I can enjoy a Kafkaesque story - or just Kafka himself, like The Metamorphosis or the movie The Trial. But I found this story quite boring and ending up DNFing at 21% despite how short it is.

This is about a man who is in a surreal competition to be the juror who decides the fate of a man whose crime we don't initially know. It's obviously a commentary on the justice system, but I didn't find it very interesting as anything more than that.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'll be honest: this book didn't work for me. I was intrigued by the plot and by some reviews I read in the last few days, but it ended up not being for my personal taste. I never got actually pulled into the story in the first part, and when the second part started and it took a huge turn, the book had already lost to hold my attention.
In simple words: I didn't care for what was going on. I assume it was supposed to be a thought-provoking critisicm about the criminal justice system, but I felt...nothing.
I'll just that it wasn't for me.
I can see many other readers enjoying this book for what it is, and I hope they will.
As for the audiobook: I didn't like the narrator. I thought he spoke in a very soft, low - and sometimes whispery - way, that I don't think it matches the heaviness of the story itself. It was very short and quick to finish, though.

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest review

My toe dip into Jesse Ball's oeuvre, i will certainly be back for more. Kafkaesque, as promised, and did not disappoint. A dystopian novel dealing with a unique criminal justice system, where one is judged by a peer walking in one's shoes. What a novel idea. Bizarre or just?

Ball's writing is raw and compelling. It drew me in page after page, despite dealing with complex and controversial issues such as capital punishment and child abuse. This is not an uplifting or relaxing read. It is a thought provoking, intelligent discourse that aims to disrupt, and will leave you ruminating in your mind these important social issues.

The first and second parts of this book are vastly different. I would give the first part five stars. Hands down, it was very interesting and unique, mocking the absurdity of our current criminal justice system.

But the second half… I was not expecting an extremely descriptive story about brutal, abusive parents that resulted in two siblings having an incestuous relationship. It'd be one thing if it mentioned the incest just once, but to have multiple chapters with such extreme graphic sexual abuse details, yeah, I have to pass.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read the blurb about psychosexual relationships, but I didn't think it would be incest. Besides that, the book was well written, and I will read other books by the author.
I'm still going to give it four stars, even though I feel scarred from the second half of the book.

(3.5/5, rounded up)

This could have taken 87265 other turns, but the one Jesse Ball picked will likely be what makes or breaks this book for readers.
The second act is HEAVY. I was prepared for a mindfk after reading the description, but what I got was waaay more than that - maybe more than what some people will be bargaining for with this book. I really can't say much more without giving the remaining acts away.

In the first act, I was impressed by how quickly Jesse Ball had me immersed in a future so strange - yet believable. Think: The Stanford Prison Experiment meets <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9783600/">the movie Spiderhead</a> meets the idea that someone will judge how/where you spend your remaining time after you die (e.g. God:heaven vs hell) meets... the Nazis a little bit? Honestly the direction taken isn't my favorite, I think there is a better "test" out there that I would have enjoyed to see play out more; My reason for -.5 from a solid 4/5, at times it felt like we were just being messed with, like going overboard on the taboo in such a way it took away from the strength of some of the critique, vs the taboo lending to the story. But seeing as I didn't think of this book and couldn't even think of another "test" that would be wild - I'm just going to commend the author for how far he takes the idea, after having already laid the foundation for it so, so well.

Specific to the audiobook, I really really really enjoyed the narrator. At 2x I finished in less than 3 hours, even having to rewind quite a few times - the perfect length for a commute.

I highly recommend this book to those who are aware of my taste in books and are confident they won't be put off by anything and then feel resentful they spent so long on the first act if it turns out they'd prefer to stop reading. Basically, use whatever the site is that will give you all of the trigger warnings if you'd feel more comfy, and be prepared for v taboo things to be v spelled out for you.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Jesse Ball and publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!}

Jesse Ball's The Repeat Room has generated considerable buzz, and I eagerly approached this ARC with an open mind, despite it being outside my typical genre. The novel's initial chapters drew me in with their intriguing premise, leaving me curious about the peculiar world Ball has created.

However, as the story progressed, I found myself increasingly unsettled. The second part delves into harrowing themes, including child abuse, graphic incest, suicide, and murder. While I understand that Ball may have intended to provoke thought and spark discussion about the criminal justice system, the execution felt overwhelming and disturbing rather than insightful.

For readers looking for a challenging narrative that pushes boundaries, this book may resonate. However, for those seeking a more conventional or uplifting read, The Repeat Room might not be the right choice. Ultimately, while the writing is compelling, the content left me wishing I hadn’t ventured into this dark territory.