What do you think?
Rate this book
Hello Friend We Missed You
HELLO FRIEND WE MISSED YOU is a deeply poignant
and bleakly comic debut novel about loneliness, the ‘violent
revenge thriller’ category on Netflix, solipsism, rural
gentrification, Jack Black, and learning to exist in the least
excruciating way possible.
Its story of depression and death on the small Welsh island
of Môn, of people armed with every social media completely
failing to communicate, is far, far funnier than it has any
right to be. It’s also, ultimately, extremely moving. An
incredible debut novel from a truly unique prose stylist.
and bleakly comic debut novel about loneliness, the ‘violent
revenge thriller’ category on Netflix, solipsism, rural
gentrification, Jack Black, and learning to exist in the least
excruciating way possible.
Its story of depression and death on the small Welsh island
of Môn, of people armed with every social media completely
failing to communicate, is far, far funnier than it has any
right to be. It’s also, ultimately, extremely moving. An
incredible debut novel from a truly unique prose stylist.
200 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
22 people are currently reading
1384 people want to read
About the author
Richard Owain Roberts
5 books132 followersThe winner of the Guardian's Not The Booker Prize 2020, Hello Friend We Missed You is Richard's debut novel.
Richard's previous book is the short fiction collection All The Places We Lived.
The subject of the forthcoming documentary ULTRA, covering the book tour for the Serbian translation of All The Places We Lived, Richard lives in Cardiff, Wales with his family.
Praise for Hello Friend We Missed You:
"I do believe we have found a gem" Sam Jordison, The Guardian
"Brisk but surprisingly deep. A witty, irony-rich coming-of-age story." Kirkus Reviews
"Above all, it succeeds because of Roberts’s gift for comic timing and dialogue that rings true." Anthony Cummins, Literary Review
"This is so, so good. You will no doubt read this book, as I did, with an ever-growing sense of appreciation and admiration for its wit, warmth, rhythm, poetry, and virtuoso display of a writer in complete and audacious command of his material. What is at root a simple boy-meets-girl story is transmuted into something uniquely astonishing through a wild and intrepid imagination. To repeat: this novel is so, soooo good." Niall Griffiths
"It's Roberts’ writing that really makes the story something special—a steady pulse of short sections and tightly wrought sentences which develop a rhythm that ripples forward in a wake of momentum, carrying the story forward with a delightful quickness. I’ve become a fan of Welsh writing and Parthian is doing a fine job of bringing books like this into the world. I’m glad this book came my way." Duncan B Barlow, Vol1 Brooklyn
"As fiendish as it is funny. Never fails to conjure deep, revealing vignettes about the complexities of grief and what it means to be alive in a world of such unrelenting cosmic injustice." Gemma Pearson, Wales Arts Review
"A poignant and emotive reflection on loneliness, guilt, and personal trauma." New Welsh Review
"Richard Owain Roberts is a writer of exceptional stylistic talent but one who manages to bring characters and places into vibrant life. This is an undeniably cool book but it also has a great deal of soul. He could be the voice of our generation, I hope people are reading.' Amy Lloyd, One More Lie (Penguin)
"Roberts’ writing is evocative and beautiful, varied and expansive, detailed and vague. Place and personhood are both captured wisely and humanely, and – honestly – it was a joy to read." Scott Manley Hadley, Triumph Of The Now
"If one of the functions of the novel is to reflect the world around us then HELLO FRIEND WE MISSED YOU is as close as you can get to a perfect piece of art." Rhys Thomas, The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway (Wildfire)
Richard's previous book is the short fiction collection All The Places We Lived.
The subject of the forthcoming documentary ULTRA, covering the book tour for the Serbian translation of All The Places We Lived, Richard lives in Cardiff, Wales with his family.
