I've been looking forward to this novel's release for months now, and the end product absolutely blew me away. One of the most visceral narratives I've ever experienced, APS is both deeply touching and personal as well as harrowingly gruesome and depraved.
The story's themes are hard-hitting and explored in fascinating, layered detail, delving into messy intersections of dysphoria, depersonalization and abuse with bleak yet refreshing candor. These themes are complemented greatly by the story's masterful pacing, a thrillingly uncomfortable tonal tug-of-war between the euphoric highs and desolate lows of its emotional arc that builds wonderfully to an unforgettable finale. And all of this is supported by the novel's outstanding, expressive art and its marvelously evocative soundtrack. A grisly, painful narrative through and through, APS is an absolute gem of a story that's sure to resonate deeply with many who read it. To anyone who can stomach its dark subject matter, I can't recommend it enough.