Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

My Heart Belongs in an Empty Big Mac Container Buried Beneath the Ocean Floor follows Daniel, who teams up with a sad blue whale to go to the middle of the ocean and bury his heart in a Big Mac container.

I picked up this book just for the ridiculous title, and I'm so glad I did. At turns hilarious and deeply emotional, Homeless's interrogation of the persistence of hope in times of suffocating depression somehow managed to feel light, refreshing, easily digestible and deeply addicting. I'd read this book again in a heartbeat, and I'd recommend it to anyone in pursuit of a book that makes them feel seen.

I came for the title and stayed for the absolutely raw exploration of suffering, depression, and finding the meaning of life in this experiment of being human.

Daniel is in his early thirties and life just feels incomplete. Accompanied by a life time of sad looking blue whales, Daniel navigates life after a break-up, which is full of its share of depression, self-reflection, and searching for something that might give a bit of meaning to his existence.

The book follows three very different yet interconnected plotlines, which I initially thought I would like one more than the others, but I was quickly proved wrong. I found myself craving each chapter as soon as one was over. The pop culture references that Homeless constantly refers to felt like my own personal pop up video of life, and it made the book feel even more personal and relatable.

Homeless's writing is beautiful. He weaves heavy topics and comedic analogies together like a warm tapestry that will keep you wanting to read more and more. The book is a slow burn, and feels more like a stew rather than a quickly prepared meal. It's warm, fully of delicious morsels to chew on, and will leave you wanting more. The Kierkegaardian approach to suffering really appealed to me and made me reflect on how my own suffering is what completes me.

There were so many quotes that I wrote down from this book that will stay with me for a very long time. "Emptiness is enough because existence is enough" is such a remarkable thing to read a reminder for the dark times that we experience.

I'm so incredible grateful that I got to experience My Heart and the renewed appreciation for life, no matter how bleak it can feel at times.

Let’s talk about this book! It’s a whirlwind of emotions that had me laughing through my tears and finding sparks of hope when things felt darkest. 🌟

I requested it up on a whim because, I was drawn in by its intriguingly odd title, and wow, am I glad I did! 📚 The story hooks you right from the start, and before you know it, you’re deeply immersed, feeling every high and low. I was halfway through before I even realized it, and the emotional ride left me both devastated and uplifted. If you’re up for a book that’s as gripping as it is moving, this one’s a must-read! 💖📖

I really enjoyed this very heart felt, well written book. It was very imaginative and kept me reading thru the night. I loved it

Where to start with this book... It broke my heart; it made me laugh and it managed to give me hope when I thought everything was doomed.

I went into it with zero expectations, simply captivated by the long and weird title and oh boy am I glad I did! This book immediately catches your attention, I felt like I blinked and somehow was halfway through the novel and trying not to cry. We follow our main character Daniel as he takes you through his stream of consciousness, dreams and memories of his life, falling in love, messy relationships, dead end jobs, and the huge weight of having to live with depression through it all. All whilst being constantly followed by sad-looking blue whales, the personification of his mental state, whenever things get worse more of them seem to appear singing their depressing song and not letting him enjoy his life. This is done in such a tangled messy manner of timelines which somehow manage to make you feel closer to him than ever. He is one of the rawest, realest portrayals of a character I have ever experienced.

Watching him be weird and awkward and messy and sad, made me feel less weird and awkward and messy and sad.

Its beautifully and devastatingly written, you truly are inside his mind, and nothing gets left out, to the point of being uncomfortable at times and yet it made me appreciate the style of writing even more.
To end my review, I will leave you with two lines from the book that stuck with me the most. Thank you Homeless for this beautiful novel that tore my heart to bits and made me appreciate that emptiness IS.

"For a little while," he answers. "She loved me for as long as she could, I guess."

"Old and rusty and wet and shaped like the ribcage of some long-dead, enormous and mythological beast, he could look at it with love in his eyes."