Knucklehead

By Adam Smyer

Knucklehead is the only title shortlisted for the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence!

"By setting his novel in the '90s, Smyer, who lives in Oakland, has crafted some brutal deja vu. As [protagonist] Marcus reflects on Rodney King, the Million Man March and the Oklahoma City bombing, we think of Freddie Gray, Black Lives Matter and school shootings that have become a way of life. And when Marcus laments San Francisco's dwindling black population, here we are more than 20 years on, and it's only gotten worse. We should all be furious."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Here is a list of things you'll need to read this book: ample space for stretching out the side stitches you'll get from laughter; half a box of tissues for the most gripping and harrowing dramas at the heart of the novel; a fresh stress ball for the tense situations the protagonist finds himself in (both of his own doing and not); and just a bit of that space in your heart to see people, in all their complexity, trying to do their best."
--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"This book is bold in how it treats the reader as an insider to the reality of American blackness. It can be, in turns, lyrically poignant, cynical, hilarious, and infuriating."
--Foreword Reviews, Starred Review

"In this comic debut novel, lawyer Marcus Hayes careens through the racially divisive 1990s while trying to manage his compulsive anger, chaotic love life, and economic misfortunes...Smyer gives Marcus a sardonic and hilarious voice reminiscent of a Paul Beatty protagonist and endows him with a troubled psychology that plumbs the nuances of black male identity."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Marcus is an intelligent, acerbic, and often hilarious narrator, bringing a fresh, biting perspective to the social and racial tensions of the time that, as debut novelist Smyer makes clear, are not particularly different from today."
--Library Journal

"While loss and loneliness are at its core, Knucklehead is a mordantly funny book."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"While not strictly a crime novel, Smyer's debut Knucklehead does contain a whole lot of guns, violence, and rage, as well as plenty of love and sadness. A black lawyer in the late 80s through the mid-90s deals with micro and macro aggressions from a society determined to treat him as a criminal. Also, there are cats. Lots of cats."
--Literary Hub

"While the provocative subject material will take readers to a sometimes-uncomfortable place, this brilliant debut is also deeply, darkly funny...This is one of those books that simply has to be discussed, as it managed to tackle difficult topics with unexpected humor and pathos. While Marcus is a troubled character, his journey and the choices he makes will provide rich meat for discussion about race in America and how justifiable anger can turn toxic."
--IndiePicks Magazine

"[A] masterpiece...In this, his debut narrative, Smyer dramatically encapsulates the ancestral trauma, the collective guilt and suffering of tens of millions of people. Indeed he has scored big. Real big...A must buy."
--Kaitur News (Guyana)

"Smyer's debut explores themes of the self in chaos; the prose is clean as bone and the anger is focused and piercing."
--Michigan Quarterly Review

In Knucklehead we meet Marcus Hayes, a black law student who struggles, sometimes unsuccessfully, with the impulse to confront everyday bad behavior with swift and antisocial action. The cause of this impulse is unknown to him.

When Marcus unexpectedly becomes involved with the brilliant and kind Amalia Stewart, her love and acceptance pacify his demons. But when his demons return, he is no longer inclined to contain them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Jan 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781617756030

Reviews for Knucklehead

[dlong810 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Marcus Hayes constantly fights his aggressive tendencies and quick temper. He meets Amalia in law school at NYU. She keeps him in check. When Marcus is hired as one of two black attorneys at a large San Francisco firm, he encounters racist colleagues and clients who test his resolve to avoid conflict. When Amalia dies of lymphoma he is numb for a year before a downward spiraltakes him to a dangerous and reckless place. A former law school friend saves him from total destruction. Emotions are raw throughout this often humorous novel. I laughed and cried and raged at Marcus as he made horrible decisions but felt that in the end Marcus and his three cats will put is life back together..

[etxgardener · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm too old for this book.

[dannadee · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is the author's debut novel but I could not get into this one. Subject matter, characters, writing style - just not anything that appealed to me. Struggling to get to page 100, I finally decided to quit. I received this copy from LibraryThing Giveaway for an honest review.

[plumcover3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Marcus Hayes is an over the top, bursting with rage and life-force, character. He doesn't have the luxury of forgetting his race and you won't either. His existence is assessed in the minute, setting, and by personality as African American male first, potential hire, lover, friend, enemy, son in law later. His relationships run only hot, there is no cold or off here for more than a moment. He is captivating to the reader and demands your attention in every scene, be it in incredulous laughter, horror at his rage, occasionally misplaced, frequently justified but concerning nonetheless, or just fear for the latest situation in which harm may occur to him and or anyone else who walked in. The tender moments,and characters, such as Amalia, feel like small breaks in an ongoing storm.

[caalynch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book immensely. The plot moved quickly through about a 7 year stretch of the main character's early adulthood. I have never met a character like Marcus before so I appreciate getting acquainted with a broader spectrum of male emotions and vulnerabilities. This novel produced many chuckles from me, but also some tears. I appreciate the subtly of how the author wrote about the toxicity of Marcus' 2nd relationship - he "showed" instead of "told" lending to greater suspense in the tension. A fine debut! I will be looking out for more from this author.

[aimless22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful debut!Written in vignettes, we learn about Marcus Hayes. He begins the novel as an angry, young law student at NYU. He grew up in Manhattan after his mother did everything she could to ensure he had the resources to succeed.Throughout the novel, Marcus shares his thoughts on national and world events, as well as his inner demons that he struggles to keep controlled.He falls in love with Amalia while at NYU. They move to Berkeley and marry and have cats. When cancer strikes their lives, everything changes. Marcus goes downhill fast. Will he recover?A fascinating look into the mind of a young black American man dealing with the everyday and the extraordinary.Highly recommend this novel.

[minacee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel covers approximately ten years (1988-1997) in the life of Marcus. Marcus begins his story at Harvard Law as one of the few minority students and ends up more or less running from the law after a series of tragic events and bad decisions. When it comes to the bad decisions the reader can't be sure if it's Marcus making the bad decisions or if he is simply reacting to a world that has stacked the odds against him. Marcus himself looks back on his life during this time and it seems he may not even understand his own motivations.That is an extremely brief summary and really doesn't do the novel justice. This was not a fast-read for me but there was a lot to unpack with regards to race, power structures, self-identity, and morality or ethics. I took it slow to make sure I was listening properly. Easy comparisons would be Fight Club and even Dostoyevksy's Notes from Underground.

[bayleaf_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Knucklehead is Adam Smyer’s account of race relations in late 90s America. Marcus Hayes, a brilliant law student, struggles daily to control his antisocial impulses by tracking the days he goes without incident in a notebook. Upon meeting and falling immediately in love with fellow law student Amalia Stewart, Marcus’ demons retreat and the two upwardly mobile and now successful lawyers settle into a life filled with their love for one another. Sadly, tragedy strikes, the demons return in full strength and Marcus reacts to the age of the Unabomber, Rodney King, O.J. Simpson, and Louis Farrakhan, unleashing all the anger stored inside him. Knucklehead is a brutal account of one’s man’s reaction to a world racially divided.

[amloeb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book definitely raises important topics that are the forefront of American culture right now, which served it well, as the author was able to craft a story on top of a foundation I already understood. The examination of events that happened before my time was at times disheartening due to the fact that it all just showed how little we've progressed as a society. But looking at the core of the story: Marcus, the author does a fantastic job of painting him as a real character, albeit flawed. I couldnt put the book down as I followed his story.