Sequel to "The Slut Always Rides Shotgun", the author delves deeper into his own psyche while combating the ever-strengthening temptation of various addictions, with the help of a therapist who once treated his late father.
"Fate has a bitter flavor but a sweet aftertaste..."
Plummeting back down his eternally self-deprecating abyss, blending further the truths and illusions of familiarity and destroying what little reality he has left, only with the help of a friend of his father, a bottle of whiskey, a few ounces of Mary J, innumerable pairs of legs to spread, and a return journey into his own Hell and back can a final resolution be found...
Direct sequel and possibly the "other half of the story" to The Slut Always Rides Shotgun, this volume follows a more psychologically-based narrative than its predecessor.
"The Passive Aggressors" is more than just a true tale about the hardships of life. It is a literary experiment designed to push the reader to the farthest reaches of THEIR own Hells in an effort to to shed light onto the face of darkness that exists in all of us, and that few of us are brave enough to realize.
Professional Reviews
Yet another wild, relatable ride...
A continuation to the tumultuous path down which The Slut Always Rides Shotgun led its readers, The Passive Aggressors: The Circumcised Edition certainly does not disappoint. Told in a similar, anecdotal journal format, The Passive Aggressors follows Matthes through a period fraught with heartbreak, perpetual self-analysis, and as always, sex and booze. Told with the type of humor only those with some life experience under their belt can appreciate, this book feels less like a sequel and more of an expansion of the glimpses of Matthes' humanity that shone through in The Slut. In this book, Matthes gives his audience a more personal, raw view of the man trying to find his way.
Matthes' attempts to exorcise his demons are often quelled by his penchant for allowing them out to run amok, leaving little but empty bottles and self-loathing behind. This book delves deeper into the author's psyche than the first, allowing the reader more than just a mere peek at the darkness, depression, and anger he battles throughout. More personal, yet still entirely relateable, The Passive Aggressors forces the reader to consider their own truth and their own demons, just as Matthes does while he navigates life's minefield littered with the challenges of creating genuine human connection. A certain vulnerability is threaded throughout the pages, reminding anyone who has ever truly experienced loving and losing "the one that got away" just how much impact a single person can have on our ability to love (or not) again - especially if the loss is the result of our own making. Striking a balance between wanting to change and being exceedingly stubborn in taking the steps to do so, it is difficult to do anything but envision the author's challenges as your own, creating a protagonist that is both an underdog and his own antagonist. Once again, a thought-provoking tale for anyone who has ever stopped to wonder just what exactly direction their life should take, how they've gotten there in the first place, and who they'll be notching the headboard with next.
In his sequel to “The Slut Always Rides Shotgun,” Dave Matthes journals the next chapters of his life in a darker psychological rollercoaster ride as he tries to find his place in the world, and his journey to still find that something more.
“Just because a place has walls….doesn’t make it your home.”
We follow him on a journey jam-packed with a bit of anger, some bouts of depression, witty humor, copious amounts of physical love, the search for emotional love, and the still never ending debauchery. Matthes has the ability to easily transport his reader into the story and feel as if they too are along for this momentous ride with a drink in hand. He lives his life by the seat of his pants....when he is wearing them, and has embraced every single moment that has come his way, regardless of the hurt it may have caused him. He doesn’t waste a day of his life on the meaningless encounters, and grows with what’s tossed in his path.
He again pulls the reader in with real, raw feelings and true emotion, causing them to take a good like into their own mind and consider exactly what’s being said and how it pertains to the their personal feelings. He recounts his struggles with his inner darkness and demons, as well as his love for more than one lady. It’s not always east to hold onto the ones you love. The heart breaks are an honest example that he is not afraid to divulge to his readers how he felt, baring his soul to all who read it. The sincerity of his emotions come alive on the pages and break your heart.
From beginning to end, he has the uncanny ability to convey almost every emotion from happiness to heartache to sarcasm to loneliness. He uses poetry and random bits of wisdom to effortlessly transition from each journal entry to the next. And it works with the books emotions.
“You write about everything that happened, the good, the bad, the ugly, the unbearable, the gratifying, the subliminal, the obvious, the tenacious, the oblique, the frantic, and it’s terrifying. And then when it comes time to edit and rewrite, you’re forced to go back and relive all the horrible things you’ve done, everything you’ve neglected, and everyone you’ve killed. You’re forced to dig back down into the deepest of your horrendously turbulent abysses to divulge that all-but-elusive nightcap. And the only thing you can fiddle from the friction is that the journey through hell is only half over. I guess in a way, that’s my way of never letting myself forget. Certain things are unforgivable.”
I think this is a perfect summation. This authors gift to put into words something truly unique and different from a lot of literature out there is a breathe of fresh air.
Truly a piece of literary badassery…or so I once heard
Very quickly this book turned out to be better than it's predecessor
After reading the first book "The Slut..." I was excited to get started on the sequel right away. Very quickly this book turned out to be better than it's predecessor.
This book takes more of a journey into the authors mind and troubles as he goes through hardships and struggles. The author is trying to find his place in the world and keep himself sane while battling inner demons. This brings to light a lot of topics, feelings and thoughts that probably otherwise would have gone unknown to almost everyone around him.
I recommend this book to everyone. Many of the questions the author asks about himself are ones that we ask ourselves as well. It really makes you think about the answers to those questions...
High school student Kevin Borden has a secret and his name is Louis Lannegan. He also has an overbearing mother. A tale of coming out in the shadow of parents and friends. Award winning novella.
What causes America's mainstream media to fear and try to destroy a group of artists and their work? What happens when such a creative movement grows in strength and threatens media's bottom line? Why would extremists find it necessary to take acti
Soldier's Gap is a non-traditional mystery with literary elements. The high school principal is brutally murdered, but Deputy Sheriff Dave Jenkins's search for meaning and love is a much more significant theme.
"Murder isn't usually this fun
