PAY AS YOU GO – Eskor David Johnson

This inventive and masterfully crafted first novel will leave readers wanting more.

By Eskor David Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 2023

Slide embarks on a wild journey through the chaotic metropolis of the future. He is a young man with a problem: living in a seedy area where his socks are stolen from the laundromat and his roommate sneaks into his bedroom. When Slide is confronted by juvenile delinquents asking which gang he is affiliated with, he decides to find a better place to live in Polis. His roommate warns him that the city will take everything from him, even his past. As Slide moves from one area to the next, he meets some peculiar people, such as a hot dog vendor who insists he eats a questionable sausage before going any further. He also encounters a person wearing two tracksuits in the sweltering heat. Eventually, Slide reaches a part of town with brighter lights and better coffee, but he is unable to access it. Like Dante, Slide is surrounded by strangeness and sorrow, but also moments of beauty. He is given advice from the locals, such as not to trust a snake even if it says it has no teeth.

Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781952119743

Page Count: 502
Publisher: McSweeney’s

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023