I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I enjoy reading Chris Bohjalian’s books, so I was excited when I learned about the release of Slot Machine Fever Dreams. I love Las Vegas and was immediately sold by the title and book cover. As I started listening to the audiobook version, there were two things I had to overcome. First, was the narration by Grace Experience. Her voice seemed too sweet and innocent for a story set in Vegas. Her voice didn’t match the main character, Dove, who is a recovering alcoholic with Emily Dickenson tattoos, serving drinks in a casino. Second, the story was written in second person language. The story seemed to be told from the perspective of Dove, so I would have preferred a first person narrative. I understand that second person writing is intended to more closely involve the reader, I just found it awkward for this story.

Once I accepted these two conditions as part of my listening experience, I focused on the story line, which I enjoyed. Dove meets Russell while serving him drinks at the casino. Russell tells Dove he is a chain-restaurant manager. As the two interact, Dove agrees to spend time with Russell when her shift is over. Russell definitely proves to be something other than a restaurant manager, and Dove shows a different side of herself too. Slot Machine Fever Dreams has unexpected plot turns, and a surprising ending. Overall, it’s a good story. I probably would have enjoyed the Kindle version better.

Slot Machine Fever Dreams short story is part of the Obsessions collection available through Amazon. I listened to the audiobook with Audible for free through my Amazon Prime membership.

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