My Two Cents (Book Review): NOTHING IS REAL by Kevin J. Kennedy

Nothing Is Real by Kevin J. Kennedy is more of a thought experiment than a traditional story. Anyone looking for the standard plot formulas will be disappointed, because at first, this narrative, told in epistolary form through non-linear diary entries and random philosophical quotes, seems to follow little rhyme or reason. There's no climactic epiphany here, no conflict to speak of, and while elements of dread are sprinkled throughout, there are no monsters or villains or even heroes in the end.

What there is, however, is a quiet, introspective exploration of what it means to be human, and how inconsequential so many of the things we value or aspire toward really are. In the story, Kennedy finds himself the unwitting recipient of mysterious journals that have been mailed to him from an anonymous source. Undated and out of order, these describe the experiences of an unidentified narrator with an unknown but seemingly omnipotent entity. These encounters, the narrator writes, begin shortly after he tries a novel hallucinogenic drug with some friends. The experience, he describes, is like discovering a glitch in the matrix, as while under the drug's effects, time seems to come to a complete standstill all around, leaving the narrator as the sole person still able to move freely or interact. Once the drug wears off, these experiences subside, but new ones soon occur to replace them: primarily, the narrator becomes aware of a "shadow person," a ghostly figure in the periphery of his vision who gradually comes closer and closer, until at last, it begins interacting with him. From there, the narrator says, it begins to show him other plains of dimensions, worlds that are both like and unlike our own, strange, bizarre, and wonderful. One such encounter leaves the narrator stranded in a room with no windows or doors, filled with diaries and clocks with no working hands to lend any perspective of time. The shadow entity that delivered him there disappears, abandoning him, but rather than be afraid upon the realization of his predicament, the narrator feels a strange sense of resignation and calm.

There are parallels throughout these encounters with the shadow figure and real life. Through the journal author, Kennedy posits about these, offering philosophical commentary about how helpless we are to manifest or affect our own fates, despite our best efforts to the contrary. While it would be easy to find a pessimistic takeaway from this observation, Kennedy also suggests a sort of liberation that stems from this very realization, a freedom to enjoy the gift that is life without feeling encumbered by the constant pressures of what's considered "necessary" or "important." Rather than nothing literally being real, Kennedy instead challenges us to find the things that truly are, at least to us. And in the end, isn't that the best anyone could hope for?

Nothing Is Real is available September 16, 2025. You can pre-order here.