Matty

Reread to solidify its placement in my top 4 (placement absolutely solidified).

A truly remarkable book that remains unlike anything I've ever read. So funny and heartfelt and awe-inspiring. A genuine masterpiece.

I picked it up completely blind to the plot and was charmed to discover a story about high school theatre, a world that mirrored my own high school experience. (The similarities ended quickly lol)

Really interesting and inventive storytelling. I wish this hadn't started as a holiday beach read, since I wasn't able to read it at the pace it deserved (and maybe the pace it requires). Demands revisiting, but not sure I want to yet.

Reading the first half as someone who was there, who saw it all, and reflects on the time spent with a mixture of wasteful disdain and gratitude for the person it's made me, is an interesting experience. Especially now that twitter in many ways is dead, the first half feels like a museum exhibit, preserving the energy of what once was. That alone doesn't make for a compelling read. I wept through the second half. Lockwood captures a rare thing here. How lucky we are to share love in this world.

Funny to describe a book that lives up to its content warnings on here as "breezy" but here we are. Light 3.5, goes exactly where you expect it to but stays entertaining on the way there. My first Moshfegh, not crazy about her writing style but maybe I'll take another crack at her in the future.

Great little read. Initially a bit inscrutable but reveals itself in a delightful way. Helen DeWitt, you're batting 1.000.