I found this book very interesting. I liked the idea of how someone who is typically overlooked in life could gain confidence after receiving a death threat. Essentially giving them the ability to do things they wouldn’t have otherwise thought possible.

This truly is a one-of-a-kind read! I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book but I wasn't disappointed. The main character is neurodivergent, which makes a satisfying change to 99% of other novels, and had me laughing from the very first page. Melvin's way of thinking - specifically by how inconvenient he finds the death threat - is amusing, to say the least, and the secondary host of characters only further emphasises his uniqueness. The book provided an insightful, quirky appraisal of the human mind, as well as to the numerous different ways that we change ourselves on a daily basis.

The Threat had me laughing right away, as the MC described the sheer inconvenience of the timing of receiving his first death threat. I loved his journey through finding his identity as a "a man under the threat of death" all while critiquing the techniques of his threatener. The twist at the end had me cracking up and I am dying to know more about Melvin Levin the geologist. I listened to this book on audio and the narrator was excellent - the voice and tone were perfectly aligned to the story and brought Melvin to life. All that said, this is definitely a DARK humor and should be published with content warnings for mental health and thoughts of suicide.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

The main character Melvin is drowning in dreariness and his dull life. Until, he gets a death threat in the mail. He creates an identity of a threatened man that empowers him to become more emboldened. The writing is hilarious and keeps you intrigued. The writing style not the content reminds me of Gail Honeyman.

This was an unusual book that kept me listening the whole day and I finished in one go. It was just so interesting and strange that I was compelled to read more. Unfortunately, with the conclusion I found myself asking “what was the point:” It was SO enjoyable, until the end. With that I’ll give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Quirky and weird read. A man just getting by in an uneventful life receives a threat. This sets him off on an ehh change in him.

It was a quick read, though I hated the end. Honestly, the story was as forgettable as the main character.

This book was a wonderful life story using humor and satire. We follow Melvin Levine whose life is one of passiveness and living under the radar. Then one day he gets a threatening letter warning him of his demise. The initial jolt of being threatened and the thought of being killed causes Melvin to look at life differently. I loved watching Melvin go through different emotions and marvel at how his brain ticks. The ending was very funny and as I listened to the last sentence I had a smile on my face.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of the audiobook. Pete Cross was the perfect narrator for this book. I voluntarily give this review and freely share my opinions.

New Yorker contributing humor writer Stein delivers his debut, THE THREAT —a darkly funny comic tale of a man’s unraveling after he receives an unprovoked death threat.

Melvin Levin, 41, is bored with this life. Lives alone. Regarding his career, he has awaited a promotion to an office job that never comes.

Then, he receives an anonymously written letter with hilarious misspellings and mixed metaphors. A death threat!

Instead of worrying him, he finds himself with a new confidence and energy that someone has paid attention to him, worthy of threatening.

Then Levin receives photographs proving he is being watched. Then he grows impatient, waiting for the threatener to act and reveal himself/herself.

Who is the threatener? He may find the type of person he had envisioned is not what he thought. He is disappointed. Could he get a final request?

Does he think being murdered is better than his current existence? No promotion. But what if there is not a threat, then what?

THE THREAT is a strange, quirky satire about a man's neurotic man, sad life and insightful yet witty look into human nature. It is a parable with sarcastic humor of the comic lengths that people go to protect the delusions that validate.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Pete Cross, who was well-suited for the storyline and character. THE THREAT is for those who enjoyed Freida McFadden's The Coworker, Lou Berney's Dark Ride, and books by authors Dan Chaon, Terry Pratchett, and Fredrik Backman.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advanced listening audio copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

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Pub Date: Jan 16, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
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Oh my gosh, I completely loved this quirky, funny and charming story of a man whose whole life is changed by a death threat. Many have said it was too long or they didn't get the humor but I disagree. This hit me exactly right and I thoroughly enjoyed the listen....and I am not under threat of death. (Lolz...inside joke for those who listened.)

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

"The Threat" by Nathaniel Stein is a story about Melvin Levin, a man discontented with his job and the direction his life is taking. He feels trapped in a cycle of monotony and spends his days being overly polite and uninteresting. He lives alone and is so accommodating that he has arranged his rugs in his apartment not to bother his downstairs neighbour, who doesn't like how he walks. One day, Levin receives a death threat in the mail. This threat breaks the monotony of his life and surprisingly brings a newfound energy to his being. Instead of being scared, he feels as if someone cares enough to want to end his life. The threat catalyzes change in Levin, motivating him to break free from his lacklustre life.

Levin's voice is very strong; he is hypochondriac-obsessed with being threatened. Going in, I knew that this book would be absurd. What I didn't expect would also be heartbreaking; Levin seems to think that even the significance of being murdered is better than a quiet existence. I enjoyed this insightful look into human nature.

I was really intrigued by the concept here, and looking forward to a wry and snarky quick listen. Unfortunately, despite a narrator who I think captures the tone of the book perfectly, this one wasn't for me. I found myself irritated rather than amused by the musings of the protagonist, and quickly lost interest. I might actually have done better with this one in book form, despite other readers comments that it dragged on - the problem with an audiobook that drags is that you really can't skim ahead to see if you can find your way back into the story, which is possible in a print or ebook version. This one just didn't work for me...

I delved into this digital ARC immediately upon receiving it this morning.

