If you could sum up Hair of the Bitch in three words, what would they be?
Oblong, disturbing plot.

I enjoyed the first half of this book, simply for it’s absolutely disturbing nature. It builds itself up to a point were you end up believing that the most gruesome outcome is possible, and most likely. But during the first half, and for the rest of the book, I didn’t like how Angela was written. Her dialogue, along with Paul’s, was written very similarly to that of the narrator. Those characters, other than their “hobbies”, were essentially the same cynical personality. Ignoring that, the overall story was definitely solidly morbid.

However, there would be odd breaks from the main plot were the main character would go into great detail about order Chinese and feeding his cat. Seemed incredibly out of place, especially since he was recalling the whole story to a bartender. Also, right before the big climax of the book, he takes a trip to his mom’s house were he describes his family life. I would have liked to know about this earlier in the book, but by the time it happened, I really didn’t care anymore about his personal life.

The only other aspect of the book that I didn’t like, was the fact the author appeared to have felt that he saw some plot holes through the book and had the characters discuss them frequently, attempting to sweep them under the rug. No one actually talks like that.

Other than that, I really loved the gritty feel of the book. I loved how it grew darker and darker with characters that were more and more gruesome. I actually wish it would have just kept getting more gruesome instead of pulling it’s focus onto Angela.

If you are looking for a dark and morbid book, look no further.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
I enjoyed the ending, especially the last scene. I felt that it showed the narrator for what he was.
Have you listened to any of Jeff Hays’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Jeff Hays is a master at his work. His voices were spot on. When I began listening to this book, I felt that I didn’t like his interpretation of Angela, but I soon realized it was more of the writing of the character that threw me off. Not only does he just read what’s written but he mixing sound and the environment in some scenes. Enough to keep you interested without distracting you from the story, and add an extra element to the ambiance.