The true story, written in the form of a journal, of an alcoholic sex addict gone mad and his search for a light at the end of the tunnel.
Traversing the parallels and hoaxes of a sex-addict, within these pages depicts a random and defunct narrative of what could be considered an absolute travesty of collective insults and inane sexual debauchery and nothing but. The life of all nymphomaniacs, however, isn't just about the hunt for the next pair of legs to spread; there are those who actually fathom the depths of what it is to rot upon that all but elusive landscape...of "love".
Written in the form of a journal, The Slut Always Rides Shotgun depicts a very brief time in the life of the author. Written originally to pass the time during working the overnight shift alone at a bakery, this journal eventually evolved into its current state: a novel written for the sole purpose of helping others find the ability to be honest with themselves and all those around them.
This special edition of Matthes' first novel combines additional and reworked material as well as a new ending, taken from the original hand-written journal of which this story derives from. New depth, more insight, and more lyricism escalates "The Slut Always Rides Shotgun" up to its originally-intended vision.
Professional Reviews
5.0 out of 5 starsFear and Loathing is Now a Road Show
I begrudgingly gave this 5 stars because although I appreciated it, I didn't like it - much in the way that you'd appreciate a piece of art but wouldn't want it hanging over your fireplace. Matthes may well be the Hunter S. Thompson of his generation, a brilliant writer with an elegiac way with words, beset by demons that make it impossible to like him, love him, or respect him. However, his story is too compelling to quit reading it. A misogynist, a racist, and drowning in his own self hatred, he is a train wreck from which you cannot take your eyes.
In this autobiographical rant from a night baker cum writer (pun intended) we are drawn into a world fueled by alcohol, drugs, and meaningless, sexually promiscuous encounters with any hole he can find to poke his perpetually horny protuberance into - a world devoid of meaning, relationships or love. Like attracts like; his women are as damaged as he.
Though he professes to love his mother, any semblance of normalcy in his life ended when he was 17 and his father died unexpectedly and suddenly of a massive coronary. In some places, flickers of normalcy appear - the real and very deep love and respect he has for his sister, his affection for his ancient dog, The Boobs, with her permanently off balanced head but Matthes immediately hides those with another round of indiscriminate sexual encounters with another lying, sack of crap woman or two. The dog's head is off balance from physical trauma while Matthes' is from emotional damage; the dog mirrors Matthes.
Matthes believes that he has friends but to his reader, the Bros, his close group of 25 guy pals seem to be cut from the same moth, garbage and feces ridden fabric as he, a new generation of self loathing hedonists, seeking meaning in places where they will never find it. Dismissive of love, commitment, relationships and normalcy, he is still pedestrian enough to long for them in a secret corner of his soul. He longs for them, yet does everything humanly possible to make them inaccessible to him, creating a self fulfilled prophecy of emptiness obliterated by sex, drugs and a little rock and roll.
Repugnant, terribly sad, insane and bitter, Matthes is undeniably talented. Unlikely to live to a ripe old age, his written legacy will likely gain a cult following. Hunter S. Thompson may have had Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas but Matthes makes it a road show, carrying with him everywhere he goes.
Any self-saboteur could relate...
A glimpse into a period in Matthes' life, this book is entirely relatable to those of us who have ever chased the bottom of a bottle while intense, sweaty orgasms were the most authentic form of human connection we could stomach. A heady trip down the proverbial rabbit hole, The Slut Always Rides Shotgun follows our Jameson soaked protagonist through a debauchery-laden time in his life where promiscuity is the norm and the biggest enemy he faces is himself. On the surface, Matthes could be mistaken for an incorrigible schmuck who shows little regard for the thoughts or feelings of those around him - most specifically the women he beds (and there were many, many women). Digging deeper, the reader is shown glimpses of an individual who is in a perpetual state of contemplation surrounding his relationships and interactions with others. His unwavering loyalty to his best friend (who is a character in his own right) and his affection for his tumor-afflicted canine companion makes it a little easier to discern where the depravity ends and the humanity begins.
Matthes proves to be a kindred spirit to anyone who has ever been irrevocably changed by loss or pain and struggled to find their way back -- especially those of us who have done so by committing a multitude of sins along the way. As one who has patched together her own island of misfit, degenerate toys with hearts of gold, I found Matthes' cast of characters fascinatingly similar to those I spent my late teens and early twenties wasting time, brain cells, and orgasms with. The stories in The Slut Always Rides Shotgun are nothing if not honest, up to and including the frequent sexual encounters, the feelings they created, and the occasionally disastrous results they yielded. Fueled by Jameson, hallucinogenics, and momentous attempts to distinguish the meaning of emotions ranging from lust and love to apathy and indifference, Matthes' story leaves the reader wanting more, wondering what happened to the only woman that was a constant presence in his heart, mind, and bed (and whether or not he made it back from his roadtrip in time to work). An entertaining, thought-provoking read for anyone who has ever blurred the lines between sex, love, and self-loathing.
Real, raw, and definitely girthy
I don't feel like I can top any of the 4 star reviews already written; they all ring pretty true to me. That said,I loved this book for its honesty, humor, drunken debauchery, and on some levels, its relateability. I loved that the author was searching here, for something deeper than what lies on the surface of life, for love hand in hand with mind blowing sex, for mind blowing sex just for its own sake, for good hidden within the tragedies of life, for a halfway decent bottle of whiskey, for real friendships, adventure in spite of life's attempts to beat us down in mundanity. I like that there was poetry woven through the story, and that the diary type format made reading the book kind of like sitting down with Dave over a few beers listening to him talk about life. I look forward to reading more of his work.
Deputy Dave Jenkins sets out to find the murderer of the local high school principal, aided by a voice from the grave that is sometimes helpful and sometimes misleading.
"Murder isn't usually this funny."
Amazon reviewer
Thirteen Sick Tasteless Classics, Part II is adult literature featuring adult language and situations that satirizes thirteen famous novellas and short stories. It is Jay Dubya's sixteenth ebook.
