You Were Never Really Here (Movie Tie-In)

By: Jonathan Ames

Narrated by: Jonathan Ames

Now a major motion picture starring Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here is a gritty, harrowing story of corruption and one man's violent quest for vengeance.

Joe has witnessed things that cannot be erased. A former FBI agent and Marine, his abusive childhood has left him damaged beyond repair. He has completely withdrawn from the world and earns his living rescuing girls who have been kidnapped into the sex trade.

When he's hired to save the daughter of a corrupt New York senator held captive at a Manhattan brothel, he stumbles into a dangerous web of conspiracy, and he pays the price. As Joe's small web of associates are picked off one by one, he realizes that he has no choice but to take the fight to the men who want him dead.

Brutal and redemptive in equal measure, You Were Never Really Here is a toxic shot of a thriller, laced with corruption, revenge and the darkest of inner demons.

Cover art © Amazon Content Services LLC

Critic reviews

Praise for You Were Never Really Here

“Brutal, unrelenting, and utterly compelling. . . . This white-hot short novel blasts through its 100 pages like a fireball stampeding through a tunnel.”
—Booklist

“Evocative. . . . Ames pulls no punches in his buildup to a grim conclusion that Jim Thompson devotees will appreciate.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Ames is an adept purveyor of the very noir, particular scenes of violence. He achieves more in less than 100 pages than most crime novels three times the length do"
—The Times, Crime Books of the Year 2016

"A striking and powerful noir debut that can be consumed in a single sitting. . . . Ames reveals himself here as a stylish thriller writer"
—Daily Mail

"[A] fast-moving, agreeably violent and perfectly pared-down novella"
—Spectator

Good stuff!

Ames has a Pinchon quality voice and his own material to work with. Solid all the way around.

endings

The endings of the book & the movie adaptation are different. and both are great. Equally

Excellent Story

I love this story! First the film, then bought the paperback, and just finished the audio. Joe is an excellent character and the pragmatic sensibility of the entire narrative gives the story such harsh relevance. I hope Ames writes more stories like this in the future.

great book

good. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a good short story about a man

The same, only different.

Yes, it's somewhat different from the movie. No, that's not a bad thing. Aspects of a written story often don't translate well to the screen. Shawshank Redemption, one of the greatest movies of all time, is one that comes to mind but there are too many to mention here. I really am not sure which I preferred but I'm glad I was able to enjoy "two" stories about Joe. The book fills in a few blanks also. It's a dark story about a man filled with darkness who prefers to live his life on the dark side while trying to bring light to those who have no choice about being there. If you like either the book or the movie, you'll probably like both.