Gabe
TJR doesn’t seem to be able to imagine gay women in stories beyond “not allowed” and it’s boring.
I thought this was bad in its own right though. All characters lacked the depth and complexity the author seemed to imagine they had and made decisions that didn’t seem to align with them, despite their predictable necessity for the plot. Central character didn’t really ever have to make a difficult decision and tried hard, unsuccessfully, to force a flaw. That said, everyone was likeable except the sister that was plucked from Evil Dot Com, and the male coworkers from Sexism In The 80s For Beginners. Plot similar to characters, underdeveloped, predictable, though confusing in its transitions at times
Non-zero stars because life is as beautiful as described and being gay is wonderful to read about no matter how poor the set up.
TJR doesn’t seem to be able to imagine gay women in stories beyond “not allowed” and it’s boring.
I thought this was bad in its own right though. All characters lacked the depth and complexity the author seemed to imagine they had and made decisions that didn’t seem to align with them, despite their predictable necessity for the plot. Central character didn’t really ever have to make a difficult decision and tried hard, unsuccessfully, to force a flaw. That said, everyone was likeable except the sister that was plucked from Evil Dot Com, and the male coworkers from Sexism In The 80s For Beginners. Plot similar to characters, underdeveloped, predictable, though confusing in its transitions at times
Non-zero stars because life is as beautiful as described and being gay is wonderful to read about no matter how poor the set up.
Lovely read start to finish. Took a bit longer than usual but worth it. Not much of a story, just things happening to characters as our central narrator contemplates love and life and family and loss and grief. Prompted lots of thoughts and conversation. Characters all very loveable, realistic to an extent though at times underdeveloped (necessarily I suppose). A more accessible and engaging read than other Ocean Vuong, though still with poetic and emotional prose. Huge fan.
Lovely read start to finish. Took a bit longer than usual but worth it. Not much of a story, just things happening to characters as our central narrator contemplates love and life and family and loss and grief. Prompted lots of thoughts and conversation. Characters all very loveable, realistic to an extent though at times underdeveloped (necessarily I suppose). A more accessible and engaging read than other Ocean Vuong, though still with poetic and emotional prose. Huge fan.
