be seen again.

After both his mother and father ran off and abandoned him, Claude, the main character, is raised by his grandmother and “uncle” Paul. I found their banter to be humorous at first, but it got a little over-the-top as the book went on. I did not find Claude to be very likable. He seemed super sad and depressed all the time, kept to himself mostly and didn’t really seem to care about having a single friend. His obsession with Janice bordered on creepy and Janice herself played on that. I felt that she used Claude when she was bored but didn’t really seem to love him.

The only real redeeming quality of the book was the issue of police brutality and racism. I liked that the author was able to paint a scene for the reader of what it’s like to be a black family in the US, especially living in a big city with a lot of crime like Chicago. They are afraid of the police; don’t want to call them even when they do need help. It’s sad and this book was so eye-opening.

The book was interesting but I found myself skimming at times to get through the monotony of Claude’s thoughts or grandma and Paul’s bickering. I would still recommend it to other readers even though it was a little boring at times.

The MC is unimpressive and mediocre, as is the plot (if you can even call it that) of this book.

I appreciated the point of view but didn't really find anything that resonated with me or made me enjoy this book.

Claude McKay Love is a black teenager growing up on the south side of Chicago. His parents abandoned him early on and he has been raised by his fiery, activist grandmother. Claude is an emotional kid and is disheartened by the things he sees around him- his friends being gunned down by gangs or the police, riots against injustices and the bleak future that face most of the kids in his neighborhood. He decides to flee the city and enrolls in college in Iowa, aiming to become a journalist. He soon finds out that there is no safe oasis for a young black man.
This is an impressive debut. There is a gritty edge to his writing style, but also an equally dark wit. And Claude was a terrific character to spend a couple of a hundred pages with.

Everywhere You Don't Belong follows Claude, a young black boy living in South Shore, Chicago, over a period of about 10 years from childhood to college.

The writing style was incredibly unique and probably a personal preference -- some readers may enjoy it more than I did. I also thought the earlier chapters were weaker and the chapters of his teenage years were much stronger -- I think writing from a child narrator's perspective is incredibly difficult.

That being said, Bump does an excellent job depicting huge topics - racism, love, sex, family - with simultaneous humor and gravitas. I'm glad I read this book.

Within this story Bump explains and explores the very real and very tricky steps of growing up and feeling like you don’t belong anywhere, but wanting to fit in somewhere. He describes so well and with such charm and devastating precision the situation that young Black men face in our country. Some of the content is heavy, but not unnecessarily so. In fact, this book surprised me that at several points I found myself chuckling at the unexpected humor I found and many more times I was in awe of the sentences that were able to convey so much of character, comic mastery, and description. Bump balances this humor so well with the heavier plot points and dark yet realistic observations and truths.

This story is written so well. It has that particular weird charm that I adore reading. I loved being surprised by that unexpected intricacy that gave an extra spark to the story. Bump is doing something special in this debut and it deserves more attention. I can’t wait to see what he writes next.

We have read enough stories about white men and their coming of age experiences. I am delighted to have this book and hope we can soon see more like it. What we need now is to read this book. We need stories like this book. We need to read these coming of age novels by authors of color that share these experiences. I’m so impressed, delighted, and inspired by this book.

I really loved this book and Claude’s voice. There are so many important message in this story and the book is a quick, but powerful read.

Claude Mckay Love grew up in the South Side of Chicago. He was raised by his grandmother after his parents abandoned him at a young age. She is a great influence in his life and pushes him to continue his education while avoiding the drug and gang violence from their neighborhood.

After a violent riot, Claude is haunted by the event and sets his sights on leaving Chicago. The home and city that he knew have been altered and he is tired of the injustices. He yearns for a place to fit in and eventually leaves for Missouri to attend college and study journalism. Unfortunately, Claude’s escape away from the streets of Chicago reemerge and he is forced to confront the same challenges from his youth.

Everywhere You Don’t Belong is a debut novel by Gabriel Bump. This book is original and clever with a mix of grit and humor. This is an author to watch in the future.

Algonquin Book Tour stop! Everywhere You Don’t Belong is a debut novel from Gabriel Bump set in the South Side of Chicago that focuses on a young black man named Claude McKay Love. Raised by his civil rights-era grandmother, Claude faces typical teenage struggles but also struggles to live up to the expectations set for him. His grandmother dreams of him being an activist. When riots erupt in their neighborhood, he hesitates to get involved. In the second part of this book, Claude moves far away from Chicago for college, believing that he can leave the existing racial tensions behind. Unfortunately, he quickly learns that is more difficult than he thought.
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I flew through this novel! I loved how witty Bump’s writing was and how he inserted dark humor. This novel led me to every emotion on the spectrum. I particularly loved how Bump intertwined Claude and Claude’s grandmother lives. His grandmother provided an additional perspective to the shaping of Claude’s character. I would love to meet his grandmother, as she was a wonderful role model for Claude. Claude’s character arc was beautifully written. My only complaint was that I felt that 75% of the novel was really strong, but the last quarter seemed to wrap up very quickly. Maybe that was just me though, since I could’ve read 100 more pages about Claude and his grandmother. I look forward to reading Bump’s next work!
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
*Thank you to Algonquin books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Before I start my review, I'd like to say I was very lucky to be sent an ARC of this by Algonquin, so thank you! I was very excited to delve into this book after reading the premise, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. It must be a me thing, because this book has mostly excellent reviews on Goodreads - I just couldn't get past some of the author's writing choices to fully enjoy the story, and the characters felt very 2-D to me. The overuse of "he said, she said" at the end of dialogue really drove me up a wall, and the narrative felt too disconnected at times for me to follow. I never fully felt for Claude, either - his story felt imposed upon by the secondary characters, especially Janice, Paul, and his grandma. I enjoyed the glimpses of their inner lives more than any part focusing on Claude, and I really wished for more stories of Paul and Grandma during the 60s and 70s. Alas, I really only enjoyed the secondary characters and the author's points on white privilege and living as a black person in America that we get through Claude, and that wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this novel.

