This book made me feel simultaneously very smart and very stupid. The book is written essentially as a group of intersecting short stories, with each one focusing on a character whose life has overlapped somehow with a contemporary artist named Sigismunda Conrad who has since disappeared. These stories build and culminate in a final two chapters where all of the characters come together.

The Short Version (what I liked):

My favorite part of this book was definitely each of the individual stories. I loved almost all of them (sorry, the ship one was kind of a slog) and felt that each character was unique while also struggling from a similar estrangement from the world around them. Each of the stories is essentially about a lonely or perhaps simply isolated person and their eventual unraveling. In many cases this seems to be caused (or at least facilitated by) their isolation. Some characters have physically isolated themselves from the world on purpose while others have become disconnected from others due to broken relationships, mistrust, disinterest, or the unwillingness to be vulnerable.

Rose so compellingly creates this alternate version of reality where essentially everything is the same, except all of the artists, newspapers, organizations, even car models have different names. However, I regularly found myself reading these names expecting one to ring a bell before I would remember that they were all made up. He also apparently loves to hide little easter eggs in his work. I felt very cool when I recognized a unique turn of phrase as being from James Joyce’s The Dead. When he first teased his play on the German idiom “Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof”, I was kicking my feet. I’m sure there were many other references I missed, but at least Rose didn’t make me feel stupid by making it clear I was missing something (unlike Joyce).

The Long Version (what this book made me think about):

While it’s unclear to me what the central theme of this book is (if there is one), to me it conveyed the deep sense of isolation that is perhaps unique to the 21st century. The way we posture to curate our online identities, interact with others in half-truths for fear of ridicule, avoid eye contact with strangers on the subway. Commodification of everything ties strongly into this. The idea of art critics who survive off of their own opinions and artists who make work for commission—does the fact that we get paid to give our opinions or to make art make those opinions or art less authentic, less real? Artists who originally pursued their craft because of a deep love for it, an inability to not do it, may become removed from their original purpose by the necessary pursuit of money. And I think this can be true for many hobbies or professions.

I even found myself reflecting on my own bookstagram account and how this personality curation is somewhat unavoidable. Even if you don’t feel like the version of yourself you project online is fake, it inherently is not the true, full you. Most of us on bookstagram are here because we want to share our love of reading, and for that you need other people to pay attention to you. If you create for an audience and with an intention to grow that audience, does that reduce or alter your authenticity? At the end of the day I’m not sure this question really needs an answer, but I did find it to be a good reminder that I’m here, first and foremost, for myself.

In Summary:

These are the kinds of questions that this book poses. It is both a celebration and a critique of the contemporary art landscape. It questions how capitalism has driven the commodification of everything. It questions how we pose and project ourselves into the digital (and the real) world, but it does so with humor and levity. This book knows that it also, as a work of art, falls prey to all of these same issues. Rose has been compared to Calvino and Borges, and while I cannot comment on those comparisons (yet), I do think this book has similarities to Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, but more character-forward and with a much more surreal bent. If you like weird, genre-bending, philosophical books that make you go “wtf”, then this book may be for you!

Many thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately the formatting on this e-book was so poor that I was unable to read it and my attempts to contact the publisher for assistance did not receive responses.

It's a shame, as I think I would have enjoyed this story.

As such I cannot offer feedback or a recommendation one way or the other.

I have a bit of a hard time rating this book. It is a bit of a mixed bags. It is structured in a way that the chapters feel more of a short story collection. And with every collection they are hit and miss. Some chapters I was deeply invested in, other ones not so much.

The writing style is good and I liked the overall themes, but something was missing, that prevented me to be completely "into" the book. Maybe it is just one of the instances, where it just wasn't for me. I do recommend it still for readers who enjoy "different" books, the weird, the mindbending and philosophical. Something to think about. As i can see how one can enjoy it and be with the book for a long amount of time.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free ARC in exchange with an honest review.

not really my forte but an interesting premise and meditation on the art world, with intersecting stories and characters.

What an abstract read

I had no clue what I was getting into and I’m still trying to fathom most of what happened. The stories of each character were so fleshed out but at the same time just a snippet of their world.

I enjoyed how everything tied together eventually, but it was a bit of a slog at times. Some of the characters were very memorable and had more interesting stories. Some of them I’d like to read more about, like Oreste for example.

Overall, an interesting and strange read. If you enjoy art, absurdity, the unthinkable - this may be for you.

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!