This is the story of a man trying desperately hard to live a life so fast that his thoughts and feelings can't catch up with him. A man so concerned with his sense of self that he loses himself entirely. Ray Goldman is painfully self-conscious and wields an arrogance that springs from a genuine fear of inferiority and not mattering in some grand way. Everything he does is meant to both build himself up and destroy himself, and he does both in splendid fashion.

I enjoyed the journey this book took me on and the author's distinct style of writing. He clearly admires the beat writers (specifically Kerouac) but does not seek to emulate them, which I was thankful for because I couldn't fucking stand "On The Road". Sentences tended to run on, and the metaphors could get quite complex, to the point that I found myself re-reading whole paragraphs because I just didn't get it. I loved the author's use of opposites and contradictions to highlight how the things we feel often go against what we think we should feel.

This is not the kind of book I am usually drawn to. Stories of existential crisis and nihilistic self-defeat don't usually interest me as I feel they are mostly told from a place of smug superiority. This story comes from a place of real struggle. The author's struggle to go through the teeth-gritting pain of being honest with himself and reconciling that self with the one he has put forth to his fans and loved ones. This struggle played out in a conversation between the main character and an old friend, but I read it as an internal argument that the author was having with himself.

I felt that I gained a better understanding of Every Time I Die (the author's band) through reading this book. I was constantly reminded of the song Wanderlust, specifically these lyrics: "When they unearth these passages, will I appear to be proud? Not if you're listening close enough. Not if you're sounding it out." Chapter 23 opens with a consideration of the letter/word "I": "My entire world was in that letter, all my sadness, all my jealousy, all my guilt, and all my strength." Is this a reference to the "I" that is often used as a symbol for ETID? Perhaps.

As a fan of Every Time I Die, I couldn't resist this peek into the inner workings of Keith Buckley's mind. As a fan of great books that introduce me to people unlike any others I've met before, I was wholly satisfied with Scale.

This was definitely one of those books that I couldn't put down, but when I finished it I regretted reading it so fast because I didn't want to stop reading Keith Buckley's insightful and beautifully crafted sentences. The plot as far as what happens is minimal, but what this book truly gives its readers is a chance to be introspective and wonder about the "I", what it means to be alive and not living, what god means, and what it is to be if the sum of who you are is made up of the things you've decided you are. Full of metaphor, beautiful and conflicting digressions, readers witness Ray Goldman acting as a voyeur to himself and can't help but take a stark look at themselves and their beliefs.

Also, as a fan of ETID it was really incredible to see the ideas weaved into Keith Buckley's lyrics written out in a comprehensive novel.

Very mixed feelings. I wanted to love this the way I love many of ETIDs lyrics. But. It felt sooooo overworked. The actual story is interesting and gives out music scene energy, but I found myself sometimes lost in the density.

A small complaint—I own this book, so I will have to eventually take a look at the physical copy, but I read the ebook, so I could read when I was having a hard time sleeping, and the digital copy had way too many errors for how crafted this came across. Errors in ebooks, I typically ignore because I know getting them set up isn’t always easy and frequently ends up as a bit of an after thought, but with everything else, it just frustrated me.

It won't be the case for everyone who reads this, but I truly believe, considering the circumstances of my life, what I've been through, that this is the most important book I've ever read in my life and I'm endlessly grateful to Keith for writing it. I learned a lot about myself from this book.

I rate it “stick to your other job.” Buckley was obviously influenced by the semi-autobiographical writers of the beat generation, but his unique twist in formatting was overshadowed by his condescending tone. All points were lost to garbled metaphor and missing commas, except chapter 21. Here stood the nugget of truth that served as the crux of the entire narrative... which Buckley quickly buried with false machismo and a whole bunch of “Never mind that. I’m famous so lying and cheating, while not my fault, is in my nature. I’m the real victim. Also, I just learned the word ‘disingenuous’ so Ima use that a whole lot.” #readingrainbow #etid

Excellent book. Bit too dark for my liking especially after the book I've just read. Beautifully written just like Keiths lyrics in Every Time I Die. Very reminiscent of Bukowski.

A strange look inside Keith Buckley's mind. From what I know of the author, some of what is in here could be part memoir or stories of ETID time on the road. All the name drops and references to bands was a great way to show who Ray is and helped build a picture of what sort of person he is. There were a lot of philosophical and metaphysical points throughout this book which made me contemplate life so I found myself reading then stopping for a think, which is rare in novels these days. Most are just basic grocery lists. Giving Ray that depth made him more human. If he was just an out of control party animal, it would have been too basic. I'm glad Keith made him real.
A quote that stood out to me was this:
....the cruelest thing you can do to someone is to share the rot and rob them of the glorious mystery of being in love because faith in it is really all anyone ever has to know.
A lot of what is in here hit home for me. Those words in particular. I think we should all agree to no longer spread rot to others.
Also, Fuck Frank.

I probably would've liked this a bit more had I read it physically. The audio book just had too many noises/music in the background which made it slightly distracting.