Ugh. It was going to be a 3 star book, as this was definitely not my cup of tea. But then there were certain things I really disliked about it, and I wouldn't recommend it.

Certain words in this book should have been changed, as I see this is a republishing of a book. Why do we still need to use the word "retard" or "gay" when insulting another? I understand it was used to portray the times, and that it still was normal to insult one other like that back in the day, but I think it is very unnecessary as it doesn't really add to the plot.

Now the plot, and why I would say it is not for me. This book is a haunting tale about grief, loss and family bonds. In this story the ghosts of the past, the possible outcomes or what ifs are haunting our main character, Gabriel. And it is the author telling the story (audio version) about a guy that has the same name as the author. So the reality and the fiction kind of converge.

Very lyrical, very messy, but exactly for that it is not for me. It was too messy and I had no idea what was happening. Especially with the audio. It jumped around a lot with different timelines, the manuscript, the TV show, etc and it was hard to follow along and get sucked into this mess that is the life of Gabriel.

Thank you to Penguin Press and PRH Audio for my review copy.

BRAT reads like an absolute fever dream—a mind-melting trot through a haunted house where the main character is definitely on drugs but the reader is stone-cold sober. I can honestly say I've never read anything like this book before, and while I didn't necessarily like it, I definitely can appreciate what it accomplishes.

We follow Gabriel, the titular "brat" of the novel, who has just lost his father, broken up with his girlfriend, is struggling with his mother's dementia and has been tasked with clearing out his childhood home for sale. Needless to say, Gabriel is not handling things well. In his grief, he drinks, does drugs, sleeps at random points of the day and starts experiencing an assortment of horrifying things. His skin is peeling off in sheets (like a lizard), there's a creepy man in a deer mask in the garden shed, the house is literally falling apart around him and he discovers a videotape and manuscript that change every time he views them.

The author uses staccato sentences and brief vignettes, rather than extended scenes, which have the combined impact of being extremely disorienting to read. It took a minute to get used to this narrative voice, but the blunt and repetitive nature grew on me and made the book an altogether quick read. Add to this the body horror, "haunted-house" elements, buried family secrets and unreliability of our narrator, and you have an eerie, gothic tale that keeps you on edge to the very end. It's not clear what's real, what's a dream and what everything actually means—and ultimately, I believe that's the point.

Gabriel's grandmother has an understated but impactful role in the story, with some profound lines about memory, history and the way we all view things differently. These, I think, spotlight the underlying message BRAT sends about grief and growing up. The way view our world—our memories, other people, and our personal role—is constantly shifting and rewriting itself, particularly in the face of loss.

I particularly liked the use of stories within the story, in the form of short prose, unfinished manuscripts and TV scripts, which were each unique but lightly connected to the larger narrative. I wish there was a little more clarity on some of the story's elements, like the deer man and the siblings Gabriel interacts with, but like our MC, I suppose I'll have to be satisfied not having all the answers.

Brat by Gabriel Smith was such a unique read and I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it was going to be a little difficult to follow but I found the storyline quite easy to follow along. It was well-written with a very unique story.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penugin Press, and Penguin Random House for this copy of "Brat."

This was one of the most inventive narratives that I've read in awhile. It was surprisingly easy to follow the events in the story, though you're not sure what is "real" and what is perceived, imagined, or hallucinated.

Gabriel's and his brother's father has just died and Gabriel moves into their father's house, telling his brother that he'll help to clean it and get it ready for sale.

He finds a manuscript written by his mother, but every time he tries to read it, changes appear.

He also finds a screenplay written by his father where students note changes in a videotaped show they rewatch weekly.

This book makes the point that each time we remember something, we rewrite it. And that grief is really all about sharing memories of the loved one who is gone.

How do I talk about Brat?

Reading this felt like I was making my way through a maze. The sentences are quick and short turns, the plot is the centre that I’m rushing to get to, to make sense of my location.

It’s exploring grief through this gothic, cyclical, surreal haunted house. I was captivated from the very start. Do I have a firm grasp on what I’ve read? No. Brat demands a reread.

I found this very different and interesting. Even though I think it wasn’t quite my type of story (body horror is not my thing I discovered) I am glad I read it, I think it was well written.

Intriguing but this wasn't my cup of tea. I'm sure others (after all, it's already found advocates) will enjoy it. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For fans of experimental fiction.

I've never read anything like Brat! The story is delivered with staccato sentences, repetition, and a very distinctive literary voice, it's a very fast and engaging read on all accounts. It teeters the line of autofiction and utilizes a nested story within a story that gets increasingly weird and layered as you progress. I don't think I fully understood all the connections Smith makes in this, but I enjoyed the creativity and risks this took. I hesitate to give this a full five stars solely because I think I need more time to digest and discuss this - it's hard to gauge whether I feel frustrated by the ambiguity, or impressed by how much it made me think!