Marvin is jolted by an enigmatic death threat in the mail, triggering an unexpected sense of importance and steering the book into a stream of consciousness narrative.

Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the book as it didn't align with my taste. While there's nothing inherently wrong with it, it simply wasn't a good fit for me.

A special thanks to Netgalley and Turner Publishing Company/Keylight Books for the opportunity to explore this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did! It was enjoyable, thrilling, and at times straight up funny.

This was delightful! It’s absurdist, yes, but we knew that going in. I laughed at loud at points and groaned at many more. Definitely a rip roaring farce!

Premise - a neurotic man in an unexciting life receives a mysterious death threat. The threat drives him to walk through his life with more energy than before - including prodding his threatener along with guidance on how to be a convincing threatener.

This is perfect for fans of Woody Allen films (not the man, but the vibe). It’s a neurotic, self-important but deeply insecure man making much ado about nothing.

Some of the reviews complain that nothing happens, but to Levin *everything* happens. He’s grappling with hopelessness, loneliness, the prospect of living a wholly unremarkable life. It was another variation on the celebrity/influencer/fame who’re trope - how far will a person go to avoid futility? Levin seems to think even significance for being murdered is better than a quiet existence. Heartbreaking, really.

This was written in a light, accessible way and absolutely packed with absurdist humor, but it still really makes you think as well. If the love child of Woody Allen films and A Confederacy of Dunces sounds like a good time to you, you’ll enjoy this.

Thanks, NetGalley and Keylight, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A short, humorous novel about an extremely fussy and finicky man whose tedious life changes radically after he receives a death threat.

"The death threat arrived on a Monday. Levin was settling into his evening routine, warm with the satisfaction of having changed the pants that had been dampened by a passing car on the drizzly walk home from work, and of having finished his back exercises in less than twenty minutes, and of having placed his tea in its dignified corner opposite his to-do list—which today contained the all-important item of preparing the presentation that would clinch his promotion to Mr. Adderley’s former position—when from between a dental-appointment reminder and a catalogue for duffel bags tumbled the neatly addressed envelope that contained the plain little note telling him he was going to be murdered."

More than fear, the threat turns awakening unsuspected confidence in Levin, as now being a man 'under the threat of death' clearly lifts him above ordinary people and their petty worries.

I found it quite funny and liked how it plays with the idea of the twisted thinking we humans apply. It reminded me a bit of Mark Haber, but this was less hilarious.

Many thanks for the audio-ARC via Netgalley - the narrator does a great job conveying the humour.

I received this ARC from NetGalley.

I'd give this one 3.5 stars. I like sarcastic humor. It's not "laugh out loud funny," but I enjoyed the premise. Basically, a completely mediocre guy receives a death threat which changes how he interprets his life. Of course, his new enlightenment is really just an excuse for him to indulge himself in his own self-absorbed, myopic view of the world. I would have rated this higher, but I think it dragged a bit in the middle and could have been a bit shorter. I did laugh a bit towards the end, though. It wasn't a complete shock or anything, but still amusing.

This book was not my favorite. The description intrigued me but the story fell flat. Too long and too bizarre. I was expecting it to be a little absurd but it went too far and left me confused and uninterested.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this in exchange for an honest review.
I asked to read this because it seemed funny, odd, and different. This story is all those things.
The main character is so supremely unlikeable, which could be a negative thing in a different kind of book. But his unlikeability made it easier to watch the events that unfolded throughout the story.
I don't want to give anything away -- it was kind of predictable but inevitable. The narrator did a fantastic job moving the story along.
I really enjoyed this.

3.5

This one sort of reminded me of Fredrik Backman books.

The main character is relatable at times and annoying at times.

He never wants to upset anybody, but often goes unnoticed and unfulfilled.

The monotony of his life is literally driving him crazy.

This was a strange and quirky book, overall a decent read.

I also really enjoyed the audio narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed the satire in this. At times, the main character was insufferable, but that is the point. It was just so funny how ridiculous each scene became and how it became increasingly more unhinged. The twist was honestly so fitting.

Actual rating - 3.25 stars. But I feel bad that all the other ratings are low, so I rounded up.

Ha.

This book wasn't epic or incredible or moving and poignant.

But it gave me a lot of giggles on a night when I desperately needed giggles, and for that, it gets a rounded up four-star rating.

The premise is very amusing. A bored (and boring), pretty unhappy man in a mid-level, 'no one cares' career receives a death threat in the mail. And suddenly, his life is completely transformed.

Although, not quite in the way one might think. Instead of being terrified and having his life turned upside down, the man suddenly sees himself as SOMEONE ESTEEMED AND IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO RECEIVE DEATH THREATS!

Ha. He lives the next few days? Weeks? Of his life in what I can only call a Donald Trumpian level of self-importance and annoyance. Haha.

But his threatener quickly turns out to be less than he bargained for -- old, feeble, and very inexperienced at threatening people.

The Donald Trumpian man tries to guide and direct him (threatener) on ways to more effectively threaten himself. Haha.

It's absolutely absurd and had some genuinely funny moments. For that alone, it gets my grace.

The ending wasn't the best, but it was funny in an eye-rolling, groaning Monty Python type way. So I even enjoyed that.

It should be noted, though, that I listened to this on audiobook. (Other reviewers talk about hating the long, meandering writing style with few breaks.) I didn't have to deal with that. In audio format, (sped up to 2x speed) it was really an enjoyable listen.