I'm a Fan

I'm a Fan has many of the things that make a good literary fiction in my opinion, approaching social and psychological issues in a way that seems organic, beautifully constructed sentences (so many quotable lines here seriously), a snappy structure (vignettes) and an engaging main character.

I tend to be leery or books that deal with influencers because I often find them completely out of touch and only offering a very caricatural image of them that completely lacks depth or realism, here the portrayal was more interesting (mostly because it didn't center on making the figure of the influencer into a despicably entitled shallow figure worthy of nothing but scorn). The approach to power dynamics and race is also equally careful, lucid, and honest. The choice to not name the characters also works very nicely here forcing you to consider them first as part of dynamics and through their relationships to one another it also doubles as an invitation to think about parasocial relationships and how little we truly know of people we see and sometimes of people we are invested in in that not quite a part of their lives way. All of this culminate in a bleakish but intense read.

This book came up in my recommendations because I loved Second Place by Rachel Cusk and I think the recommendation was pretty spot on, I rarely say “perfect for fans of...” but in this case I'll second the recommendation I have received.

It gets a 4.5 rounded up from me.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for providing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

the writing was terrible. it was straight up trash. a millennial woman using gen z slang for whatever reason, to sell or connect with the younger generation? it was so fucking cringe i can't even begin to explain how badly i cringed. the short chapters was the only pros about this book, but the writing was hard to get through. it was horrible, so so horrible. the author had weird way of putting up the chapters. in one chapter shes talking about the mc having fantasies of being fucked or something and then in the next, shes inserting her 2 cents on some controversial topic, or how the man she wants to be with wants to be seen in public with her for her skin color and to make himself look good. the book was a mess. and i am just glad its over.

well, i guess, i am not a fan

Wow that was quite an experience. I usually don't gravitate towards books with extensive internal monologues that could be perceived as whining, especially from an unlikeable character. However, this book handled it exceptionally well. The author deftly explored numerous themes, avoiding the pitfall of feeling checklist-like or forced in the plot. Themes such as nepotism, class privilege, race privilege, and male entitlement were woven seamlessly into the narrative, with the obsessive parasocial relationship being a particularly captivating aspect.
The brief chapters dedicated to these important themes were both enjoyable and analytical, avoiding one-dimensionality. However, I found myself wondering if these self-reflective passages were also the monologue of our deranged protagonist, who seems to be more of an outsider in her own story and life. Despite this ambiguity, the portrayal of the psyche of “a fan” in the present time was well-executed.
Overall, I would rate it 4 stars out of 5.
p.s- I'm glad that the author used Marina Abramovic's Rhythm 0 to depict our inherent inclination towards violence in the face of someone else's vulnerability, especially in the context of misogyny
p.s 2- Thank god the boyfriend got separated from her