Praise for Hello Friend We Missed You:
"I do believe we have found a gem" Sam Jordison, The Guardian
"Brisk but surprisingly deep. A witty, irony-rich coming-of-age story." Kirkus Reviews
"Above all, it succeeds because of Roberts’s gift for comic timing and dialogue that rings true." Anthony Cummins, Literary Review
"This is so, so good. You will no doubt read this book, as I did, with an ever-growing sense of appreciation and admiration for its wit, warmth, rhythm, poetry, and virtuoso display of a writer in complete and audacious command of his material. What is at root a simple boy-meets-girl story is transmuted into something uniquely astonishing through a wild and intrepid imagination. To repeat: this novel is so, soooo good." Niall Griffiths
"It's Roberts’ writing that really makes the story something special—a steady pulse of short sections and tightly wrought sentences which develop a rhythm that ripples forward in a wake of momentum, carrying the story forward with a delightful quickness. I’ve become a fan of Welsh writing and Parthian is doing a fine job of bringing books like this into the world. I’m glad this book came my way." Duncan B Barlow, Vol1 Brooklyn
"As fiendish as it is funny. Never fails to conjure deep, revealing vignettes about the complexities of grief and what it means to be alive in a world of such unrelenting cosmic injustice." Gemma Pearson, Wales Arts Review
"A poignant and emotive reflection on loneliness, guilt, and personal trauma." New Welsh Review
"Richard Owain Roberts is a writer of exceptional stylistic talent but one who manages to bring characters and places into vibrant life. This is an undeniably cool book but it also has a great deal of soul. He could be the voice of our generation, I hope people are reading.' Amy Lloyd, One More Lie (Penguin)
"Roberts’ writing is evocative and beautiful, varied and expansive, detailed and vague. Place and personhood are both captured wisely and humanely, and – honestly – it was a joy to read." Scott Manley Hadley, Triumph Of The Now
"If one of the functions of the novel is to reflect the world around us then HELLO FRIEND WE MISSED YOU is as close as you can get to a perfect piece of art." Rhys Thomas, The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway (Wildfire)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
April 25, 2020
this is my novel. i hope you enjoy reading it X
February 25, 2021
3.5★
“He watches as Trudy picks up a wooden spoon from the kitchen worktop, lick it clean, and use it to stir the ratatouille.
Are you a qualified carer? Hill says.
I met Roger in the Co-op, Trudy says. Isn’t that how everyone gets these jobs?
Trudy picks up her phone from the worktop, holding it above her head for signal as she walks over towards the window where she then stands, her back turned to Hill.
I have a voicemail but no reception to listen to it, Trudy says. Is that somehow profound?”
This book won the Not the Booker Prize for 2020. It has been said to be poignant, funny, sad and emotional. Yes, all of those things are true, but like a lot of other readers, I wasn’t captivated. Although I don’t mind a lack of quotation marks, it will alienate the many readers who refuse to read books in this format.
The basis of the story is that Hill has returned to his childhood home on a Welsh island where his father is dying. Here and there through the book we see earlier emails to Hill where Roger, his father, says he may need to find a carer soon. Obviously, he found Trudy.
It can be hard to follow the back and forth between Hill and other characters (usually Trudy, in real life) and his internal monologue (and arguments back and forth with himself).
Something I realised only after reading it, is that some of my issues were probably caused by my reading the Kindle version from NetGalley, which doesn’t follow the book’s formatting very well. I’ve now had a look at the PDF version, and the spacing between thoughts and comments makes it work much better.
Hill is very antsy and can’t quite settle on anything. He seems to live online, and reception is so bad on the island, that his communication with friends (? are they friends?) and others is patchy, at best.
“Hill touches his iPhone, opening then closing a free backgammon app, opening then closing a free solitaire app, opening then closing a free draughts app. Hill touches his iPhone and puts Ambient Sounds: Rain in a Barrel on repeat.
Thank you rain, thank you barrel, Hill thinks.”
Hill has a cat, Dave, and Trudy has a dog, Ralph. The house is actually Hill’s (his mother left it to him), but Trudy keeps referring to it as Roger’s house, which irks. Hill has good reason to be a bit of an emotional wreck, and Trudy does what she can, but she is a fairly upbeat person who seems to feel she can buck up his spirits, I think.
He is coaxed into meeting up with classmates at a school reunion (not a happy thought), and one night he remembers this.
“Maxim had a haircut like a young Ralph Macchio and used to sit in the sixth form basement eating Chinese noodles and playing Snake on his Nokia. He’d threatened to have someone killed but fifteen years later didn’t even have a LinkedIn. Wtf, Maxim, Hill had thought as he drifted off to sleep.”
Eventually, memories force themselves into his consciousness, past the ratatouille and the many movies he and Trudy watch. I was struck by this simple one, because I still remember the cracks on the ceiling of my childhood home, that I thought was special, because of one of my favourite children's books, Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans (most of which I used to be able to recite).
“Hill feels under the blanket for his phone, checks the time, then lies back down on the bed and stares up at the cracked ceiling rose. I used to lie here, Dave, and look at these cracks for hours every Sunday morning, Hill says. These cracks are older than me. They’re older than Google.”
“… and a crack on the ceiling had the habit of sometimes looking like a rabbit.” from Madeline
I do understand its appeal, but even with the proper print formatting, it wouldn’t have been on my short list. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
Here’s the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize story.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
“He watches as Trudy picks up a wooden spoon from the kitchen worktop, lick it clean, and use it to stir the ratatouille.
Are you a qualified carer? Hill says.
I met Roger in the Co-op, Trudy says. Isn’t that how everyone gets these jobs?
Trudy picks up her phone from the worktop, holding it above her head for signal as she walks over towards the window where she then stands, her back turned to Hill.
I have a voicemail but no reception to listen to it, Trudy says. Is that somehow profound?”
