Blog Tour, Review & Mixtape: The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold

Crushed on by Kelly BookCrushin, on May 16, 2018, in Blog Tour, Feature, Mixtape, Reviews / 1 Comment

Blog Tour, Review & Mixtape: The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold releases next week on May 22nd, and I am so thrilled to be a part of this blog tour. This book has been on my must read list for 2018, and let me tell you it did not disappoint. Absolutely brilliant. Please check out all the book information, my mixtape inspired by the book, and my spoiler-free review. I am so thankful for the early review copy from Viking/Penguin and this in no way influences my thoughts below.

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold

Category: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publication: May 22nd, 2018; Viking’s Children
Purchase: Amazon

The New York Times bestselling author of Kids of Appetite and Mosquitoland brings a speculative twist to his latest novel. The result: an incisive and deeply humane story with the feel of Haruki Murakami for teens.

“An epic wonder”* from the bestselling author of Mosquitoland

This is Noah Oakman → sixteen, Bowie believer, concise historian, disillusioned swimmer, son, brother, friend.

Then Noah → gets hypnotized.

Now Noah → sees changes–inexplicable scars, odd behaviors, rewritten histories–in all those around him. All except his Strange Fascinations . . .

A stunning surrealist portrait, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is a story about all the ways we hurt our friends without knowing it, and all the ways they stick around to save us.

Mixtape:

Review:

[book rating=5/5]

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is in one word just brilliant. It is the type of book where you need to pause every few sentences just to take in the beauty of the story. These enchanting words are just words we have all read before, but never like this. It is hard to say much about this book because it is an experience that you all need to have for yourselves, but it is profoundly weird, beautifully written, and well David Arnold is nothing less than a wordsmith. You can feel his passion for music and storytelling which transcends into Noah’s obsessions as well.

Noah Oakman is obsessed with music, David Bowie specifically, and tries to live a simple life. He wears the same, yet different, clothes everyday. He is getting recruited to colleges for his swimming accolades, which he doesn’t want. And he kind of dwells in the thoughts inside of his mind. Noah is constantly thinking about what he calls his strange fascinations: Old Man Goiter (just an old man around town), the fading girl (a portrait study of one woman over almost 40 years), the abandoned photograph (that someone dropped), and Mila Henry’s Year of Me (and inspiring work of fiction – unfortunately, a fictional work of fiction – I tried looking her up!).

Noah is ready for change. He reluctantly decides to go out to a party with his best friends, Alan & Val. Where he has a too strong drink and meets a stranger named Circuit. This is when everything gets a tad flipped around. Physical appearances, behaviors, his favorite things in life…all different. While Noah tries to discover why his new reality is different from the one he remembers, he realizes that his strange fascinations stay constant. He also learns what these fascinations may mean to him and his life. There is one other thing that’s a constant, Noah’s little sister Penny. She is a scene stealer, and the sibling love is so strong and good.

This is a masterpiece of literary work. It is the coming-of-age story for the young and old alike. It tells you so much about yourself nestled into the pages of Noah’s mind. This book is unlike anything I have ever read before, and the way it is written, not only in conversation, but also we know Noah’s thoughts and in a way it’s like he is talking to the reader. It is, dare I say, fascinating. Strange yet fascinating. I know I said it twice, I can’t help it…this book is beautiful, witty, weird, wild and somehow indescribable. But one thing is for certain – The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is a must read.

Author Bio: David Arnold

David Arnold lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his (lovely) wife and (boisterous) son. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Kids of Appetite and Mosquitoland, and his books have been translated into a dozen languages.

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