Before the week from hell starts, Montarbo makes sure you know who Gary is, and that context sticks with you later. Gary’s spent twenty-five years delivering pizzas for Benwardo’s. He finds comfort in his “mountain of blankets,” his cat Seamus, and a cushioned toilet seat he calls his “porcelain altar.” He plays high-level online games as EtherealOG. For Gary, life is okay. Not exciting, not impressive by anyone else’s standards, but enough. That’s the whole point. This isn’t a guy chasing something bigger. He’s just trying to get through his shifts and go home to his cat. Which makes it all the more brutal when fate decides that’s not allowed this week.
Tag Archives: Gary Got Goosed
Funny, Tender, Unflinching. Gary Got Goosed by J.R. Montarbo
J.R. Montarbo’s Gary Got Goosed follows Gary Gander through one relentless week, structured day by day, Sunday to Sunday, as an ordinary guy’s life buckles under a pileup of bad luck, embarrassment, and grief. It’s a small, internal story in scope, following one deeply flawed, deeply likable man through the worst seven days of his life, and it’s exactly that closeness that makes it work.
What’s New This Week at #JustReadingNook?
Here’s what’s new for the week of August 6, 2026 at #JustReadingNook