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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Very sad but beautifully written short story exploring break up marriage.
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh my god what a insufferable, pretentious book! This book is from the early 2010s and it aged like milk. Our protagonist is written like someone only a Tumblr user from that era could love: constantly quoting space facts and famous poets ineffectively and joking about how mentally ill she is. The author clearly attempts to be humorous and relatable (there is an I can has cheeseburger reference in the middle of this book about divorce) but it falls flat and even the attempts at earnest emotional reflection feel contrived and overwritten. The book doesn't seem to give its characters or readers enough credit. The characters barely engage with each other and so seem like props for the protagonist's self pity. This book is all style over substance and the style reads incredibly dated in the current literary fiction landscape.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Content Warnings
The child does not die
The marriage survives
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Both the book’s second half and a conversation with my friend who enjoyed this book as “a female author’s spin on domesticity in postmodern fiction” convinced me to give Dept of Speculation 3 stars instead of a dreaded 2. I was troubled by the first half of the book, which seemed to argue that the domestic sphere dulls women who were previously sharp and interesting, and it gave me the ick that our protagonist didn’t seem to love her husband until something went wrong. I wasn’t keen on the periodical quotes and factoids, which struck me as far too gimmicky to be effective (except that Emily Dickinson line toward the end!).
But I loved how convincingly Offill talked about the way marriage changes over time, how immense parental love is, how rage and sadness and feeling betrayed can turn us into a person we no longer recognize. So yes. 3 out of 5.
But I loved how convincingly Offill talked about the way marriage changes over time, how immense parental love is, how rage and sadness and feeling betrayed can turn us into a person we no longer recognize. So yes. 3 out of 5.