Everyone You Hate is Going to Die

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 28/06/2021

Scottish comedian Sloss riffs on all kinds of relationships in his gleefully profane debut. Building on his stand-up material, he muses about his parents, siblings, friends, romantic partners, homeland, and America: "the greatest country in the world, according to very little evidence." While he packs in the punch lines, he doesn't shy away from serious subjects like discomfort around grief or the inevitability of death, writing with tenderness about his beloved younger sister, Josie, who had cerebral palsy and died when he was eight. ("She was my sister. Not yours. My grief. Back the fuck off... I'll cry you under the table.") A chapter on toxic partners explores the importance of learning how to be alone; another reflects on the responsibilities of male camaraderie: "Men need to keep other men in line because when women try to do it they're called insane." Not all chapters are as tight as his onstage deliveries—as evidenced by offhand comments including "I don't know what my point is with that story"—but Sloss has great fun with the form, adding cheeky footnotes and wondering how many references to sex he can cram in before his publisher objects. (A lot, it turns out.) Fans of his comedy and those with a soft spot for irreverent banter will find much to enjoy, and some insights, too.