J. David Osborne

This is the story of a man who is murdered twice. At least. Maybe four times? Perhaps six? It's hard to say with any certainty, really, and if you are a reader who requires certainty for satisfaction, then you may want to skip this one.
The details, though the writing is glass-shard sharp and often uncomfortably evocative, are blurry in my mind. This is partially because my intention to read the first couple of pages at bedtime morphed into a marathon one-sitting read that left me gritty-eyed and pleasantly desolate at 4:30 in the morning on a work night...and partially because it is just that kind of book.
I would say the strength and charm of By the Time We Leave Here, We'll Be Friends lie in the arcs and implications, the consistent overlapping of soulful (esophageal?) human sensitivity with brutal slit-gut splatter, the pairing of the ethereal with the most grotesque afflictions (and inflictions) of which confined and crazed meatsacks are capable. This essential whipsaw juxtaposition ceases at some point to be disorienting and instead becomes mesmerizing and...inevitable. Much like the hellish settings the characters find themselves alternately resigned to enduring and striving desperately to escape.
I think at this point I've said enough about what I think the story is "about." And I would caution against going into it with the intention of deciphering what it is "about" as you go. Not only will you miss out on the immersion in fleshy immediacy that makes it such a fantastic read, I would venture that you will have a better time saving those contemplations for the gritty-eyed 4:30am doldrums that will almost certainly accompany its conclusion.… (meer)

A man is separated from his wife and drifts into a series of situations. This is almost stream of consciousness, but Osborne's writing is so vivid that it all seems completely real. It is a journey inside the head of a man who is very different from us (or at least me!) and we can vicariously live his sordid life of drugs, crime, alcohol, cheap women, etc. But there's more going on here as well. There is a serious side that comes through. This is a lost individual and readers will probably be measuring the distance between him and themselves. Osborne is a hell of a good writer.… (meer)

The narrative drops us right into the middle of two sets of lives that are, Pulp Fiction style, on a collision course. It is very reminiscent in some ways of Gerard Brennan's BREAKING POINT, which I reviewed recently. The book is driven by very realistic scenes and dialogue that gradually reveal more and more about the violent yet complex characters. In the end, it is not so much the plot, but the characters themselves who make this a worthwhile read. They are real--and I'm happy not to be in their shoes--or their neighborhood. This is an author worth seeking out. Writing this vivid isn't that common, although there are a few of today's gifted practitioners of noir who are quite good at it.… (meer)

Have you ever read a book where, when you were finished, you were pretty sure there was some kind of subtext (or some such thing) that went right over your head? I have, and that book is By The Time We Leave Here, We'll Be Friends by J. David Osborne

The book is set in a Soviet-era Siberian gulag. The main characters are all prisoners and guards. There's drug use. There's a throat parasite. There are placentas wearing diapers. There are tattoos. There is violence.

Heck, I'm not really sure how to explain it. I will say that even though I didn't really understand it, I did enjoy it.… (meer)