This book won the Not the Booker Prize for 2020. It has been said to be poignant, funny, sad and emotional. Yes, all of those things are true, but like a lot of other readers, I wasn’t captivated. Although I don’t mind a lack of quotation marks, it will alienate the many readers who refuse to read books in this format.
The basis of the story is that Hill has returned to his childhood home on a Welsh island where his father is dying. Here and there through the book we see earlier emails to Hill where Roger, his father, says he may need to find a carer soon. Obviously, he found Trudy.
It can be hard to follow the back and forth between Hill and other characters (usually Trudy, in real life) and his internal monologue (and arguments back and forth with himself).
Something I realised only after reading it, is that some of my issues were probably caused by my reading the Kindle version from NetGalley, which doesn’t follow the book’s formatting very well. I’ve now had a look at the PDF version, and the spacing between thoughts and comments makes it work much better.
Hill is very antsy and can’t quite settle on anything. He seems to live online, and reception is so bad on the island, that his communication with friends (? are they friends?) and others is patchy, at best.
“Hill touches his iPhone, opening then closing a free backgammon app, opening then closing a free solitaire app, opening then closing a free draughts app. Hill touches his iPhone and puts Ambient Sounds: Rain in a Barrel on repeat.
Thank you rain, thank you barrel, Hill thinks.”
Hill has a cat, Dave, and Trudy has a dog, Ralph. The house is actually Hill’s (his mother left it to him), but Trudy keeps referring to it as Roger’s house, which irks. Hill has good reason to be a bit of an emotional wreck, and Trudy does what she can, but she is a fairly upbeat person who seems to feel she can buck up his spirits, I think.
He is coaxed into meeting up with classmates at a school reunion (not a happy thought), and one night he remembers this.
“Maxim had a haircut like a young Ralph Macchio and used to sit in the sixth form basement eating Chinese noodles and playing Snake on his Nokia. He’d threatened to have someone killed but fifteen years later didn’t even have a LinkedIn. Wtf, Maxim, Hill had thought as he drifted off to sleep.”
Eventually, memories force themselves into his consciousness, past the ratatouille and the many movies he and Trudy watch. I was struck by this simple one, because I still remember the cracks on the ceiling of my childhood home, that I thought was special, because of one of my favourite children's books, Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans (most of which I used to be able to recite).
“Hill feels under the blanket for his phone, checks the time, then lies back down on the bed and stares up at the cracked ceiling rose. I used to lie here, Dave, and look at these cracks for hours every Sunday morning, Hill says. These cracks are older than me. They’re older than Google.”
“… and a crack on the ceiling had the habit of sometimes looking like a rabbit.” from Madeline
I do understand its appeal, but even with the proper print formatting, it wouldn’t have been on my short list. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
Here’s the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize story.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
January 28, 2024
Now winner of the 2020 Guardian Not the Booker prize. It was not my favourite book on the list (by some distance) but I always admire ambition in an author, and Parthian press seem an excellent publisher.
The author has previously written a short story collection, and appears to be as famous in Serbia as he is his native Wales, as set out in an extremely detailed and almost hyperbolic Wikipedia page which seems to be out of sync with the level of reviews to date of his work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...
He was also the subject of an again rather detailed profile in Wales Art Review
https://www.walesartsreview.org/so-wh...
The book is set on the island of Ynys Môn (the island formerly known as Anglesey) and features Hill – something of an concept-film maker (the rights to one of his films having been bought by Jack Black. He (and his cat) returns to the Island to visit his dying father (from whom he seems to be estranged ever since blaming his father for his mother’s suicide) – living in his mother’s old house which she actually bequeathed to Hill (with his father Roger having the right to stay there). Hill has recently-ish lost his wife to an accident and has fallen out with her relatives.
Roger has taken on a carer (who he met in the Co-op) Trudy and she with her dog seem to have taken up residency – and despite Hill’s unease over this, he and Trudy start a relationship.
Do you want to stay over, Trudy asks
I, Hill says
Might be a disaster, Hill thinks
On one level Trudy gives Hill a sense of perspective – but she does it by statements such as announcing that not doing things that give you pleasure is actually categorised as self-harm. The two seem to function better typing and then deleting searches on their phones or flicking through a Netflix menu than actually talking.
There really is not that much more to the plot of the book – what makes it unusual is its rather staccato and often repetitive narrative style and its frequent references to social media devices, to films, to social media ideas (characters ask of mundane conversations if they are being cancelled or trolled) and to a balanced obsession with health and junk food (with little in between). Short chapters are interleaved with unanswered emails to Jack Black, texts from Hill’s friend Ed, emails from Roger to Hill (which seems their only communication method) and some watersport/activity interludes.
All of this makes the book a very place specific and very modern (dare I say millennial) exploration of the universal and timeless theme of grief.
And to be honest I could not really connect with either the strong sense of time or strong sense of place in the novel.
