Review of Cherry by Nico Walker

 CHERRY BY NICO WALKER (Coming to theaters and AppleTV 2/26 & 3/12)

“There was nothing better than being young and on heroin.”p 229 

What a wild f*cking ride and that is really the only way to describe this book. Walker tells us this is a fictional story in the beginning but there something too real and honest about the story that makes me feel like that might not be true but I digress. This novel is raw and dirty and messy and funny. Like really funny and I’m sure at times it wasn’t meant to but you kind of have to laugh at it. I picked this book up because my boyfriend — who runs a movie review site — wanted to do a little collaboration and I absolutely love Tom Holland so I was already excited to see the movie. I’m honestly really excited to see Holland take on this role of this “I don’t give a f*ck” character. 

This story is in part a coming of age story but really at its heart, I would call it a love story because it begins and ends with Emily, always with Emily. But our narrator and the main character, who is not given a name throughout the novel but I shall refer to as Cherry, is a guy who is kind on the outs in life and he meets Emily and he would do anything to keep her in his life. This novel is very much written in a tell-all journal style of writing and we really follow Cherry’s view of the world and the messes he gets into. 

“She reminded me of myself, insatiable.” p. 273 

This is a story about a student, a soldier, a bank robber, and a junkie. Cherry is all those things and no matter what happens in life he truly seems to not care at all. Whether it’s PTSD, withdrawals, or almost getting caught robbing a bank he just keeps going. Heroin and Emily are his only motivations throughout the novel. 

One thing I really loved about this novel is that the author’s voice is really strong throughout and you really believe what’s going on. You’re able to believe what going on because of the level of detail Walker uses, you feel like you’re in the room or car watching these characters shoot up. I loved how to laugh out loud funny it was, even if it was in a painful way, The only thing I didn’t completely enjoy was the tone and masculinity of the novel that just dripped off each page. It was hard sometimes but it’s also a reality for some so I wouldn’t rule it out because of this. 

Stand out quote: 

 “ The problem with Emily and me was we were killing one another. Apart we probably could have managed, but the two of us together was a form of suicide. It took teamwork to get your life fucked up so bad. But we couldn’t let go.” P 244 

Some questions to ponder: 

1. Why not give Cherry a name throughout the novel? 
2. Do you think Cherry was ever truly happy? 
3. Did Emily love him? Did they love each other? 
4. Why did Cherry enlist into the army? 
5. Was there a point to the novel, a takeaway, a message? 
6. What was your thought on the ending? 

Do you think you’ll pick this one up or just watch the movie? 

Thanks for stopping by! 

-MDB