As someone who has listened to approximately seventy thousand Diary of a Wimpy kid novels in the car with my kids, I am convinced that this is the adult equivalent. And that's a good thing. The Red-Headed Pilgrim is a multi-decade soul-search of "Kevin", and it made me laugh out loud at several points. That's not to say there's no meat here-- there is. What fulfills us, and why is sex so absolutely messed up? Why is it sex that messes us up more than drugs? Love and relationships and growing up in the 90's and early aughts-- this book covers a lot of ground for how brief it is. I really enjoyed this one, and I think others will, too.

The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney is a fun read! I’ve been really enjoying autofiction lately and I quite enjoyed this one! It’s about a man, Kevin Maloney, who recounts his adventurous life in pursuit of love. It’s such a wild ride all the way to the end. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tim Paige and he was great. This is a good book to pick up when you’re in the mood for a fun lighthearted read.
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Thank you to HighBridge Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

A funny auto-fiction-heavy book about the continental crisscrossing adventures of a man who can't get out of his own way. The main character (also Kevin Maloney) spends much of his time searching for enlightenment (he claims philosophical but the only enlightenment he truly craves is sex).

A very fun and hilarious novel about the main character finding himself. I liked his adventures criss-crossing the country. I loved all of the quirky characters he encounters. It is quite explicit in the sexual descriptions. I liked the narrator, he captured the sarcasm of the writing perfectly!

“I should have turned out normal, but I didn´t.”

A crazy read of an oversexed guy who thinks he is a philosopher-king on his way to enlightenment, but whose primary concern is really to lose his virginity. He uses lots of drugs and alcohol, quits college, makes one wrong life choice after another for women that don´t really care for him and keeps embarking on spontaneous trips.

I mostly had good fun, laughed out loud a couple of times, it reads really well and is less superficial than it sounds. Kevin Maloney doesn´t spare himself which reminded me a bit of Louis CK. But it is also a bit sad – I have the feeling this is partly an autobiographical work and I feel sorry for Kevin that he has had to go through a lot.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Provocative, poignant, and resoundingly hilarious, The Red-Headed Pilgrim is the tragicomic tale of an anxious red-head and his sordid pursuit of enlightenment and pleasure (not necessarily in that order).”

File this one under: Daheq did I just read?

This fictional, stream-of-consciousness memoir was disjointed, barely coherent, and made me feel like *I* was high.

And, I didn’t hate it.

While I didn’t love all the making light of suicidal thoughts and PPD, a lot of it hit rather close to home.

It actually made me LOL a couple times, but, like, for REAL-ZIES.

Am I glad I’m not married to this man?

Yes.

Am I glad I read his book?

Also: yes.

7.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this strung-out ARC.

The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney is a humorous read. I am unsure if it's a work of fiction (there isn't a University of Pacific Northwest here in Tacoma, WA) or if it's semi-autobiographical and names of places were changed (since the author shares the MCs name). Regardless, it is a fun coming of age/early adult book. I rate it 4 stars.

Tim Paige was a great narrator. He brought the book to life, like he was speaking on his own experiences.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio for providing me with an ALC.