When reading the profile above (and the references to it and other items in the Wikipedia profile) I sometimes felt I was missing out on a series of in-jokes and similarly when reading this book I felt I was missing out and was not really the intended audience. It probably shows that I am not the target for this book that I had to check that Jack Black was a real life actor and had no idea who Jason Stalham (the subject of a chapter) was.
Ultimately I would recommend reading the free preview of the book on Amazon - it really gives you a feel for whether the time/place and the style (which is very embedded in both) will appeal to you.
And if you like it then order direct from the publisher.
The author has previously written a short story collection, and appears to be as famous in Serbia as he is his native Wales, as set out in an extremely detailed and almost hyperbolic Wikipedia page which seems to be out of sync with the level of reviews to date of his work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...
He was also the subject of an again rather detailed profile in Wales Art Review
https://www.walesartsreview.org/so-wh...
The book is set on the island of Ynys Môn (the island formerly known as Anglesey) and features Hill – something of an concept-film maker (the rights to one of his films having been bought by Jack Black. He (and his cat) returns to the Island to visit his dying father (from whom he seems to be estranged ever since blaming his father for his mother’s suicide) – living in his mother’s old house which she actually bequeathed to Hill (with his father Roger having the right to stay there). Hill has recently-ish lost his wife to an accident and has fallen out with her relatives.
Roger has taken on a carer (who he met in the Co-op) Trudy and she with her dog seem to have taken up residency – and despite Hill’s unease over this, he and Trudy start a relationship.
Do you want to stay over, Trudy asks
I, Hill says
Might be a disaster, Hill thinks
On one level Trudy gives Hill a sense of perspective – but she does it by statements such as announcing that not doing things that give you pleasure is actually categorised as self-harm. The two seem to function better typing and then deleting searches on their phones or flicking through a Netflix menu than actually talking.
There really is not that much more to the plot of the book – what makes it unusual is its rather staccato and often repetitive narrative style and its frequent references to social media devices, to films, to social media ideas (characters ask of mundane conversations if they are being cancelled or trolled) and to a balanced obsession with health and junk food (with little in between). Short chapters are interleaved with unanswered emails to Jack Black, texts from Hill’s friend Ed, emails from Roger to Hill (which seems their only communication method) and some watersport/activity interludes.
All of this makes the book a very place specific and very modern (dare I say millennial) exploration of the universal and timeless theme of grief.
And to be honest I could not really connect with either the strong sense of time or strong sense of place in the novel.
When reading the profile above (and the references to it and other items in the Wikipedia profile) I sometimes felt I was missing out on a series of in-jokes and similarly when reading this book I felt I was missing out and was not really the intended audience. It probably shows that I am not the target for this book that I had to check that Jack Black was a real life actor and had no idea who Jason Stalham (the subject of a chapter) was.
Ultimately I would recommend reading the free preview of the book on Amazon - it really gives you a feel for whether the time/place and the style (which is very embedded in both) will appeal to you.
And if you like it then order direct from the publisher.
October 3, 2021
I read this book because I remembered the discussion it generated at the time of last year's Guardian Not the Booker Prize, of which it was the last winner. It is clearly a book that divides opinion, but I rather liked it, a book that captures the lives of rootless young people whose lives are dominated by social media but who struggle to communicate in person.
The main protagonist Hill is an aspiring film maker, who has returned to Ynys Mon (Anglesey) to care for his dying father. He meets his current carer Trudy, who is doing the job to fill a gap before going travelling, and they embark on a relationship of sorts. One of Hill's films has attracted the attention of Jack Black, whose interest in it appears to be waning. The father is always referred to as Roger, but is largely absent from the narrative - indeed Hill seems to do everything possible to avoid talking to him. The whole thing is full of comic moments, an entertaining read with a little more emotional subtlety than the reader is led to expect.
The main protagonist Hill is an aspiring film maker, who has returned to Ynys Mon (Anglesey) to care for his dying father. He meets his current carer Trudy, who is doing the job to fill a gap before going travelling, and they embark on a relationship of sorts. One of Hill's films has attracted the attention of Jack Black, whose interest in it appears to be waning. The father is always referred to as Roger, but is largely absent from the narrative - indeed Hill seems to do everything possible to avoid talking to him. The whole thing is full of comic moments, an entertaining read with a little more emotional subtlety than the reader is led to expect.
September 28, 2020
So. Yeah. Okay. This novel is a clear articulation of Richard Owain Roberts’ ideology of “zen nihilism” and his idea that one can choose how to respond to adversity and that often the best response is humour. The story follows Hill a 30-something who returns to his childhood home after a series of personal and professional misfortunes (one revolving around Jack Black...). From the outset it is made clear that Hill’s greatest failing is an inability to see the funny side of what’s happened to him. This all changes after he meets Trudy who shows him how to take himself a little less seriously and, in doing so, that it’s possible to let go of the past. As I read this book, becoming increasingly drawn in by both the story and the strange, skewed sense of humour, I found myself wondering if maybe there’s not something in this strange, seemingly contradictory philosophy after all.
