Review: Beautiful Belligerence by Brent Beamer

Beautiful Belligerence lives up to its name as author Brent Beamer delivers a no-holds-barred peek into a wild and seminal trip that continues to impact him to this day. Touching on delicate themes of substance abuse, addiction, depression, brotherhood, sexuality, and perseverance, this book may be rough around the edges, but so is life.

When the author and three of his closest friends decide to throw their troubles to the wind and tear up Kansas City for a weekend, none of them know what might lie in store for them. At first glance, this book may seem like a drug binge fantasy, but the darker elements of the narrator’s depression and quiet reliance on his friends add intriguing complexity.

This is not a drug-fueled odyssey from a narrative point of view, a la Hunter S. Thompson, but the author’s much later reflection and attempt at personal authenticity, embodying the spirit, voice and mindset of his younger self. That said, there are gratuitous descriptions of marijuana, alcohol, Adderall and a bevy of other substances, as well as large sections dedicated to juvenile conversations, descriptions of various drinking establishments, and the companions’ fumbling attempts to get lucky.

While their adventures are mostly typical of young men on a weekend bender, there are plenty of buried nuggets of wisdom among the profanity-laced dialogue and the near-constant use of substances – illicit and otherwise. Strong male relationships aren’t often told with such authenticity, despite the occasionally offensive context and delivery on display here. For those readers who can overcome the shock value of this narrative voice, there is much to be learned about how all of us manage our emotions and trauma.

When an author chooses to tell a story in such raw and unedited detail, there are inevitable revelations to explore. The travelers’ complicated relationship with sex and their own insecurities is obvious, and Beamer manages to make this both a confessional and a comedic caper. Humor and energy mix with repression and pain-driven behavior, making some sections uncomfortable, but also essential. Dismissing this type of behavior as mindless decadence is simply false; there are deep-seated issues that drive such desperation, which is relatable in some way for everyone.

On the technical side of this novel, however, a great deal of improvement can be made. Prose can be stark and savage and rough around the edges without being rife with errors and sloppy writing choices. Authenticity aside, the repetition of sentence structures is clear throughout the book, and there is a rather small vocabulary range in the author’s descriptions and characterizations. A more discerning edit would eliminate unnecessary procedural elements in many of the anecdotes and stories. Additionally, the formatting is inconsistent regarding dialogue, which can make the reading process a challenge. The large chunks of paragraphs have a free-form style, but can also drag the pace.

As a whole, Beautiful Belligerence is raw and real, with Beamer’s brutal honesty serving as both a good example and a terrible warning for anyone who has ever felt lost in their own life.