Gabe

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.

Weird and wonderful and spooky.

The blend of fiction, prose, and historical non-fiction was a challenge to keep up with at times, I may not have given this book enough time to sit with. It was an enjoyable and seemingly easy read, but I think would be good to reread slowly one day. Unsure also if any of this was memoir, I understand many aspects echo the authors life but I don’t think all. Interesting read! Worthy of all praise!

There were times, particularly early on, when I couldn’t stand the narrator, but the story was unexpected and very engaging and unique. I was thinking about this for months after finishing, and it still comes to mind sometimes now.

Hard to know why I rate this so highly when again there wasn’t much of a story structure, but I loved it and was engaged the whole time. So many aspects of the story/setting were uncomfortable, and none of the characters ever became quite relatable, and I know religion aspect is bizarre to some, but I found it all had its place perfectly within the novel.

I had really high hopes for this book and think it should have been a lot better. Better editing and more attention to the major plot points of the story. Characters and setting were fantastic, perspective was unique and engrossing, story was good but lacking.

Strong recommend reading this through twice! It's very short and pretty easy to read but really hits with a reread. Beautifully crafted, big fan.

Good, quick read, very accessible. I found the themes a little unoriginal/obvious, but perhaps my timing and not the book. Dissatisfied with the conclusion, I think she could have been a lot harsher to our central character.

Boring as. Not sure what makes a Booker winner, but this went on for too long without a story or any character development. Just observations about people and humanity. Could have read a single chapter, 16 times over, and got the gist. Overly complicated and inaccessible. Not really saying or doing anything. Boring.

Absolutely flew through this book, fantastic read. The setting of the events were close to home and the people familiar, which is sentimental for me but a testament to the writing. Style incredibly engaging, full of tensions building and emotion. fab.