August 24, 2020
beautiful
want to read it all over again
now
want to read it all over again
now
October 1, 2020
Came across this through The Grauniad NTB comp and what a fortunate slice of luck (how I wasn’t aware of this earlier probably speaks more to insipid promotion in Wales’s literary world but that’s something altogether different). Anyway. My review: I have managed a second read through of ‘Hello Friend...’ and have been again struck by the sparse, minimalist prose style and focus on aesthetic. This, to me, is what I look for in literature. There are a handful of riotously funny set pieces that bring to mind Franzen, albeit done in a far more economical, and bracingly fresh, package. As an Englishman living in Wales I can say that Roberts is a boon to ‘our’ literary output and I recommend without reservation.
An addendum: Hello Friend... has stayed with me and my son’s wife reports that she throughly enjoyed it. One for the wider family Christmas list I think.
An addendum: Hello Friend... has stayed with me and my son’s wife reports that she throughly enjoyed it. One for the wider family Christmas list I think.
September 3, 2020
For fans of Sally Rooney, Tao Lin, Ben Lerner.
A powerful, emotionally impactful novel that is viciously funny also.
Already on a third reading of this relatively short novel and each time it has grown on me further, certain moments and turns of phrase even managing to creep their way into the hallowed ‘meme status’ in our house. Reminiscent of Swanberg, the Duplass brothers, the aesthetic is a heightened mumblecore with lingering, sparsely beautiful Andrea Arnold visuals. Granted, this high style may not be for everyone but... such is life.
A powerful, emotionally impactful novel that is viciously funny also.
Already on a third reading of this relatively short novel and each time it has grown on me further, certain moments and turns of phrase even managing to creep their way into the hallowed ‘meme status’ in our house. Reminiscent of Swanberg, the Duplass brothers, the aesthetic is a heightened mumblecore with lingering, sparsely beautiful Andrea Arnold visuals. Granted, this high style may not be for everyone but... such is life.
November 21, 2020
Original, so funny, and heartbreaking all at once. Set on an island off the cost of northern Wales, we get inside the head of the protagonist Hill and his scattered yet interconnected thoughts as he tries to piece his life back together while getting on with facing up to past traumas.
I felt part of this world right from the jump, the sparse minimalism painting an actually incredibly rich picture of Hill’s island life. If you’ve spent time in a place like this then you’ll relate to the parties.
The banter and feelings between Hill and Trudy brilliantly depicts those relationships we all have had where it’s about a moment not a lifetime, yet super important and real all the same.
I love books that divide opinion. It’s like... this must be doing something right, you know?
(Disc: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
I felt part of this world right from the jump, the sparse minimalism painting an actually incredibly rich picture of Hill’s island life. If you’ve spent time in a place like this then you’ll relate to the parties.
The banter and feelings between Hill and Trudy brilliantly depicts those relationships we all have had where it’s about a moment not a lifetime, yet super important and real all the same.
I love books that divide opinion. It’s like... this must be doing something right, you know?
(Disc: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
September 29, 2020
And, I made a bad choice, Richard Owain Roberts’s Hello Friend We Missed You, which had an NTB nomination. I really couldn’t be having it. In fact it gave me a headache.
November 20, 2020
A zero star book if there ever was one. It's like a draft of your first novel which nobody should have to see. A little shocked with the level of self-acceptance that was required to even send it to the publishers. Is it possibly a scam of some sort?
As far as the trope "a confused intellectual with mediocre/dead-end/absent career/life is going back home to take care of his sick parent," I could name superior examples. Classic movie Elizabethtown. Rachel Khong's Goodbye Vitamin. Any Paul Rudd movie, I think? I am partial to this plot (apart from the dread that I will have to enact it one day, as per my frail mother's sinister predictions). It just failed spectacularly, as any plot is bound to when furnished by non-characters. There's zero realism, zero motivation, zero psychology. No dialog. No feelings. If that's what we are required to read now, I'm quitting the whole contemporary lit game.
Some Questions:
Why is Trudy wearing oversized cable-knit sweater and shorts all the time? What season is it?
Why is it set in Wales, yet the location reads like Missoula, MT, Palm Springs CA, or Buffalo NY?
What is a "very weak joint"?
I'm happy that they are fictional characters, so I can say without guilt that by 50% I wished they all died horribly and it would be over.
