Author Bobby Hall, a.k.a. Logic, is one of my niece Abby's favorite artists and she recommended I read this book. So I did! My brief summary of the book is that the main character, a twenty-something man named Flynn, works at a grocery store. On a surface level, libraries and grocery stores are very similar. They have lots of stuff organized in specific ways and many people coming and going, using the space in a variety of ways. I was thinking about this as I was reading the novel. I was also thinking about the fact that Abby works in a grocery store, too.
What follows next is an intergenerational book review from 19-year-old UW sophomore, Abby, and her 50-year-old physical therapist mom, Anna, who read the book as well.
Abby: I decided to read Supermarket because I am a fan of the music made by the author and follow many of his social media accounts. I was excited to hear that he was delving into the world of writing in addition to his music career. The book was well written and suspenseful, with humor as well. It was well worth the read
Anna: I decided to read Supermarket at the pleading requests of my daughter. She is a Logic fan, so I knew she was excited to share it with me, but I was apprehensive. I opted for the audio version. After the first chapter, I almost changed my mind because I thought it was going to be a cliché “life has done me wrong and I’m angry at the world” story. Wow! I was very wrong!
On the surface, Supermarket is a book about Flynn, a young man who is writing a book and looking for inspiration. He gets a job at a grocery and we are introduced to the employees. The character’s personalities range from kind and wise, to devious and sarcastic. We delve deep into Flynn’s creative process.
The author does an excellent job of keeping us interested with unexpected, thought-provoking, and sometimes shocking twists. We are asked to question what creativity is, what reality is, and what an aberration is. The ending leaves the reader speechless.
Abby: I read the paperback version of the book and listened to the Supermarket soundtrack. The soundtrack’s vibes match the tone of the book and is a great companion to it.
Anna: The audio book is stunningly narrated by the author. I highly recommend this, as well as the paperback. I felt connected to Flynn and believed his story because Mr. Hall made me believe he was real and empathize with his struggles. I’m thankful to my daughter for convincing me to finish the book when I had passed judgment without knowing the full story. Supermarket is a worthy first novel that is much more than a story about an author who works at a grocery.