Review of Choir Man

Ebele Ekelobi · Post by **Ebele Ekelobi** » 03 Apr 2023, 14:08

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Choir Man" by Louis Panagotopulos.]

4 out of 5 stars

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Choir Man by Louis Panagotopulos is a book that follows the life of a young, conservative, and agreeable man named Ben. He is married to Carol, and they have a daughter together. This story follows his life as he leaves his long-time job at Carol’s father’s company to pursue a different career. His new office is far enough from their home to arouse complaints from Carol for almost his entire time working there. At this new office, he meets Tom, his boss, Donna, George, and part-time rockstar Dave, his role model and eventually a very close friend. Being an obedient kid his whole life and never doing things that were considered irresponsible, Ben surprisingly finds himself going out more and more with Dave, who is as big a Chuck Berry fan as himself. They drink, cruise, and go to concerts together, and Dave encourages and influences Ben into things that his wife Carol will not approve of. Ben slowly begins doubting his beliefs and religious orientation, eventually leading to an affair with Donna. We experience Ben’s struggles with self-identity and deciding what to do with himself and his life going forward. With Dave, Donna, and blues music, Ben slowly goes in and out of toxic relationships, trying to find some meaning and happiness in life.

While reading this book, Ben felt like the most relatable character in the world. He was constantly doubting himself and bringing himself back to his values, finding reasons to return to the norm, knowing fully well what made his heart race. Ben aspired to be like Dave in many ways but found out Dave himself was under the impression that Ben thought he was better than him. I loved how that showed the dangers of comparison and what happens when a person’s imposter syndrome and doubt creep into his mind. The book showed that everyone experiences that, regardless of age, money, and status. At first, I had doubts about whether or not I would enjoy this book with how abruptly it started, but the author really proved to be a great storyteller as I read on. It never felt rushed or too drawn out; it had near-perfect pacing, and the ending felt just right. I found a few grammatical errors while reading, but the book was professionally edited.

I noticed irregular indentations, jumping to new lines when the current one hadn’t been exhausted. The only other thing I would mention was how unaesthetic the book felt. It was too plain for my liking, especially with how the chapters were placed; it would’ve helped to give them larger, bolder fonts and better organisation.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a very engrossing read. The plot seemed well thought-out and followed a steady route to its peak. The humour in the book also definitely helped it achieve this rating. Even though the ending of the story could be perceived a certain way by some readers, it seemed to be the most realistic ending the book could’ve had. The errors I found in the book, alongside the other negative points, made me deduct a star from it.

There are books for everyone, and there are books for specific genders. This book follows a man, his thoughts, his conversations, and his experiences throughout his life, including and especially the women in his life. It seems more tailored to the male audience with all the sexual representations and conversations concerning women. So I recommend this book to young men in their 20s and 30s because they would find it relatable and very exciting. On a general note, anyone with an open enough mind regardless of gender, who enjoys exciting fiction stories should read this book.

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Choir Man
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