Brat is a story about Gabriel (the titular brat in question) navigating the loss of his father, his mother's dementia, a recent breakup, and the responsibility of caring for the decrepit family home. He constantly has the feeling of being watched, his skin begins to peel off itself, and the books he reads change every time he picks them up. His tenuous grasp of reality makes the reader question events at every turn; while each of these aspects initially appears disjoint, plenty of connections blossom between them and it becomes a very carefully woven plot. It's creepy, unnerving, and unhinged throughout. I think it would hold up better upon a re-read, where you have more context going into the book and are already acclimated to the tone.

I can imagine this book will be fairly polarizing upon release - the ideas are fairly abstract and intentionally confuse the reader at every opportunity. While frustrating to some, I liked the challenge Brat offered and the fast pace made me eager to unpack everything going on. I struggle to define the exact target audience for the book, I think if you like Iain Reid, Death in Her Hands, This Thing Between Us and/or The Country Will Bring Us No Peace then you'll probably enjoy this too.

Thank you to Penguin Press for the ARC!

It is a brilliant novel exploring grief, memory, legacy, family, and writing.

Told in vignettes, we follow a character who becomes so lost in grief. He's haunted by his mother's manuscript and his family secrets. The protagonist struggles to pull himself out of this low period in his life. He's alienated and literally peels away at pieces of himself to try to find himself. He struggles with his art, brother, sister-in-law, and the strangers who appear at his doorstep.

This gothic literary endeavor is delicious.

I was struck by Gabriel Smith's writing when I first encountered it online a few years back, and so was eagerly awaiting his debut. It did not disappoint! What a strange, exciting novel -- tackling grief, addiction, mental health, artmaking.

In the aftermath of his father's passing, Gabriel moves back into his family home to prepare it to be sold. There, in the midst of a skin affliction, and many black-outs, he encounters an old tape and an old manuscript, neither of which seem to be the same each time he revisits them. There's a blurring between fact and fiction (did his mother have a second family? who are the two siblings who visit him one day?).

Also, worth mentioning how hilarious the novel is too.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-galley!

I loved this grief manifesting as gothic body horror novel. I didn’t want it to end but the chapters were short and it flew by too fast! I really loved the changing manuscript/screenplay aspect. The characters were indeed unlikeable, but there was something really meta there that just worked. I can see some language might make people uncomfortable, but it's here to underline immaturity etc and while i cringed, I think it set the background of the character really well.

Thank you so much to Penguin Press for the ARC of this one.

If you like really repetitive and weird little books, then "Brat" will definitely leave an impression on you. The writing style is very sparse and on the nose. I really wanted to like this novel more. It's a too simple. I wanted a more complex storyline. The main character is very funny, I did chuckle here and there, but He's also deeply immature and you guessed it, A MAJOR BRAT! He's dealing with the death of father, and he's girlfriend recently dumped him. He moves back to his parent's home and unusual things to occur. There's a lot of creepy body horror. It's not too graphic but it might be unsettling for some. I liked parts of this book, but I just wished the writing/plot were stronger. Decent novel, but not an all-time favorite for 2024.

Thank you, Netgalley and Penguin Press for the digital ARC.

A creepy and haunting family drama with a lot of wit. The book gives a very cinematic vibe with the snappy dialogue and mixed media, and it felt like something A24 would produce with Yorgos Lanthimos directing. Very witty, a literary treat.

Brat has an Intriguing great style and voice but it's confusing—I didn’t quite get it, like waking up from a dream...

This is a weird little book for weird little people. Gabriel Smith captures grief in such a unique way, discombobulating readers with messy alternating realities and stories within the story. A tale rife with body horror, substance use, and hyperfixation on thinking about anything BUT working through the grief from the death of your parent, Brat is a rapid-fire fever dream that can easily be read in one sitting, although, you may need therapy after. Truly bizarre in all the best ways.

3.5/5 maybe 4/5

i love these weird books with little books inside them
grief driven and directed by whatever else is going on and maybe you’re a little confused for a second but then the bigger picture clicks and it all makes sense
a quick, fairly easy read that kept me captivated and interested and curious. i love the prose, this style of writing, the weird, confused, discussing nothing but also everything, style is such a hard one to get down and get correct but i’m pleasantly surprised that this book worked

I really struggled to stay engaged with this one. I am not used to reading things like this, books with haunting elements, so perhaps that explains the disconnect. Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP The Penguin Press for a copy of this book for an honest review.

After the death of his father and a split with his girlfriend, Gabriel moves back into the crumbling house of his parents to clear it out and put it on the market. There, his life becomes a surreal whirlwind of discovery. His skin begins peeling off in large sections. He sees a large deer/man figure in his yard. He finds incomplete and ever changing manuscripts, with eerily similar details to what he is experiencing.
Although it may appear to be at first glance, this is not a haunted house book. This book is, first and foremost, about a haunting grief and the reality it disrupts. It is one man’s journey through grief and his grappling with loss in many forms - of a parent, a house, a relationship, and perhaps something much deeper. And yes, he is a brat.

I received this book as part of a giveaway, and was interested even though it’s not the genre I typically go for. Sadly, I found it extremely unengaging, strange, and difficult to get through.

This was a new author for me and I am so glad I found him. This book is so wonderfully strange. Love a fired up fever dream. The story was unique and that made it special. This is definitely an author to watch in the future.
Can't wait to own my own copy of this book..