Broken People

A Novel

By: Sam Lansky

Narrated by: Sam Lansky

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year

Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, Parade, Library Journal, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.

“Profound and affecting.” (Chloe Benjamin)

“Broken People leads us through the winds of time and memory to offer a riveting portrait of transformation. I am better for having read it.” (Jamie Lee Curtis)

A groundbreaking, incandescent debut novel about coming to grips with the past and ourselves, for fans of Sally Rooney, Hanya Yanagihara and Garth Greenwell

“He fixes everything that’s wrong with you in three days.”

This is what hooks Sam when he first overhears it at a fancy dinner party in the Hollywood Hills: the story of a globe-trotting shaman who claims to perform “open-soul surgery” on emotionally damaged people. For neurotic, depressed Sam, new to Los Angeles after his life in New York imploded, the possibility of total transformation is utterly tantalizing. He’s desperate for something to believe in, and the shaman - who promises ancient rituals, plant medicine, and encounters with the divine - seems convincing, enough for Sam to sign up for a weekend under his care.

In a ceremony, Sam learns that love, sex, and friendship are the pillars that form a life. But are the great spirits the shaman says he’s summoning real at all? Or are the ghosts in Sam’s memory more powerful than any magic?

At turns tender and acid, funny and wise, Broken People is a journey into the nature of truth and fiction - a story of discovering hope amid cynicism, intimacy within chaos, and peace in our own skin.

©2020 Sam Lansky (P)2020 HarperAudio

Story was alright

I think the narrator was a little monotone (if not, whiny) so perhaps I would have liked the book more, otherwise. The ending was powerful, but it seemed to take a lot of repetition to get there.

More Interesting Than Expected

'Broken People' surprised me. I had low expectations, but the story and the reader were very engaging and affecting. I am ambivalent about the main character, but his journey is moving. It was well worth my time. I recommend this title.

Wish there was more

Finishing this book felt like losing a friend. I want to know more the after after. I wanted a more traditional happily ever after ending. I loved it and defiantly recommend the read .

Sooooo good

Sam Lansky is at times so far from someone I can relate to but more often is someone whom I believes absolutely must live inside my brain and reading my thoughts and self-hating feelings aloud. Love this book.

I tried

I really wanted to like this book but it was repetitive and somewhat pretentious. Given a different narrator ; it might have been better.

You have found your next read!

Trust me. You’ll be glad that you downloaded this book. The ark of the book pulls you in and satisfies. I am often trepidation us about books read by the author but nobody could’ve done a better job than Sam narrating his own story.

Throughout the book I kept asking myself, “is that me?“ “Does that apply to my life, my relationships”. I was left with plenty of things to think about.

I don’t know you Sam. But I’m proud of you. You should be proud of yourself.

Get back to work writing the next book. Thank you!

Not as expected

It might be better having read than listened to but it was hard to follow the different time periods in and out

Funny and sweet

The protagonist’s agonizing lurch toward self knowledge and then acceptance reflects so much common humanity that the writer makes the experience of a “pampered gay” in L.A. of all places,
universal. This book helps us like ourselves a little more.

A beautiful story of transformation

Sam Lansky narratives a story about “Sam” a fictional character based on himself. It’s a beautiful story about a transformation from a self destructive person to someone who is able to start seeing himself from a different perspective.

Loved it

Wow I loved this story - I loved the vulnerability, pain and realness of it. I related to Sam I’m so many levels and I’m so many ways as he struggled to understand himself and why his life wasn’t working. The journey he takes and the ultimate outcome had me crying and cheering for him at the same time. Oh! My heart.