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WITH HIS WORDS I'M NOT ALONE

by Lucas Ryker

Review prepared by Florence Osmund

 

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The Hook

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When copywriter Noel Walker discovers the leverage that artificial intelligence has on his writing, he finally gets the recognition he has craved for years. But just when he thinks his life couldn’t become any more chaotic, he becomes faced with something he didn’t even know he wanted, and he is not sure he is ready for any of the consequences.

 

 

Plot Summary

 

Thirty-five-year-old Noel Walker, a successful copywriter, lives in New York with his dog Howler and robocat Destiny. Complicating his life is an acute case of haphephobia, the fear of being touched, a condition that results in having very few friends but a relatively active social media presence.

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Noel’s love for writing is undeniable, and in an effort to pursue a career as a novelist, he quits his nine-to-five job and focusses entirely on his personal publications. When he discovers what artificial intelligence can do for authors, he’s all in and becomes addicted to its usefulness. Articles he writes go viral, and one of his books reaches #1 on Amazon’s best seller list.

 

Social media becomes Noel’s private universe where he finds solace with his fans and online family. But when an obscure person named Faded greets him on his Twitter page one day with “Hey Daddy,” he is unnerved by it. Unsure how to handle this new acquaintance, curiosity gets the better of him and before he knows it, he is in a compelling albeit precarious relationship.

 

 

Assessment

 

Ryker’s writing style is engaging as he weaves together an interesting mix of story elements and themes—loneliness, work ethics, sexual identity, discovery, and romance. The narrative is well-structured with a good balance of action, description, dialogue, and backstory. The chapters are short, but not too short, just the right length to maintain absorbing content and give busy readers sufficient places to stop.

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One of the most appealing aspects of this book lies in the author’s masterful characterization of the protagonist, Noel Walker, a realistic and likable character capable of getting readers to care about what happens to him. Ryker accomplishes this not only with expressive descriptions, but also with the character’s dialogue, self-reflection, beliefs, backstory, introspection, and interactions with other characters. How Noel changes throughout the course of the story, how events trigger a life-altering transformation, is believable and another sign of good storytelling.

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Like any well-written literary fiction novel, WITH HIS WORDS I'M NOT ALONE probes into the human psyche by focusing on the interior characterization of the protagonist, but it is also strong on plot which keeps readers captivated and interested in what is going on in each chapter. Lucas Ryker’s writing includes core qualities for a strong novel.

 

 

Rating

 

On a scale of 1 to 5, WITH HIS WORDS I’M NOT ALONE is rated 4.9 by Direct Book Reviews.

 

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