Gabe
Contains spoilers
this might be my first experience with magic realism and it was just fine. In some ways the descent into madness story, and uncertain elements of real and unreal, and the complex inner world really works for a tortured, blocked writer, but in other ways it’s a bit impersonal.
I must note that if I had read this a year ago I may have quite liked it, but as it is I am bored by protagonists who are writers. It feels self indulgent and unattached to any real common human experience. That said, I should probably just diversify my library.
Vague Spoilers:
I predicted a “major” twist very early on, I didn’t think it was particularly subtle, particularly as it’s not an uncommon trope.
More serious spoilers:
In a book where what is real or not is so vague, I’m not sure why she needed an explicitly imaginary friend?
fine I guess, nothing groundbreaking if you’ve been engaged with feminist content for a while. A good entry point, but not without an active interest. It gets quite graphic and intense, without a clear “resolution” that could leave a reader/listener uninspired.
Also the critique of “empowerment” seemed narrow. Criticisms of sex, sexuality and pornography are valid to an extent but extremely nuanced and I’m not sure this book came even close to doing these topics justice.
These thoughts are with a young woman reader imagined. If the book was intended for a male readership, I think the marketing and some of the tone was off, but closer aligned.
I’ll be thinking about this book, its themes, ideas, and conflicts for a long time. Its relevance is astonishing. It’s grim on grim on grim on grim, and then somehow hopeful? I’m not sure the whole thing was well executed, the writing style was almost lazy, definitely unrealistic and at times distracting. The complexity of the familial relationships will keep me up at night. The search for purpose, the need for and maintenance of community, and the personal sacrifices and potential interpersonal harm that it causes, or seems to cause, in an individualistic era is so agonising, both intellectually and emotionally. I wish it were just a bit better written, and perhaps a bit less excessively violent at times. A great not excellent sequel to the first instalment.
This was a dense read and packed with psychoanalytic themes and details that did not sing to me. It was interesting but in many ways not seemingly connected or meaningful. Sounded very whiney in early chapters. Better maybe than Spent? Better job at the meta-memoir, though difficult to follow the timeline.
kinda weird, I feel like this was far more meaningful to the author than it could be for any reader, and that’s ok. Read a little bit like an angsty YA novel, but also like the kind of thing parents would want banned for fear of radicalising their kids into cannibalism. A couple of throwaway lines about being human that would go off on a 15yo emo’s tumblr.
Also the second book I’ve read this month (year?) where characters are motivated by Korean loan sharks so that was kind of boring but also my choices.
fine! perhaps not the intended audience as a gay, child-free reader; the notions of “useless husband but I love him” and “I can’t think of a single good reason to have this baby but I will love them no matter what” don’t really resonate with me, but it was a refreshingly unforgiving portrayal of the truly bonkers world to bring a child into, which counts for a little.
Writing style creative but easy to follow, evoked a whole spectrum of feelings, from terror to anger to joy to sadness. Good stuff!
This was as good as it could have been I think, given the subject matter. I think explorations of masculinity are important and relevant and necessary. I also think I read this while in a mood that perhaps did not entirely appreciate that. There is something just boring in the idea that one of the most honest and raw portrayals of boys coming-of-age is grubbiness and violence. Perhaps this deserves a reread when I’m not actively bleeding.
Not a story, don’t get it confused, but a genuinely captivating description of circumstances. I felt cynical, holier than thou, exposed, uncomfortable, exasperated, impatient, and entertained. I often read fiction and feel connected to characters or stories in ways that I couldn’t have imagined; see a humanity extracted by the author that allows a comforting understanding and thread connecting us. This was almost the opposite. The characters were familiar, and common in a way that exposed how inhuman people often are. It was good, I’d recommend, quick read.
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.
