Digg Dogg and the Depression Playlist by Lucas Popowitz is a 520 page novel that dives deep into the roiling, dark psychology of former stars struggling to keep their touring children’s show, Digg Dogg and Friends, afloat after a terrible revelation about one of their former co-stars comes to light. As well as this, we also see Murphy’s, who plays Digg Dogg, rock bottom point, where he struggles to overcome his addiction to sex, alcohol, and drugs. Clark, the tour manager, is tasked with handling the heavy load of managing tours, trying her best to hold everyone together, while struggling with her love-hate feelings towards Murphy.
The first thing that really stood out to me about this book was how incredibly well written it was! Every word is perfectly placed to create just the right amount of immersion and world-building without overloading the reader with too many details. It is incredible how the author manages to draw you completely into the lives of these characters. I read all 520 pages within two days, as I was compelled to find out more about what exactly these characters were going through. Even the tertiary characters, (characters that are written to populate the world but are otherwise background roles) were memorable and compelling. The author also manages to make the cooking of brussel sprouts sound genuinely delicious, which is something I did not think I would ever say about brussel sprouts.
I also have to mention how well written the spice was, and if you ARE looking for a book with vividly described spice, this is the book for you! Speaking of attraction, there is a key element in the book regarding Murphy and Clark’s love-hate relationship. I found myself hoping Clark would find someone who was less self-centred and someone who was appreciative of her efforts, but I could appreciate that Murphy held a spark that Clark was searching for within herself, and so I wished they would develop their relationship further to help support and nurture each other, though they seemed hell bent on co-dependency and mutual destruction. Funnily enough, the author does a good job in making the reader have a love-hate relationship towards their love-hate relationship!
There is also the ongoing mystery of Mr. Bob. It is heavily implied throughout the book about what exactly Mr. Bob has done, but that doesn’t take away from the shock and disgust factor when it is revealed towards the end of the book.
The relationship between Murphy and Mr. Bob is incredibly well done. Without giving spoilers, there is a fascinating conflict with Murphy as he struggles with the times where Mr. Bob was there for him, saving Murphy on multiple occasions during his darkest moments, and how he views those moments in light of what happened. We also see how one betrayal has a knock on effect on the lives of the characters around Murphy.
We see how most, if not all, characters are cynical and jaded, frustrated and upset at the outcome of events in their life, and this darkness is further highlighted by the upbeat performance of the children’s show they perform. Yet, despite this jaded nature, every character fights to find hope within themselves. They know what they want, but feel a lack of control to obtain it. I did also feel sorry for Zoey, who represented that genuine enthusiasm and hope for a job they love dearly, a factor of her personality a lot of characters feel attacked and offended by. The author shows an excellent knowledge of human psychology in portraying this internal and external conflict.
The only reason I took off half a star is because I wasn’t too sure what the narrative question was. The narrative question is the main question that the rest of the story revolves around. For example, the narrative question of The Hunger Games is ‘Will Katniss survive the Hunger Games?’ For Digg Dogg and the Depression Playlist, I wasn’t too sure if the narrative question was ‘Will Murphy try to improve himself?’ or, ‘Will the characters save the show?’ or, ‘Will Murphy and Clark get together?’ I wasn’t too sure what the characters were aiming for. However, I was still attached to these characters and their lives, and I found we were almost following them in a documentary type style, where we weren’t too sure what their next day would bring, and feeling intrigued about it.
Ultimately, Digg Dogg and the Depression Playlist is a touching story about how even when you’re at your lowest, there is always a flame of who you truly are that will never burn out. I would recommend this book that is coming out in August 2024!
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