Book Review: The Nobody People by Bob Proehl

This was a really excellent story that grabbed me in the opening pages and never let go – although I must confess to being disappointed that it stopped rather than ended… There are a LOT of loose ends left hanging, and in a way that felt unfinished rather than cliff-hanger’ed.

Despite that, I loved the story – and for me, that’s an unusual statement to make.

I automatically knock a star off for an abrupt end that leaves the current elements of the story unfinished (as I did here). But usually that knock off also means I have to give an “I’m so disappointed” on the whole book – and no matter how much I might be, I just can’t do that here. The writing is amazing, the story marvelously crafted – as are the characters – and that combination makes this one of the better things I’ve read this year.

Proehl has done a magnificent job crafting a world that is utterly believable and populated by a fantastic, in every sense of the word, mix of characters. The story resonates (no pun intended) with current events and extrapolates the plight of the Resonant to that of minority groups of all shapes and sizes. The story rings clarion-clear and delivers a fantastic punch all wrapped in a delightful package of witty, clever, original storytelling.

“…He thinks if they have a word for us, a concept, things will be safer.”
“But not safe,” says Avi.
“I don’t think naming a group of people has ever kept them safe,” Patrick says.

There are a lot of possibilities for a sequel/subsequent books – and frankly, the way the story ended demands at least one more. I hope it comes soon – there was so much going on here, with such a panoply of characters, that it would be tough to wait too long and still keep things straight enough in my head to fully enjoy the next installment. And if the next book is anything like this one, I fully intend to enjoy it. This was a fantastic story and I will definitely be keeping Proehl on my watchlist…

My review copy was provided by NetGalley. The book releases in the U.S. on September 3, 2019.