I have received an advance review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As far as the trope "a confused intellectual with mediocre/dead-end/absent career/life is going back home to take care of his sick parent," I could name superior examples. Classic movie Elizabethtown. Rachel Khong's Goodbye Vitamin. Any Paul Rudd movie, I think? I am partial to this plot (apart from the dread that I will have to enact it one day, as per my frail mother's sinister predictions). It just failed spectacularly, as any plot is bound to when furnished by non-characters. There's zero realism, zero motivation, zero psychology. No dialog. No feelings. If that's what we are required to read now, I'm quitting the whole contemporary lit game.
Some Questions:
Why is Trudy wearing oversized cable-knit sweater and shorts all the time? What season is it?
Why is it set in Wales, yet the location reads like Missoula, MT, Palm Springs CA, or Buffalo NY?
What is a "very weak joint"?
I'm happy that they are fictional characters, so I can say without guilt that by 50% I wished they all died horribly and it would be over.
I have received an advance review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2020
Pose, pose, pose, this reviewer thinks. Idle, abject observation, this reviewer thinks. Apparently the author is a keen runner, perhaps he should go for a long one, this reviewer thinks.
Hated from start to finish and now can’t stop thinking about it, an infuriating reminder of my experience with Normal People, another shallow stream on banality.
Hated from start to finish and now can’t stop thinking about it, an infuriating reminder of my experience with Normal People, another shallow stream on banality.
September 30, 2020
A surprisingly heartfelt and tender debut from this divisive young novelist. Much of the criticism Richard Owain Roberts has received in his native Wales can be summarised by one review of his previous collection of short fiction which asked: “Where’s the hwyl and the grit?” Well, I’m happy to say that this book goes some of the way to answering at least part of that question. Sure, the story is for the most part populated by characters of (relative) privilege, although it must be said that the writing always engages with them on the granular level, never shying away from the intimate and, at times, explicit aspects of their lived experience. In terms of hwyl - a welsh word which Google defines as “a stirring feeling of emotional motivation and energy” - the book is absolutely jam packed with really moving scenes and the kind of compelling plot which was sorely lacking from some of his early work. Hopefully this book will go some of the way to winning over critics and perhaps, as a compromise, this talented writer might consider turning his not inconsiderable powers of observation onto more diverse set of characters and concerns in his next book.
September 22, 2020
No doubt may well appeal to its presumably millennial target readership, but left me cold and furthermore wondering about the state of literature in Great Britain. Barely managed to finish and if I never hear reference to navy cable knit sweaters again it will be too soon.
September 8, 2020
A real slice of home in a far away place, but in many ways it actually reminded me a lot more of American literature than the kind of dull stereotypical stuff we usually get back in Wales. This is by any measurement the best Welsh novel in English I have read to be fair. I hope it’s the beginning of something new for Welsh literature in general, but even if it’s just this then I’ll live with that. 5 Stars and I’ll be recommending to friends and family back in Wales.
November 25, 2020
Goodness what a mess this book was. Reads like a rambling Facebook or blog post. No direction, no sense of anything just a jumble of words.
I’m unsure why people are praising this style and I’m still wondering how in the world someone thought it should be published.
I’m unsure why people are praising this style and I’m still wondering how in the world someone thought it should be published.
August 29, 2020
Perhaps it's me.
Say nothing. Style. Perhaps it's me. Say nothing. It's me. Put the book down. Can't read it. It must be me
Say nothing. Style. Perhaps it's me. Say nothing. It's me. Put the book down. Can't read it. It must be me
October 4, 2020
Reading some reviews on this brilliant book made me laugh almost as much as the book itself. Fair enough, it is probably a ‘marmite’ book, and I am in favour of marmite. This is, in the original meaning of the term, ‘novel’, fresh and original. It did take me a few pages to get into the style, but was well worth doing so. It had me gripped. I loved the simplicity of the plot line, and related to the despair of a fractured parental relationship, put under pressure to face, given the ill health of the father in the story. I have not read novels really in years, but this one has brought me back to the fold. It did everything a novel can do: surprise and delight with unfolding story and characterisation; existed in my head and in my heart between readings; style fresh and consistantly held; authentic, honest and reached in to my own issues as issues in the book were examined. The ending satisfied and gave hope. For writers, this is a must-read, to remind us of what is possible. For comedians, a Masterclass in understatemenr and heart, and for book-clubbers, loads to argue about and celebrate. I feel very strongly about this book and am going back to page one right now. Have a nice day, Haters. I hope Jack Black reads it and he hates it and loves it with equal passion. I don’t know where Jack is at in his personal growth. This author is one to watch. I’m not jealous at all.
January 12, 2021
This won the ‘Not the Booker’ prize in The Guardian, and though the style might not be to everyone’s liking, I thought it was fantastic.
I was actually wondering what the style reminded me of, and then I read an endorsement saying it was ‘the Welsh Brett Eason-Ellis’. But that’s not quite right. Yes, there’s the same deadpan minimalism - which occasionally makes it very funny - and the stream of conscious present tense carried throughout, but it achieves more emotional resonance than B. E-E. (at least, from what I remember of reading B.E-E). The narrative does focus on the apparently superficial - random thoughts, inconsequential dialogue - but by the end of the book we also feel we really know the lead character, Hill, as well his relationship to his dying father, Roger. Even though they speak only once through the whole story.
