This book just didn't work for me. I think the basic concept was interesting enough, but then it wasn't fleshed out. The main character was hard to connect with and his obsession with "The Boy" for a big part of the book was confusing and not compelling.

Ultimately, it felt like the author was trying too hard to make something that was "important literature" ala Cormac McCarthy or James Joyce (with the lack of quotation marks when someone is speaking and the meandering almost stream-of-consciousness plot, respectively.)

A melancholy and surreal neo-Western about a band of professional mourners who offer their tear-laden eyes to a desiccated world. It evokes Station Eleven, with its troupe of performers bringing their artistry and gifts to a world now bereft of them.

Our narrator, Ed, has a very distinct worldview and his colorful oratory style held me in thrall throughout. For instance, he describes a perky character as having, “...all that vim just soda-popping through her veins,” and someone who is even-keeled as, “...sticking to his fucking row, sure as shooting, regular as rust.”

The vibes in this book are just off the charts, and I really dug how it all played out. Mendelsund has crafted a unique tale that will surely stick in my craw. It’s sad and mournful and centered around death, yet it pulses with life in Ed’s eyes and through his narration.

What I found interesting: the voice, hints at the broader context of environmental collapse and the reason for numbness and weepers; irony. What I did not find interesting: Christianity and all allusions pertaining to it (I grew up and live in a very Christian country, but I don't care for it at all); cowboys. All in all, it's not a bad novel, I just did not quite gel with it.

"Weepers" by Peter Mendelsund is an absurdist work of fiction in which the majority of society can no longer feel emotions. Instead, people hire "emoters," specifically professional weepers, to express feelings on their behalf. You can even hire a weeper to sob at a funeral or for other occasions!

This novel prompts readers to reflect on society. Are people simply apathetic, sociopathic, or overly rational? Can they feel emotions even if they don’t display them? Is the commodification of emotions becoming the new way to keep up with the Joneses?

The story serves as a messianic tale about grief and redemption. While I enjoyed this novel, I found the pacing challenging at certain points. Although it may not resonate with everyone, I believe fans of works like Thomas Pynchon’s "The Crying of Lot 49," Ashley Hutson’s "One’s Company," Tony Tulathimutte’s "Rejection," or Italo Calvino’s "If on a Winter’s Night, a Traveler" might appreciate this funny and compelling fever dream of a novel, which offers a unique perspective on society.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC. I will be thinking about this novel for some time.