A little funny, a little dark, a little of everything I was looking for. A good story well written.

Thank you to Tin House Books / NetGalley for the early digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is 100% dark humor. If you aren’t used to the ability to brush off tough topics such as suicide, then this might not be for you. Dark humor isn’t my niche, but my brain definitely understands it a bit more than slapstick or blue comedy. Since this is about a cab driver, I expected those types of jokes to pop up. There is a lot of profanity, which doesn’t bother me, but if that bothers you then maybe take caution or just don’t read it. 

With all of that being said, this book is genius. I know I didn’t give it five-stars, but I could appreciate what it did. The characters were all so raw, real, and interesting. There was a lot of drug talk, and for a person who lives in a part of Kentucky with that being a pressing issue, this is an accurate depiction. 

Lou, the cab driver, seems like he would be independent. You assume he wouldn’t take orders from anyone, but he is quite opposite. The whole book he gives in to all the demands thrown his way, making him lose his mind. He’s constantly thinking about past cab rides he has given to a slew of different people. He even deals with the raging part of driving. There were so many comments woven through this book that made me cackle. I have terrible road rage, and I wanted to rip the pages out of the book, make copies, and tape them to windshields of terrible drivers. Don’t worry, it was very inclusive with the different types of drivers that are out in the world. 

This has pretty good ratings on Goodreads, and I don’t blame anyone for loving it. It’s well-written and funny. I understand that it won’t be for everyone, but the community that does enjoy it has every right to. Would I read it again? Possibly. I don’t think I understood everything that was thrown at me. I also didn’t get the point of the ending, but then again, I’m not a critical reader. 
I would recommend this to a specific type of reader. It won't be for everyone.

A travelogue for Mississippi this book is not. Durkee, who is a former taxi driver and I wonder how much of himself he has written into the protagonist, Lou. Lou at one time hoped to be a writer in New York City, but because of a series of life’s twists and turns has ended up in an unnamed Mississippi town driving a black Lincoln Town Car, for All Saints Taxi. His boss and owner of the company sticks him with a real variety of riders. From old black people in project housing who must go to dialysis to a drunk who pisses in his car, but leaves a $100 tip, Lou meets what we would call the dregs of society. And worst of all, Uber is about to move in, and his job will end. The black humor is depressing at times as he introduces readers to his fares, as in the time the police have him come pick up a very young white mother and her black baby during a meth bust. Of all the characters in the book, she’s stayed with me the longest. We only see a day of Lou’s life, but his day is far more challenging than I would want in my job.

Slice-of-life for an overworked taxi driver with an abundance of opinions based on the seedy characters he delivers around Memphis. Some parts are fun, others drag; on the whole this was a creative book that needs a certain type of reader. Not sure I was the right demographic. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Highly entertaining with laugh out loud moments. It's a story that you must keep reading. Very entertaining. Absolutely worth picking up and reading. Happy reading!

Lou, a Buddhist and failure at a number of things, is a taxi driver in Mississippi- this is the story of his passengers and his life over the course of a day. Told in short bursts, this is more a set of character studies than a plot driven novel. That's not a bad thing because it lets you in to the secrets of any number of people, some of whom will cause significant trouble for Lou. There's no happy endings here but it's a good read for the language and the sharp insight Durkee offers into these characters. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. For Southern noir fans looking for something with a little levity as well.

Oh my. I did wonder about the recommendation from George Saunders. It sure does promise a lot to the reader before the book itself even begins. Turns out it was 100% correct. This book is a masterpiece of fiction. I was going to say something cheesy like "journalistic fiction" but whatever you get the point. Read this. It's amazing.

I cannot stop thinking about Lou's story. So many tiny little straight out of left field nuggets of information are thrown at the reader much like the bugs pelting Lou's janky windshield of the town car. Long after reading I am still sitting here wondering what happens after, both to Lou and the car if I am honest with you. Did someone ever fix the shocks on the town car? This book will haunt me to the end of my time and possibly after.

The story here contains a weird venn diagram of character types, all converging in the middle to drive Lou nuts in one way or another. But can he be pushed over the edge if in fact he's already fallen?

I want to read this again and again and I probably will.

I wanted to love the book... or at least like it. It just seemed to go on and no real storyline. I did not finish,

I have to be honest and say that I was disappointed with this book. It sounded very intriguing from the description, but it was a very slow burn, and didnt catch me in any real way. The characters felt like paper dolls to me - there wasn't much life to them. I was hoping for something much more substantial.

Some great scenes and good writing. But, not enough storyline to really reach the full potential here.

I have heard a lot about Durkee and was excited to read this book. I am a big fan of southern or country noir and this book has its nourish elements as well as lots of stream of consciousness and hallucinatory passages. Durkee is a great writer but the lack of a linear story was a drawback to me. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it but not quite my cup of tea.