Supermarket

Bobby Hall

Mar 2019 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The stunning debut novel from one of the most creative artists of our generation, Bobby Hall, a.k.a. Logic.

“Bobby Hall has crafted a mind-bending first novel, with prose that is just as fierce and moving as his lyrics. Supermarket is like Naked Lunch meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest—if they met at Fight Club.”—Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

Flynn is stuck—depressed, recently dumped, and living at his mom’s house. The supermarket was supposed to change all that. An ordinary job and a steady check. Work isn’t work when it’s saving you from yourself. But things aren’t quite as they seem in these aisles. Arriving to work one day to a crime scene, Flynn’s world collapses as the secrets of his tortured mind are revealed. And Flynn doesn’t want to go looking for answers at the supermarket. Because something there seems to be looking for him. A darkly funny psychological thriller, Supermarket is a gripping exploration into madness and creativity. Who knew you could find sex, drugs, and murder all in aisle nine?

Ratings and reviews

Absolutely terrible writing, cliches, and garbage story. The book is so damn predictable and boring. This man isn't even stable to maintain being a decent rapper and goes to write this garbage and the garbage soundtrack that goes with it. Someone literally needs to talk to this man and review his music and work he puts out because it's not good. Everyone who liked this need to get their eyes fixed and read an actual good book.

Logic is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary artists. I was instantly hooked to his music, and now his writing. For a first novel, it's a damn good one. The characters were well written, plot was rich and engaging; overall a fantastic read. A lot of plot points were kind of obvious... seen coming from a mile away to be honest. But there were also great twists that I didn't expect. The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I know he can do better. This is his first book after all, and a lot can be improved. I hope he keeps writing and grows as an author, because I have a feeling he can become one of the greats in due time.

Supermarket, a novel by polymath rap artist Bobby Hall (aka Logic), opens with a graphic murder scene that leaves the reader baffled about the narrator’s identity and the genesis of the action taking place. Thankfully, Flynn quickly rewinds the tale to provide some backstory. He is an aspiring writer (unsuccessful due to a severe lack of focus and perseverance) marooned in a small town in Oregon. Baker City is so insignificant that there are single-digit examples of its generically named commercial establishments- thus, opportunities are sparse. Flynn decides that Muldoon’s Supermarket might be a good place to gain temporary employment, assuage his mother’s fears about his deepening depression, disprove his ex-girlfriend’s assessment of his worthlessness, and leverage some material for his new novel. Flynn encounters many coworkers that he attempts to fictionalize, even though most of them are as stereotypical and one-dimensional as can be expected in most sub-standard plots. The only exceptions are Frank, who typifies all Flynn has been seeking as his main character; and Mia, who might qualify as a real love-interest as well as the model for a fictional one. What seems like a rather banal beginning takes a turn for strange when the line between Flynn’s fiction and reality begin to blur, ultimately culminating in an identity crisis with a violent climax. Hall explores the question of madness as creative inspiration and the defense mechanism of reinvented memory. Supermarket borrows heavily from the works of Chuck Palahniuk and Ken Kesey, reworking old ground and testing the boundaries of plausibility and coincidence. The novel also suffers from some questionable assumptions about mental illness diagnoses and treatment practices. As a first effort, Hall’s foray into fiction is entertaining and will undoubtedly delight his fan base, but will be unlikely to draw in new admirers on its own.

About the author

Bobby Hall, a.k.a. Logic, is a Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling recording artist, author, actor, streamer, and film producer. In addition to his three number-one albums, ten platinum singles, and billions of streams, Hall’s debut book, Supermarket, made him the first hip-hop artist to have a #1 New York Times bestselling novel.