I was poring over prose unlike anything I’d previously encountered, prose that felt at times unruly but always athletic in its meta pursuit of clarity ... This is a book that’s not afraid of a tangent. It’s a risky quality, one that may prompt some readers to dismiss Otis Spunkmeyer as rambly, as I did at first. But there is a great deal of genius in the novel’s sprawl ... Thomas loads his sentences and scenes with so much detail that up close they may feel abstruse, at least initially. But like the work of Jackson Pollock, the novel reveals itself the longer one spends time with it. Keep looking, the chaos will start to show its pattern, its rhythm, its dimension and its awe-inspiring color.
Dazzling ... Thomas expertly employs a stream-of-consciousness style ... A kaleidoscopic tour through Joseph’s eventful life. God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer is an intricate and brave debut that readers will savor.
Thomas’ stream-of-consciousness writing is superb, and well suited to the frustrated anger that his protagonist is plagued by ... This is an astonishingly accomplished novel, often funny, often tragic.
