Make Sure You Die Screaming

A Novel

By: Zee Carlstrom

Narrated by: Major Curda

An electrifying debut about a nonbinary corporate burnout embarking on a road trip from Chicago to Arkansas to find their conspiracy-theorist father, who has gone missing—for fans of Detransition Baby and Chain-Gang All-Stars

The newly nameless narrator of Make Sure You Die Screaming has rejected the gender binary, has flamed out with a vengeance at their corporate gig, is most likely brain damaged from a major tussle with their now ex-boyfriend, and is on a bender to end all benders.

A call from their mother with the news that their MAGA-friendly, conspiracy-theorist father has gone missing launches the narrator from Chicago to deep red Arkansas in a stolen car. Along the way, the narrator and their new bestie—a self-proclaimed "garbage goth" with her own emotional baggage (and someone on her tail)—unpack the narrator’s childhood and a recent personal loss that they refuse to face head-on.

An unflinching interrogation of class rage, economic (im)mobility, gender expression, and the rot at the heart of capitalism, Make Sure You Die Screaming is the loud, funny, tragic, suspenseful road trip novel of our times.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

Critic reviews

<p><b>Praise for <i>Make Sure You Die Screaming</i></b><br><br><b>Named one of the "hottest debut novels of 2025" by Goodreads</b><br><b>A Barnes & Noble pick for their 2025 Yearly Reading Challenge</b><br><b>One of <i>Them</i>'s Most Anticipated Books of 2025 </b><br><b>One of <i>Debutiful</i>'s Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2025</b><br><b><i>The Mary Sue </i>pick for its 15 Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books of 2025</b><br><br><br>“<b>I loved every loud, messy page.</b> Zee Carlstrom is the first writer to make me feel better about my own life choices.” <b>—Sam Irby, </b><b><i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Wow, No Thank You</i></b><br><br>"<i>Make Sure You Die Screaming </i><b>roars to life from page one and never lets up</b>. It’s a <i>Fear and Loathing </i>for the generation devastated by the generation that brought us <i>Fear and Loathing</i>."<b> —</b><b>Torrey Peters, author of <i>Detransition, Baby</i></b><br><br>“This<b> intense, shapeshifting, nightmarish debut </b>is like a sweatier, sweeter, queerer, and somehow more mullety<i> Natural Born Killers</i>, where all bets are off, all rules crossed out. <b>Even just one line will keep you up all night</b>.” <b>—</b><b>Patrick Nathan, author of <i>The Future Was Color</i></b><br><br><i>"Make Sure You Die Screaming </i>is the debut novel our country needs (but doesn’t deserve). It’s a <b>tight little banger about the shared delusion of family</b> that left my heart, as Zee Carlstrom’s head-wounded unnamed narrator would say, 'as full as my bladder,' because <b>putting it down long enough to pee was out of the question</b>." <b>—Ruth Madievsky, bestselling author of <i>All-Night Pharmacy</i></b></p>

Not what I expected

Well that definitely wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. I went in to this book with lower expectations, usually the story isn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t think I’d enjoy this but I came out of it rather loving it. It’s been so enjoyable. There were moments I hated the MC and moments I loved them. Overall they seem like a pretty decent person with some trauma and I can very deeply relate to that.

So good

What a fantastic debut novel. Major did such a solid job. Big fan. The last 3rd is jam packed. And such a poignant ending. Can’t wait to see what Zee writes next.

The character is very relatable

The story gets kinda slow at points but i personally don’t detract that from it