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The Nix is made up of many good parts, some very funny even, but most of them never come together. There were whole chapters of this doorstopper that felt like unnecessary padding.

The central story - about a bored college teacher who is commissioned to write a book about the mother he hasn't seen for years - is diluted by hundreds of tangents that wander off in all directions, spending far too much time on inconsequential anecdotes and subplots from Samuel's childhood, as well as side stories about minor characters. Plus, I don't want to be the kind of asshole who says every book over 500 pages is too long but, truly, this is too long. A third could have (and should have) been cut with little effect to the story.

I've started with the negative, but I did enjoy this book. It was much funnier than I expected and there were some really fantastic scenes where Hill's writing just sparkled with charisma. Several people have noted the early exchange between Samuel and one of his female students, in which she attempts to get away with plagiarism by using almost every logical fallacy you can name. It was hilarious perfection.

Moments of brilliance are scattered throughout but, overall, the book just needed another round of editing to sharpen the focus. Detail can be a great thing, but often excessive detail reads like filler. That was the case here. The great writing didn't disguise the pointlessness of certain sections and it was very tempting to skim read them (as I found out later, that would have probably had no effect on my reading experience).

Not bad for a debut, though. I'd happily check out Hill's future work.

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