It’s the sort of book where you almost want to re-read it as soon as you’ve finished. You realise, almost belatedly, that the author has judged everything perfectly.
I was actually wondering what the style reminded me of, and then I read an endorsement saying it was ‘the Welsh Brett Eason-Ellis’. But that’s not quite right. Yes, there’s the same deadpan minimalism - which occasionally makes it very funny - and the stream of conscious present tense carried throughout, but it achieves more emotional resonance than B. E-E. (at least, from what I remember of reading B.E-E). The narrative does focus on the apparently superficial - random thoughts, inconsequential dialogue - but by the end of the book we also feel we really know the lead character, Hill, as well his relationship to his dying father, Roger. Even though they speak only once through the whole story.
It’s the sort of book where you almost want to re-read it as soon as you’ve finished. You realise, almost belatedly, that the author has judged everything perfectly.
September 29, 2020
4.5 Stars. My selection for the Guardian Not The Booker. You know a good book when it plays on your mind in between reading bouts and you look forward to getting back to your reading chair. This is what happened to me here. The style is understated yet rich & intelligent. I often wondered how I knew the characters so well without grandiose gestures of description. Roberts gives you what you need to know and trusts the reader to do the rest. Set in beautiful Anglesey (Ynys Môn as I now call it!), we see the flawed and likeable Hill deal with loss, love and the anxieties of his life in his own idiosyncratic, and eventually evolving way.
November 8, 2020
Roberts' novel obliquely approaches self worth, love and trauma, with ashen humour, to great effect. Roberts adheres to his own version of stream-of-consciousness narration, the prose controlled with an almost meditative stoicism.
No doubt some readers will struggle this unfamiliar voice, but do not mistake it for a lack of depth or feeling. To those who are receptive, the writing style vividly describes the experience a person living the only way they can, describing Hill's character, behind its stylistic force field, more than prose alone could.
The intrusion of the unscripted real of Hill's hometown and its characters ruptures his sleek, branded ergonomics. What talks deeply to those who can hear is the way Hill responds, or doesn't, to the fizzy, hilarious Trudy, and the other experiences he is subjected to - time, memory, and their inescapable reality.
No doubt some readers will struggle this unfamiliar voice, but do not mistake it for a lack of depth or feeling. To those who are receptive, the writing style vividly describes the experience a person living the only way they can, describing Hill's character, behind its stylistic force field, more than prose alone could.
The intrusion of the unscripted real of Hill's hometown and its characters ruptures his sleek, branded ergonomics. What talks deeply to those who can hear is the way Hill responds, or doesn't, to the fizzy, hilarious Trudy, and the other experiences he is subjected to - time, memory, and their inescapable reality.
February 8, 2021
I wish I'd read this sooner, maybe I was put off by the title? Having read it and loved it, and been completely impressed by author Richard Owain Roberts's mastery, I'm now certain there must be ample and profound reason for the name of the book. Everything else about it is brilliant.
The main character Hill, seems never to have gotten over the loss of his mother, to suicide, when he was 11. There is an ambiguity to the way characters are referenced that makes it unclear whether the person who is sick or dead is a lover or a parent; I wish I didn't know how aptly this uncertainty fits in with the tailspin trauma that follows inexplicable loss. In a different year it might seem implausible that Hill would suffer so much in his 30-some years, but this story is written so well it's practically cinematic in presentation. The interplay of apps, social media and one-sided conversations with Jack Black work beautifully. Despite his isolation, an entertaining variety of Hill's relationships are looked at or alluded to or comically portrayed.
If I had read this just a few weeks earlier I totally would've voted it best fiction 2020. Now why do I have such an incredible urge to wear an oversized cable knit sweater over my leggings?
The main character Hill, seems never to have gotten over the loss of his mother, to suicide, when he was 11. There is an ambiguity to the way characters are referenced that makes it unclear whether the person who is sick or dead is a lover or a parent; I wish I didn't know how aptly this uncertainty fits in with the tailspin trauma that follows inexplicable loss. In a different year it might seem implausible that Hill would suffer so much in his 30-some years, but this story is written so well it's practically cinematic in presentation. The interplay of apps, social media and one-sided conversations with Jack Black work beautifully. Despite his isolation, an entertaining variety of Hill's relationships are looked at or alluded to or comically portrayed.
If I had read this just a few weeks earlier I totally would've voted it best fiction 2020. Now why do I have such an incredible urge to wear an oversized cable knit sweater over my leggings?
