I didn’t really enjoy this at all. I can see other reviews saying calling it a 24-hour read and I don’t know if they are referring to the plot or time it took to read but either way it took me ages to get through.
A lot of skipping and skim reading. Some strange language used and there were a few questionable symbols towards the end which, if I were reading in public would probably get me arrested….
Not my cup of tea, wouldn’t pick up again unfortunately :/

Original, offbeat off-to-Uni story - for a whole town!

I've not read anything quite like this before. Neither the way it's written nor the characters were at all typical. Which for me is a huge bonus. A post-adolescent about to leave for university, Natwest is our protagonist, our first-person storyteller, questing after a missing package that it's vital he finds today before he leaves.

Natwest himself is a tangle of quirks and traits: "he was an intellectual. His mind operated at the highest efficiency. His discernment was unparalleled." Aside from his self-given name, he doesn't make himself easy to like, this young man.

I had a sense of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' reading this, with Natwest's self-importance and the humour pervading.

I loved that we saw snippets of other people around Natwest's small-town home as he progresses about his day, from his mother planning for his departure (and getting in touch with her past) to a grumpy neighbour, an iman, a former teacher, a teenage girl with her own sideplot and issues, and the dentist whose art exhibition the end of Natwest's and everyone else's day is rotating slowly around and towards.

It's an eclectic collection of characters all on the periphery of Natwest's 'main character syndrome' life, each of whom could have their own story.

There are some standout moments, I loved the scene between Natwest and his former teacher debating the merits or otherwise of a particularly garish nail salon sign (which now makes the front cover make sense!), a love scene between an iman and an old black-and-white film and the strange two-parter parallel conclusion.

Unnerving, clever, immersive collage of a story that took me by surprise.

With thank to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

How to leave home is a story about a day in Natwest life which starts over a much accepted package, it’s a story of connection all linked to Natwest life in some manner.

The story is slow paced. The chapters to long….Not quite what I was expecting.

Thanks for this copy in exchange for my honest review

How to Leave the House by Nathan Newman is a thought-provoking novel about the connections made between different people.

Definitely quirky, this felt like an existential crisis of sorts but with way more sex.
I think my problem with it was a “continuity” error in the beginning that I just couldn’t get past.
It was a great concept in general. I’ve often thought about the idea of whether or not we’re each the hero of our own story, and how our behaviours impact others. I wish I’d liked this more but it just wasn’t for me.

the idea of the book seemed good, 24 hours in the life of Northwest. However the sexual content and oddness of the story made it a difficult read for me.

How To Leave The House may take place over one short day, but it’s going to stay with me for much longer. An impressive, impactful trailblazer of a book that takes an absurd slice of life and puts it under the microscope for the reader, with witty observations and tragically funny conversations about the strangeness of being alive. Despite the dark humour and sad moments, it was brimming with hope and had a sense of wonder about life and humanity.

Natwest was a wonderful narrator to follow but we soon learn there isn’t such a thing as a main character in life and as we cycle through the day again and again through different eyes our first impressions change and grow - the story was told with such lyrical language that was creative and fun to follow, painting such clear pictures and taking time for the small details - painting a picture of what should be a mundane daily image but just had that something extra. At times the conversations turn entirely odd, and the sexual scenes get a little much for me (no to the sweaty balls thanks) but it’s oddness gave it such charm.

As the day goes on, more people get added to the mixture and we see a web of interconnected lives passing each other by and sometimes joining together if only for a moment; our cast dealing with different worries and joys from religion and belief, marriage and love, body image and insecurity, sexuality and identity to basically not knowing what to do with your life. Instead of following your average linear structure, it’s a little invitation into these characters days. Each little interaction was fabulous; it really made you stop and think about the different versions of you in people’s minds, the different ways a single relationship can change over time and how a small moment can be everything and nothing depending on where you’re looking.

Weird and wonderful, this is a touching journey into the strangeness of being alive and the power of human connection.

a surprisingly vanilla affair that isn't as funny or real as it tries to be. there was nothing necessarily bad or wrong about it but it was just bland.

Interconnected stories told with a dry caustic wit. NatWest was the hero with whom it was difficult to really sympathise. All in all, not many characters ignited my interest, and I found the book quite the bore.

An impressive twenty-four-hour fiction. Reading this feels like being in a loop of reincarnation, always becoming someone connected to someone, ultimately escaping into an eternity of empathy—and the journey is hilarious, even though aberrational.

Note: A full-length review will be posted on the blog, and updated here, on December 15, 2023.

If this book sounds strange from the synopsis, reading it will leave you in no doubt. Often hilarious, this book might not be for everyone but Natwest's attempts to track down his missing package makes for a really funny story.

Put simply, this book is fantastic. A refreshingly quirky read about a day in the life of ‘our hero’ Natwest.
I loved the writing, the humour, and the darkly uncomfortable-at-times nature of the supporting characters which we meet along the way, especially Miss Pandey.
Some properly laugh out loud moments, Highly recommend!