In the world we currently live in — countries fighting over foreign land, kidnapped presidents, and the inexplicable rise of the far-right — it can be hard to find the lighter side of things in life. Yet Make Sure You Die Screaming takes you on a chaotic ride, filled with morally grey characters, generational trauma, and the ugliness of depression and grief; all while keeping you entertained.

This is a road trip like no other. We join the queer narrator (they haven’t quite worked out what to call themselves yet) driving through Illinois after recently losing their job, with their new best friend Yivi, a self-proclaimed garbage goth who has psychic visions in her sleep. Their mission? To kidnap the narrator’s MAGA-pilled, conspiracy-theorist father who has gone missing, at the request of their mother. They’ve only known each other for 2 weeks, but that doesn’t stop them running from the police in the narrator’s ex-boyfriend’s car, as well as Yivi’s drug-dealing boyfriend ‘Big Gravy’. But the narrator’s recent solemn vow of honesty puts them in more sticky situations down the line and tests the newly-found friendship along the way.

The narrator is at their lowest when we meet them and it is easy to be disheartened by someone who lashes out at the world, but as their past unravels, it becomes easier to understand the loss the narrator has been through. Their struggle with their gender is particularly poignant, with very little support offered by the people closest to them. Despite all this pain conveyed, there’s still some hilarious moments dotted throughout the book, especially the narrator’s inner dialogue as they travel on the road. Their crass attitude towards everything will make you reel in more ways than one.

Truth becomes a strong motive in this novel; whether it be factual truth or the truth people choose to believe. Our narrator wants to live their life truthfully with their gender and sexuality. They decide to take on a vow of honesty after certain events take place, yet as the reader slowly gains other perspectives on those events, it becomes clear that what the narrator believes is not 100% true. Grief and pain skew their ability to see the truth and it results in them running from their past for different reasons entirely. In turn, the constant drunken haze of the narrator prohibits them from distinguishing between truth and lies — they willingly accept things they are told even when it might be obvious to others they are false. Yet this characteristic is not limited to the protagonist and it is clear that not everyone can handle the truth, even when it’s the most obvious.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel for Zee Carlstrom. Their unique voice and captivating writing style draws you in from the first page and keeps you hooked at every turn. What makes this book extra special is Carlstrom’s ability to capture depression, struggles with grief, and the difficulty many queer, liberal Millennials and Gen-Z face; having conflicting political views with their parents. The author is not afraid to approach this nuanced dilemma of having your caregivers believe in something you oppose, and there’s a great quote in the middle of the novel which stuck out, among many others: “…the existential void of their combined disillusionment brought a darkness out of my parents I hadn’t seen before”.

Make Sure You Die Screaming is a must-read for anyone who loves messy character arcs, life-changing road-trips, and is struggling through the current political climate of the world.

‘Make Sure You Die Screaming roars to life from page one and never lets up. It’s a Fear and Loathing for the generation devastated by the generation that brought us Fear and Loathing’ – TORREY PETERS, author of Detransition, Baby

‘Zee Carlstrom’s chaotic joyride had me holding on for dear life. This iconic road-trip novel is a balm for a bleak, uncertain world’ – VANESSA WALTERS, author of The Lagos Wife

‘I loved every loud, messy page. Zee Carlstrom is the first writer to make me feel better about my own life choices’ – SAM IRBY, author of Wow, No Thank You

‘Whether you’re grieving a person or a country, Make Sure You Die Screaming is the novel for you’ – HOLLY WILSON, author of Kittentits

‘Zee Carlstrom’s debut blends asphalt-black comedy with the greasy darkness pervading the nuclear family, the workplace, and the US itself. They should hand this book to anyone who leaves a hair salon with a mullet on purpose’ – CALVIN KALSULKE, author of Several People Are Typing

Make Sure You Die Screaming is published by Verve Books
9780857309426 | PB | £10.99 | Out 29th January 2026