I loved Claude McKay Love, the main character in this coming of age story of a young black man, growing up on the South side of Chicago. Claude, abandoned at 5 by his parents is raised by an unconventional, activist grandmother who loves him. He’s heartbroken and so was I. Claude cries a lot over being left by his parents, over the death of black teenager, dead in the street, killed by a cop while the boy was entering a home to feed the cats for the people on vacation. Must be stealing they said. So relevant and reflective of the real life situations we see on the news with young black men and boys being killed or abused not because they are doing something wrong, but because of the racism that makes police believe they are doing something wrong. He cries over the riots that ensue and the gangs and more people killed. He cries when he leaves Chicago for college in Missouri and is working on a journalism project whose very assignment feels racist. Cries as he is looking back at Barack Obama’s election. He’s sad when everyone seems to be leaving him - his friends, Janice, the girl he loves . But Janet comes back bringing with her further times of fear and violence. In spite of all the tears and the violence, there are times when I couldn’t help but laugh. In spite of the tears and violence, there is so much love here. This is one of those books I didn’t want to end because I didn’t want to leave Claude, this determined, young man who keeps hopeful in spite of everything. A terrific debut by Gabriel Bump, who was born and raised on the South side of Chicago.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Algonquin Books through NetGalley

Claude is your typical high school kid, trying to figure out what he is going to do for the rest of his life. He lives on the South Side of Chicago, where life is not always the greatest. Surviving his parents leaving him, rioting and violence in his hometown. When he meets Janice, he think he may have found the one person to make the journey a little better, but Janice has plans of her own that may or may not include Claude. Together or apart, will Claude be able to make it through this tumultuous life, or will he fall victim to his circumstances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I can say that I was hooked on this book from the start. Claude seems like a shy guy who doesn't have too many friends. Not that he doesn't want friends, but he just likes to stick to himself. At first while reading the book, I was a little concerned about the writing style. But it fits for a boy of that age who is unsure of himself. This book was a quick read with a lot of dry humor.

You don't hear as many reports about the violence in Chicago, but it is ever prevalent. Thankfully, I have never felt the fear of violence just from sitting on my porch, but Claude feels it and even though he tries to escape it, it seems to follow him.

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend for high school boys who are unsure of their future.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the "voice" in which it was written. I think the high school students that I make recommendations for will find this a valuable lesson on what it means to truly be yourself

Claude is a young black man growing up in Chicago’s South Side. His parents left when he was young and he has been raised by his grandmother and Paul, a close friend of the family. Claude is looking for a sense of belonging as his neighborhood is caught up in riots, gang violence, and the trials of being a teenager. In a bid to escape the pressure, Claude leaves for college in Missouri, but quickly discovers that the pressure of Chicago is not that different from the pressure anywhere else, and an escape from home does not always mean an escape from society’s expectations.

I look forward to reading more of Gabriel Bump’s work, because I enjoyed this book. The subject isn't particularly light, but moments of humor shine through. Claude is an utterly believable protagonist, capable of deep and complex emotion, but not consumed by it all the time. The rhythm of the book propels readers along, and the act of reading is as enjoyable as the story that gets told.

Recommended for: book groups, general fiction readers, and those who want to try out what is generally referred to as “literary fiction.”

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This book is very interesting. I am happy that I got the chance to review this book early.
For this book being something that I am not even able to put into words, I really loved it.
It really addresses topics that are hard to address for the Black community.

We see a family torn by different types of trauma and how they deal with that. We see the way people choose their family.

I wanted Claude to stick with his plan for his life, but it was a realistic story plot because it illustrated how often our families and our pasts follow us even when we are trying to get away.

I cannot wait to see this book stores next year

A quick and informative look at today's realities. This story may open the eyes for much of the uninformed, and did for me. A harsh narrative but it is delivered with compassion and realism. I felt it was a bit of a tough start, but that it was worth sticking around for the overall story.

An incredible story that asks the question of how much the place we live impacts the way our life turns out. Very thought-provoking and important.

"Everywhere You Don't Belong" is a furious storm of a book. Bump hits on hot topic issues all while being vulnerable and sincere. This is a novel of the times.

I am not sure whether to give this book 3.5 or 4 stars so I will round up for now.

I don’t really know how to describe this book except that it is different and wild and I liked it. It feels futuristic but it’s set in present day. It feels old and new at the same time.

Claude, the main character, is both sensitive and brave, smart and not so smart. He is a smart teenager who makes some good choices and some bad choices.

The first half of the book reads like short stories. And while the second half of the book is unbelievable, Claude is believable and so you read and root for him.

This was an interesting book that is very timely but with a very different tone. I think people will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book