Novel Explosives by Jim Gauer (Zerogram Press, 2016) is a novel that tells three interrelated stories set in Los Angeles, Ciudad Juárez, and Guanajuato.
The novel is named after a thermobaric weapon introduced by the US Marine Corps during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq called a "Novel Explosive" (SMAW-NE).
There are many references to the poet Fernando Pessoa.
Jeff Bursey writing for Numéro Cinq described the novel as having Quentin Tarantino-like action sequences paired with metafictional flourishes.
Critic Steven Moore listed it as one of the potentially “canonical” novels of the 21st century.
In 2026, Zerogram Press published a "10th Anniversary Edition" with a Foreword by Joy Williams.
References
External links Excerpt at KCRW Interview at The Millions