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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I HATE not finishing books before forming opinions, but god I couldn’t continue reading this. Why are they all so rude and mean to each other?? What’s the actual plot here? Sadly, DNF.
Obviously took me a while to read as I did my library audiobook. First loan I couldn’t get into it. Second loan I loved it. Interesting concept of having once’s funeral before you are deceased. What a sad state we are in that that is a way to let your loved ones know you love them before they pass. Some suspense I wasn’t expecting. Will recommend. Tell the people you love you love them…NOW!
A group of friends just graduating from college gather for the funeral of a friend. They decide to form a pact where they can bring everyone back together for their own funeral so that they can share how much they mean to each other while still alive. The story then proceeds through the funerals which occur over the next two decades. There is very little insight into the lives of the characters except for the glimpses during the funeral weekends. This made it very hard to connect emotionally with the characters so I wasn’t that invested in their struggles.
Read via NetGalley
Publisher: Penguin Group, Putnam
Publication: 30 May 2023
I LOVED "The Guncle" so was excited to see a new book by Steven Rowley coming out. The cover is beautiful also.
This book didn't sneak into my heart the way The Guncle did though. I almost DNFed it & if it had not been a NetGalley book for review, I may have.
Review contains spoilers.
I was intrigued by the premise & have sometimes thought this before as well -- would it not be more wonderful to show up for the people you love, when you're all still alive to tell them how important they are, rather than at a funeral? If you think about modern society, we all go along saying we're too busy, too busy, too busy - but we will drop everything to get to an important funeral. Why wasn't it more important to go see that person when they were living?
However, I really, really couldn't get into this book -- the characters all felt superficial, like we were just skimming along on the surface of their lives. They tell us stuff, but don't really show us any feeling or depth to their characters & lives. I think the most annoying facet of the book was the dialogue - whenever this group of friends got together, it never seemed like they actually talked with each other -- there were some random trivia factoids, a few non-sequiturs, and then someone would yell something (e.g. "I KNOW WHERE DUBROVNIK IS!" or "BOTH OF YOU STOP IT" or "OH MY GOD!"). It was like no one ever actually had a real conversation or the author was looking for random trivia tidbits with which to fill the pages. I kept thinking - do these people actually know each other? like each other? grow in relation to each other? And despite their pact to 'leave nothing unsaid' - whenever they got together, they devolved into these non-conversations and trite sayings at their friends' 'funerals'.
And don't even get me started on the Naomi chapter -- wherein she drunkenly decides they'll all go skydiving, then tries to seduce the pilot while he's flying the plane in a VERY weird way (is this meant to be funny? sad? pathetic?), then forcibly decides NOT to skydive, herself, after everyone else does. Just....WTAF was this? I guess I didn't get it.
The one shining moment in this book was the chapter near the end when Jordan surprises Jordy with the Alcatraz swim -- this chapter really gripped me -- Jordy's feelings as he was swimming, Jordan's fears on the shore as he tried to give his husband a fresh start, or a memory that can eventually give him a fresh start, while also facing his own death. This chapter was beautiful and then looking back at the rest of the book, I think it was the brief windows into Jordan & Jordy's life that felt the most vivid (least skimmed over?) of all the characters. I think I wish Rowley and his editor had picked this apart a bit more and focused on the Jordan & Jordy story -- maybe even continuing after Jordan's death.... and the rest of the gang become secondary characters in their story? What do I know, I'm not an editor. But, this is my review.
I thought this was a beautiful sentiment: "...grief can be a prison. And some day in the future I wanted him to look back on this day and remember that he has the strength to break free."
I think there's a bunch of other stuff I kind of want to rant about in this book, but will end with just one last peeve - what are you saying with these microphthalmic kittens? That we're all just bumbling blindly through life? What is with this? It feels blatantly obvious and annoyingly obtuse all at the same time. Urhghghg.
Publisher: Penguin Group, Putnam
Publication: 30 May 2023
I LOVED "The Guncle" so was excited to see a new book by Steven Rowley coming out. The cover is beautiful also.
This book didn't sneak into my heart the way The Guncle did though. I almost DNFed it & if it had not been a NetGalley book for review, I may have.
Review contains spoilers.
I was intrigued by the premise & have sometimes thought this before as well -- would it not be more wonderful to show up for the people you love, when you're all still alive to tell them how important they are, rather than at a funeral? If you think about modern society, we all go along saying we're too busy, too busy, too busy - but we will drop everything to get to an important funeral. Why wasn't it more important to go see that person when they were living?
However, I really, really couldn't get into this book -- the characters all felt superficial, like we were just skimming along on the surface of their lives. They tell us stuff, but don't really show us any feeling or depth to their characters & lives. I think the most annoying facet of the book was the dialogue - whenever this group of friends got together, it never seemed like they actually talked with each other -- there were some random trivia factoids, a few non-sequiturs, and then someone would yell something (e.g. "I KNOW WHERE DUBROVNIK IS!" or "BOTH OF YOU STOP IT" or "OH MY GOD!"). It was like no one ever actually had a real conversation or the author was looking for random trivia tidbits with which to fill the pages. I kept thinking - do these people actually know each other? like each other? grow in relation to each other? And despite their pact to 'leave nothing unsaid' - whenever they got together, they devolved into these non-conversations and trite sayings at their friends' 'funerals'.
And don't even get me started on the Naomi chapter -- wherein she drunkenly decides they'll all go skydiving, then tries to seduce the pilot while he's flying the plane in a VERY weird way (is this meant to be funny? sad? pathetic?), then forcibly decides NOT to skydive, herself, after everyone else does. Just....WTAF was this? I guess I didn't get it.
The one shining moment in this book was the chapter near the end when Jordan surprises Jordy with the Alcatraz swim -- this chapter really gripped me -- Jordy's feelings as he was swimming, Jordan's fears on the shore as he tried to give his husband a fresh start, or a memory that can eventually give him a fresh start, while also facing his own death. This chapter was beautiful and then looking back at the rest of the book, I think it was the brief windows into Jordan & Jordy's life that felt the most vivid (least skimmed over?) of all the characters. I think I wish Rowley and his editor had picked this apart a bit more and focused on the Jordan & Jordy story -- maybe even continuing after Jordan's death.... and the rest of the gang become secondary characters in their story? What do I know, I'm not an editor. But, this is my review.
I thought this was a beautiful sentiment: "...grief can be a prison. And some day in the future I wanted him to look back on this day and remember that he has the strength to break free."
I think there's a bunch of other stuff I kind of want to rant about in this book, but will end with just one last peeve - what are you saying with these microphthalmic kittens? That we're all just bumbling blindly through life? What is with this? It feels blatantly obvious and annoyingly obtuse all at the same time. Urhghghg.
Felt like the characters were very one-dimensional but I liked the sentiment
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
DNF @ 20 percent. Nothing interesting here - at all. Characters are blah. Onto the next one!
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced