Review of Fill The Gaps
-
Violet Devreaux
- Posts: 307
- Joined: 13 May 2025, 16:38
- Favorite Book: This Is How You Lose the Time War
- Currently Reading: The Book of Records
- Bookshelf Size: 485
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-violet-devreaux.html
- Latest Review: Exploring Wine Regions – Bordeaux France by Michael C. Higgins, PhD
Review of Fill The Gaps
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fill The Gaps" by Andrew Johnston.]
Fill The Gaps by Andrew Johnston is a great debut!
The protagonist, Isaac, is newly single, unemployed, and lying to his friends. He’s also a jerk who perpetually isolates himself by casting aspersions on others and who can’t manifest any motivation for self-improvement. When he runs into an old friend from his early college days, he gets roped into becoming a home burglar. It seems that nothing ever goes right in Isaac’s life, and it’s a shame because it can’t possibly be his fault, right?
The way that an obsession with an idealized past holds people back from improving their present is a throughline in the novel, along with Isaac’s inability to take any responsibility for his lot in life. Isaac is certainly an unlikable character and deliberately so, but there’s also a quiet desperation that hums in the background of his life the whole time. He just can’t seem to get anything right, whether it’s his social life, his love life, or his career. More importantly, he’s incapable of admitting that his life has gone off the rails and that it might be his fault.
Cullen makes for a particularly interesting counterpart. Although he’s looped Isaac into a life of crime, he’s also the only person who consistently challenges Isaac’s delusions about himself and points out his hypocrisy.
This novel falls into the literary fiction genre, so it’s primarily character-driven rather than plot-driven. The author does a great job drawing you into the cast of characters and their respective evolutions across the novel, as Isaac stays stagnant. The character writing shines through, and the reader is often left frustrated or despairing at Isaac’s failure to move forward and to change his ways. I found myself gritting my teeth at the outsized anger that the protagonist flung at his friends. Certain points of the novel are very evocative, which I think is a signal that the book is well crafted.
I particularly liked the way that the various metaphors were woven throughout the novel. The writing itself is done beautifully.
Readers who enjoy literary fiction and deep dives into characters would be an ideal audience for this novel. It definitely leans more toward the cerebral style than other, more action-driven styles of writing.
I only found a singular typo in the book. Other than that, the writing was well-paced, flowed nicely, and strongly conveyed the tone of each interaction between the characters. Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, deducting one star for the typo and the slight abruptness of the opening. The author should be very proud of their debut novel. I found it quite enjoyable, and their writing shows great talent.
******
Fill The Gaps
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Fill The Gaps by Andrew Johnston is a great debut!
The protagonist, Isaac, is newly single, unemployed, and lying to his friends. He’s also a jerk who perpetually isolates himself by casting aspersions on others and who can’t manifest any motivation for self-improvement. When he runs into an old friend from his early college days, he gets roped into becoming a home burglar. It seems that nothing ever goes right in Isaac’s life, and it’s a shame because it can’t possibly be his fault, right?
The way that an obsession with an idealized past holds people back from improving their present is a throughline in the novel, along with Isaac’s inability to take any responsibility for his lot in life. Isaac is certainly an unlikable character and deliberately so, but there’s also a quiet desperation that hums in the background of his life the whole time. He just can’t seem to get anything right, whether it’s his social life, his love life, or his career. More importantly, he’s incapable of admitting that his life has gone off the rails and that it might be his fault.
Cullen makes for a particularly interesting counterpart. Although he’s looped Isaac into a life of crime, he’s also the only person who consistently challenges Isaac’s delusions about himself and points out his hypocrisy.
This novel falls into the literary fiction genre, so it’s primarily character-driven rather than plot-driven. The author does a great job drawing you into the cast of characters and their respective evolutions across the novel, as Isaac stays stagnant. The character writing shines through, and the reader is often left frustrated or despairing at Isaac’s failure to move forward and to change his ways. I found myself gritting my teeth at the outsized anger that the protagonist flung at his friends. Certain points of the novel are very evocative, which I think is a signal that the book is well crafted.
I particularly liked the way that the various metaphors were woven throughout the novel. The writing itself is done beautifully.
Readers who enjoy literary fiction and deep dives into characters would be an ideal audience for this novel. It definitely leans more toward the cerebral style than other, more action-driven styles of writing.
I only found a singular typo in the book. Other than that, the writing was well-paced, flowed nicely, and strongly conveyed the tone of each interaction between the characters. Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, deducting one star for the typo and the slight abruptness of the opening. The author should be very proud of their debut novel. I found it quite enjoyable, and their writing shows great talent.
******
Fill The Gaps
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
