I wasn’t sure what to expect about this before reading. It was handed to me at BookCon. It shortness and taking place partly in Germany is what captured my attention initially. But I quickly became enamored with it.

I don't smoke. Probably never will, so I cracked the cover with some trepidation. But saying this book is about an addiction to nicotine is shallow. It's a beautiful thought essay on how Gregor feels about smoking, yes, but it more importantly him trying to understand the experiences he's had in his past.

He's quit, but this book doesn't paint cigarettes in a negative nor nostalgic light. It’s simply an effort to understand himself - not just his smoking habits but all his habits. Why he thinks and does what he does. And it's all done is stunning, stunning prose. (kudos to translator jen calleja)

Now that I'm done, I'm torn between going through to pick out the poignant parts or shoving it in people's faces and saying "read this".