The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik

David Arnold

May 2018 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

"As he did in his fantastic debut Mosquitoland, David Arnold again shows a knack for getting into the mind of an eccentric teenager in clever, poignant fashion." —USA Today
 
This is Noah Oakman → sixteen, Bowie believer, concise historian, disillusioned swimmer, son, brother, friend.
 
Then Noah → gets hypnotized.
 
Now Noah → sees changes: his mother has a scar on her face that wasn’t there before; his old dog, who once walked with a limp, is suddenly lithe; his best friend, a lifelong DC Comics disciple, now rotates in the Marvel universe. Subtle behaviors, bits of history, plans for the future—everything in Noah’s world has been rewritten. Everything except his Strange Fascinations . . . 

A stunning surrealist portrait, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is a story about all the ways we hurt our friends without knowing it, and all the ways they stick around to save us.

Ratings and reviews

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik is hilarious, and whimsical, and bizarre, and quirky and reading it was a wild ride that I questioned at times, but ultimately fell in love with. And yet, if I had to describe this book in just one word, it would have to be STRANGE. (I mean the title already tells you that, but yes, THIS BOOK IS STRANGE.) Let’s break this down: THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK: 1. David Arnold’s writing: If David Arnold’s writing wasn’t as quirky and bizarre and just in general, as STRANGELY ELOQUENT as the plot itself, this entire book would have fallen flat for me. I absolutely loved the way he found connections within the most unconnected things, brought out the teenage experience and made me laugh out loud and shake my head in wonder at the same time. THIS BOOK HAS SOME SERIOUSLY PECULIAR YET STUNNING WRITING. 2. All the Concise Histories: This could probably be a part of David Arnold’s writing (^), but I thought it was worth mentioning separately. I absolutely loved how this book’s narrator, Noah, created these ‘concise histories’ connecting himself to the world at large through seemingly random dates and pieces of information. 3. Alan and Val: IF THESE AREN’T THE BEST PAIR OF BEST FRIENDS/ TWINS EVER, I DON’T KNOW WHO IS (Par only to Fred and George Weasley.) I loved Alan and Val as individuals, as siblings and even as friends to Noah. They were all kinds of awesome. 4. Penny (AKA THE MOST ADORABLE SISTER EVER): I ABSOLUTELY ADORE SEEING LITTLE SIBLINGS IN BOOKS. And Penny, with her Audrey Hepburn phase, her overuse of the word ‘darling’ and her daring, up-for-anything attitude. THINGS I THOUGHT COULD’VE BEEN BETTER: 1. NOAH: This is probably the most unfortunate part of the book, because Noah is the MAIN CHARACTER. Unfortunately, he was the thing I liked least about this book. SURE, it’s a coming of age, finding-yourself kind of book, but Noah ‘Hypnotik’ was a SELF-CENTRED AND I COULD NOT BRING MYSELF TO LIKE HIM. He was so wrapped up in his own pain and ‘problems’ and his ‘strange fascinations; that he failed to look at the consequences for: a) His little sister (LEAVING HER ALONE IN A PARKING LOT OF A BAR FOR 2AM SO HE COULD TALK TO A WASHED UP MUSICIAN?) b) His parents (make two GENUINE, KIND HEARTED ADULTS who struggle a little to make ends meet PAY FOR FLIGHT TICKETS TO NEW YORK TO ‘VISIT’ A COLLEGE HE HAS NO INTENTION OF GOING TO? JUST SO HE CAN MEET SOME RANDOM WOMAN? c) His best friends (Ignoring, ghosting and the works) 2. NOAH: See above^ 3. NOAH: Kindly refer to #1 So, that’s it. IF I had like the protagonist better, this would definitely have been a five star read for me, but at the end of the day, I really did like The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik.

THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I've read all of David's books and I have to say he is for sure my absolute favorite writer he knows just the right way to catch readers attention and keep you hypnotized from beginning to end. 11/10 would take this book with me if I were stranded on an island.

About the author

David Arnold is the New York Times bestselling author of The Electric Kingdom, Mosquitoland, Kids of Appetite, and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik, which has been optioned for film by Paramount. He has won the Southern Book Prize and the Great Lakes Book Award, and was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for his debut. His books have been translated into over a dozen languages. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his wife and son.
 
Learn more at davidarnoldbooks.com and follow him on Instagram @iamdavidarnold and Twitter @roofbeam.