This is definitely on the outer limits of weird for things I've read recently, but in an ultimately understanding sort of way. We have a conceptual artist whose artwork suddenly vanishes and affects the lives of twelve people, whose experiences form the bulk of the novel. It's meta in a way that lets you know it knows you're reading and judging it and it doesn't care in a punkish sort of way, and that ultimately what you think of it doesn't matter. This is one of the few times where I actually agree with marketing copy and think Borges and Calvino are legit comparisons. There's not a lot I can say about this other than to go and seek it out yourself and let it happen to you. Interested to see what the reception will be when it comes out.

Reading this book was like going through an “I Spy” book, just without any instructions on what you were trying to find.

In the best way possible, the first chapter both does and doesn’t set the scene for the rest of the book. While it clearly lays out what to expect from the artist Siggi Conrad, the tone of voice struck me as extremely formal. It felt as if I was reading an actual article about a real artist. The book then shifts from one POV character to another with clear changes in voice. With so many characters in this novel, I am shocked that Rose was able to make each of them and their story feel so unique.

Additionally, I loved that the chapters could be appreciated as short stories on their own. They weren’t just leading up to the final chapter. In a way this reminded me of the novels that I have read by Italo Calvino. It was also fun to pick out the motifs and similarities amongst all of the stories. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say more.

My only constructive comment would be about the presentation of the themes in this book. Perhaps one of the main messages of this book was to not look too deeply, or that all art (books included) is open to interpretation. However, I’m not 100% convinced that was the main purpose of this novel. There were other themes that were lightly explored (i.e. cyclic nature of humans, critique of art world and those in power), but I don’t feel that any of them necessarily left a strong enough impact on me for me to walk away from this novel with a clear takeaway. Like I said before though, that may have been the author’s intention!

Nevertheless, this was a truly enjoyable and one-of-a-kind novel. For all of my friends who have read “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler,” I will tell them that they absolutely need to read this book when it comes out. I look forward to reading more novels by Rose!

Whoa. What did I just read?

One thing I can say for certain: We Live Here Now is full of contradictions. This book claims that no idea is new, then praises the unique perspectives that artists bring to their work. It says art has no meaning, then shows how art holds unique significance for each individual. It denies art's value, but follows characters who literally make their living from it. Art is so many different things, and C.D. Rose—often tongue-in-cheek—has a lot of fun saying so!

We Live Here Now reads like a series of 14 short stories. Each follows a different character holding some position in the art world: artists, art dealers, a sound engineer, an actor, etc. Their thoughts, motivations, and perspectives—the ways they see the world—are all distinctly fascinating as they are explored in each chapter.

Throughout the book are many recurring symbols, ideas, people, and events. Some of these are quite subtly laid out, but you slowly start to wonder if the strange circumstances haunting each character are connected. Is someone pulling the strings behind the scenes? Rose lets the reader ask and answer these questions on their own. Nothing is a given, here. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out what was going on, piecing together a trail of surreal breadcrumbs one after the other (even if I now feel a little bit like a conspiracy theorist).

Along with this web of questionably intertwined fictions is a mixture of real people, places, and events. This playing with reality echoes the characters' own uncanny experiences. C.D. Rose blurs the lines between what is and isn't real—between art and life. My favorite was an ongoing bit where characters are driving aggressively named, fake car models from real car brands (e.g. the Lexus Persecutor). I laughed every time, even when I had to look them up to be sure it was just a joke.

For all this book celebrates art, it also spends a lot of time exploring the commodification of art by "the industry". To what extent is art valuable if it's made to be sold? To what extent is it meaningful if it's hidden in a shipping container floating between tax havens? Is it better or worse for a human or an AI to rip off an artist's work? What does it mean if we cannot distinguish between human and AI art? We Live Here Now doesn't strictly answer any of these questions, but it certainly gets the gears turning.

Strange, sharp, and sneakily profound—We Live Here Now is a work of art about art that makes you laugh and think at the same time. There's an absurdity here that I really appreciate. It serves to underscore the point that we shouldn't take this book, art, or anything in life too seriously.

I wouldn't read this expecting a straightforward plot-driven narrative. Comparisons to Calvino are probably apt. I'm not sure you can really pin this book down, but I suspect that's the point. I'd certainly recommend giving it a read if you're looking for something playful or perhaps a little bit unhinged!

Thanks NetGalley and Melville House for the ARC.

"Silas spent hours trying to work out quite what an NFT was but ended up none the wiser and decided he wouldn't bother. It was the same as the crypto thing: the idea was brilliant, but the practice gave him the ick."

And maybe this quote best conveys all the unease and alienation and anguish you feel as you read this extremely smart and acerbic Kafka-like criticism of the modern art world.
The detailed language of this book, so real and life-like, pinpoints the lack of humanity in this digitalised, modernised, never quite real experiences... and you wonder as you read, is this the life of the characters? Is this a simulation? Is this their neurodivergence at play? Is this an installation? An hallucination? Is it art? Is it a criticism or an elevation of the art form?

I love art... and I hate the world that it has always swam in: money and patronage, pretence and scams, intelligentsia and elitism, suffering and superiority... such an ugly world to hold what should be the most beautiful humanity has to offer, and such an odd contrast.

An amazing book, carefully crafted across multiple characters living seemingly different experiences, but who are all somehow linked, to make you think about today, tomorrow, and what art is and what it is becoming.

We Live Here Now is a mind-bending novel that explores the blurred lines between art, life, and reality. When people begin disappearing from a conceptual artist's installation, the repercussions ripple through twelve individuals involved in the project, leading them to a chaotic, apocalyptic conclusion. A provocative and surreal exploration of modern existence and the art world.

This book was a very interesting journey of magic, fantasy, and mystery with a very atmospheric vibe. It was a fast paced, thought provoking book that left me sitting thinking about things when I was finished.

This fiction novel is one of a kind! This is the first book that I have read by the author and it won’t be the last! The book takes you on a magical journey on what it is like to be alive today. It gives mystery vibes, eerie vibes and fantasy vibes. It also has some dark humor in it, which I loved! It really explores art and reality. It makes you question what is real and what isn’t. When an artist’s installation goes missing, that included twelve people working on it, everything changes. Their lives turn upside down. As this story starts to unfold, unthinkable things start to happen. This is a fast paced, well written, easy to read book! It was definitely thought provoking! I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars! I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves reading a great humorous literary fiction book!

Thank you to NetGalley, author C. D. Rose, and Melville House Publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review of this book!

This book is set to be published on August 5, 2025!