All that said, while yes I really did enjoy this book, I can definitely see it being a hard read for certain people. Jose and Jack tells the story of a brother/sister duo who live under the oppressive roof of their alcoholic and abusive college professor father. The two siblings, the titular Josie and Jack Raeburn have an interesting relationship, to say the least. Jack, like their father, is also quite abusive to Josie in some of the same ways their father is but also going much farther an darker. Nonetheless, Josie is enamored with Jack and only wants to please him. When the kids leave home, they start to commit a series of crimes and squat in various temporary living conditions all the way through to the book's climax. They meet a lot of characters along the way, and for most of them, their lives get worse just by interacting with Jack specifically. The tough subjects of incest and rape get discussed in this book and Braffet pulls no punches so be warned of that.
This is a nasty, dark piece of work that sticks with you, that's for sure. I think anyone should give it a read. But maybe one time is enough. The novel was adapted into a film in 2019.