First book by Jason Pargin and my god, why did I not discover this mad genius sooner.
I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is about a socially inept Lyft driver, whose whole life seems to revolve around his rideshare job, his edgelord Twitch channel, and getting yelled at by his ex-Marine father, who is infinitely disappointed with him. One day he is offered $200 000 by a mysterious cool chick for taking her and her locked road case from his hometown in California to Washington DC, on the condition they leave at once, tell no one they're going, bring no trackable electronic devices, and that he asks no questions.
Through a series of bizarre incidents and coincidences, the two misfits' journey soon catches the attention of a retired FBI agent and a bunch of deranged Redditors, and soon millions of people are obsessing over the duo and where the box could be headed, what its purpose could be, and above all what it contains in the first place (halfway through the book, theories range from an alien corpse to a nuclear bomb).
What you're in for is part a dramatic, ever-engaging, funny, and mercilessly satirical road trip with heavy Stephen King vibes and plenty twists and turns, and part commentary about Internet outrage culture and doomers, how stories and conflicts can go viral and spiral out of control (often ruining lives in the process), and how despite our Internet-induced anxieties, alienation, and catastrophising, we live in a world that's doing far better than we like to believe. Jason Pargin seems to really understand humans both on an individual and societal level, and the book is jam-packed with life observations and life lessons that will genuinely make you think, often based on mundane everyday things we take completely for granted.
There's some pretty heavy tirades by our incel antihero that were genuenely hard to listen to, especially the ones on sexual assault, so be warned about that. Mystery Chick does a good jo at shutting them down, though, so the book is far from an alt-right/incel soap box, and there's character growth throughout the entire book.
Either way, this was one of the most fantastic reads I've enjoyed in a long time. I'm Starting to Worry... was a book I found myself listening to it in small chunks over time because I wanted it to last. I promise, this book will change how you see the world.
Oh, and this needs to be adapted for TV or the big screen.
I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is about a socially inept Lyft driver, whose whole life seems to revolve around his rideshare job, his edgelord Twitch channel, and getting yelled at by his ex-Marine father, who is infinitely disappointed with him. One day he is offered $200 000 by a mysterious cool chick for taking her and her locked road case from his hometown in California to Washington DC, on the condition they leave at once, tell no one they're going, bring no trackable electronic devices, and that he asks no questions.
Through a series of bizarre incidents and coincidences, the two misfits' journey soon catches the attention of a retired FBI agent and a bunch of deranged Redditors, and soon millions of people are obsessing over the duo and where the box could be headed, what its purpose could be, and above all what it contains in the first place (halfway through the book, theories range from an alien corpse to a nuclear bomb).
What you're in for is part a dramatic, ever-engaging, funny, and mercilessly satirical road trip with heavy Stephen King vibes and plenty twists and turns, and part commentary about Internet outrage culture and doomers, how stories and conflicts can go viral and spiral out of control (often ruining lives in the process), and how despite our Internet-induced anxieties, alienation, and catastrophising, we live in a world that's doing far better than we like to believe. Jason Pargin seems to really understand humans both on an individual and societal level, and the book is jam-packed with life observations and life lessons that will genuinely make you think, often based on mundane everyday things we take completely for granted.
There's some pretty heavy tirades by our incel antihero that were genuenely hard to listen to, especially the ones on sexual assault, so be warned about that. Mystery Chick does a good jo at shutting them down, though, so the book is far from an alt-right/incel soap box, and there's character growth throughout the entire book.
Either way, this was one of the most fantastic reads I've enjoyed in a long time. I'm Starting to Worry... was a book I found myself listening to it in small chunks over time because I wanted it to last. I promise, this book will change how you see the world.
Oh, and this needs to be adapted for TV or the big screen.