September 7, 2020
Something just clicked for me from the start and I read the entire novel over the course of an afternoon and into the evening. First and foremost for me this is a novel about healing, accepting the world and as it was said elsewhere, all the random cosmic injustices we go through. The relationship between Hill and Trudy was so well drawn and presented both of them as flawed but ultimately likeable characters, the author giving them multiple dimensions. I laughed so hard so many times as I read this book, and for something that is definitely very literary I think it has great popular appeal too. Go read.
August 23, 2020
Poignant and funny, this novel has the best bits about a short story with the satisfaction of a novel. The story is one of guilt, loss and longing. It is beautifully and sensitively written from the point of view of Hill, a character I suspect will be familiar to many of us. He is someone who is infuriating but understandable and so a likeable and sympathetic character. Simultaneously desperate for human connection whilst anger and shame make him struggle to connect with the people closest to him. It is darkly humorous, thought provoking and thoroughly enjoyable.
August 30, 2020
So this is the kind of millennial piffle that is meat to be so clever and funny but actually falls off a cliff and makes you (a reader) want to do the same to yourself. Yes maybe we can see that the author can write but what is the point if he does nothing with it. At all!. I confess I laughed at the table tennis but that is all I can say that is positive. I mean serious I have not felt this angry about a book in too long now. Give it a try if you want to feel rage.
October 29, 2020
This novel got a stellar review and then went on to win the Guardian’s Not The Booker prize and it’s because of that I came to it. I was not disappointed. It’s a deep, thoughtful meditation on love, loss, forgiveness and life. But it’s never too heavy for too long, there’s always something to raise a smile, or a belly laugh in many cases. Read this book. My book of the year.
September 16, 2020
Dripping with pretension, a tale of sorts that is laced with privilege, narcissism, and self obsession that it would seem is the hallmark of the style over substance twenty first century. To be frank, Dickens would turn in his grave.
November 9, 2020
Just...nothing.
December 9, 2020
Title : Hello Friend we Missed You
Author : Richard Owain Roberts
Now Winner of the 2020 Guardian Not A Booker Prize. Also thank you so much publishers for providing me with a ecopy via NetGalley.
This was our Riot Club Pick for the month of November and it did win with a huge margin when compared to other books in the category. I was pretty much intrigued by the blurb of the book which promised a story of death, depression and how there are fun elements in the book talking about this topic. Here is my take on why the book did and did not work for me.
Hello Friend We Missed You is the story of Hill who returns back to his hometown after he learnt of his father's illness. He claims that his podcast is being brought to screen by none other than Jack Black and how he is looking forward to it. At his hometown, he meets Trudy, his father's caretaker and how his life changes getting to know her and adjusting to the life which he had left years back.
This book was annoying. I'm sorry to bring this up but I kept hoping as we reach the end of the book, it would get better and yet it just did not. The main character seemed to have a lot of anxiety issues himself and the author tried to reflect the same in his words (full marks on that) but after a certain point in the story, the book just did not seem to connect with me at any level. As the book kept moving, there were a lot of questions that just kept popping up which were never given any closure till the end of the book.
Maybe a lot of the readers may find the book intriguing, can't deny that but apparently this book was just ain't for me. Takes a lot of effort to not pull your hair from frustration whenever the words 'Hill thinks' comes up. Not just my cup of tea.
Author : Richard Owain Roberts
Now Winner of the 2020 Guardian Not A Booker Prize. Also thank you so much publishers for providing me with a ecopy via NetGalley.
This was our Riot Club Pick for the month of November and it did win with a huge margin when compared to other books in the category. I was pretty much intrigued by the blurb of the book which promised a story of death, depression and how there are fun elements in the book talking about this topic. Here is my take on why the book did and did not work for me.
Hello Friend We Missed You is the story of Hill who returns back to his hometown after he learnt of his father's illness. He claims that his podcast is being brought to screen by none other than Jack Black and how he is looking forward to it. At his hometown, he meets Trudy, his father's caretaker and how his life changes getting to know her and adjusting to the life which he had left years back.
This book was annoying. I'm sorry to bring this up but I kept hoping as we reach the end of the book, it would get better and yet it just did not. The main character seemed to have a lot of anxiety issues himself and the author tried to reflect the same in his words (full marks on that) but after a certain point in the story, the book just did not seem to connect with me at any level. As the book kept moving, there were a lot of questions that just kept popping up which were never given any closure till the end of the book.
Maybe a lot of the readers may find the book intriguing, can't deny that but apparently this book was just ain't for me. Takes a lot of effort to not pull your hair from frustration whenever the words 'Hill thinks' comes up. Not just my cup of tea.
March 17, 2025
Had to read a book I bought in Galway on St. Patrick's Day. Nothing to call home about but it was good. I think my issue is I want to like books that are written in this style but they just aren't for me. fav line has to be "Lil Nas X is this generations Frank Sinatra" or the line about microdosing his deceased wifes ashes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews