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megmayerle's review
2.0
How can a character be so infuriatingly entitled and so desperately self-conscious at the same time?
I truly wish I could have enjoyed this book. The premise was fascinating, setting the book up to be an intriguing delve in the world of ethics in art (a subject not yet overdone, one with great potential). The setting was well researched & the description of the piece Self-Portrait With Boy was convincing. Yet still, with all of its potential, the novel was mildly thought-provoking at best (Dismal and frustrating at worst).
I think the most prominent issue with this book is that it didn't know where to go. Aside from the primary story of Lu, Kate, and the photo, there were several other side plots that didn't do much besides highlighting the snobby yet self-pitying nature of Lu's character (the long bits about money/jobs, George Washington Morales, rats (!?), and her father). I understand the decision to include the artist's struggle with finding a place to stay, as that was a relevant issue at the time. I believe, though, that the long passages about Lu interacting with her father surrounding his surgery only furthered the bleak tone of the novel.
The second issue follows the same line of criticism: it felt as if the author couldn't decide whether or not this was going to be a ghost story. Honestly, I think this would have been a much better book had Lyon decided to focus on the ghost as a playful yet persistent threat. I found the best parts of the writing to be when interactions with the ghost are being described:
"No longer did he seem as if he could be a mirage-like trick of heat and wind. He was somehow more solid than ever before- as if during the months since he'd died he has been somehow learning solidity, practicing how to fill in his colors, textures, and dimensions." (pg. 271)
I was almost excited when I read that bit, the writing was clear and interesting and above all: make sense! But instead of following this spark into a struggle with the ghost, the subject is dropped once again a few pages later.
There are countless examples of Lu Rile's character shortcomings, and I could go on and on about the aggravating task of being stuck inside her head for 347 pages, but I'll just point to one in particular that stuck out to me:
My mouth was agape reading the way she interacted with him.
The final point I'd like to make is more of a question: If the novel was meant to focus on the bond between two women (pulled from the synopsis on the back), why did we get so little interaction between the two? (Kate and Lu, that is) It seemed that readers only got a few glimpses of their budding connection, plus a montage-like summary of the times they had dinner together with the other tenants. Their connection felt like an afterthought, included to make the ethics debate seem more complex.
The two stars from me were earned by the interesting premise and bits about the ghost. Had the novel focused more on those two things, I suspect my rating would be much higher.
I truly wish I could have enjoyed this book. The premise was fascinating, setting the book up to be an intriguing delve in the world of ethics in art (a subject not yet overdone, one with great potential). The setting was well researched & the description of the piece Self-Portrait With Boy was convincing. Yet still, with all of its potential, the novel was mildly thought-provoking at best (Dismal and frustrating at worst).
I think the most prominent issue with this book is that it didn't know where to go. Aside from the primary story of Lu, Kate, and the photo, there were several other side plots that didn't do much besides highlighting the snobby yet self-pitying nature of Lu's character (the long bits about money/jobs, George Washington Morales, rats (!?), and her father). I understand the decision to include the artist's struggle with finding a place to stay, as that was a relevant issue at the time. I believe, though, that the long passages about Lu interacting with her father surrounding his surgery only furthered the bleak tone of the novel.
The second issue follows the same line of criticism: it felt as if the author couldn't decide whether or not this was going to be a ghost story. Honestly, I think this would have been a much better book had Lyon decided to focus on the ghost as a playful yet persistent threat. I found the best parts of the writing to be when interactions with the ghost are being described:
"No longer did he seem as if he could be a mirage-like trick of heat and wind. He was somehow more solid than ever before- as if during the months since he'd died he has been somehow learning solidity, practicing how to fill in his colors, textures, and dimensions." (pg. 271)
I was almost excited when I read that bit, the writing was clear and interesting and above all: make sense! But instead of following this spark into a struggle with the ghost, the subject is dropped once again a few pages later.
There are countless examples of Lu Rile's character shortcomings, and I could go on and on about the aggravating task of being stuck inside her head for 347 pages, but I'll just point to one in particular that stuck out to me:
Spoiler
She is staying with her dad (one of the more redeemable characters), who buys her a book of nature photographs. Instead of politely accepting the gift, understanding that he was making a genuine effort to connect with her, Lu highlights one of her worst qualities: her pretentious attitude about art. She insults the book and goes on to rant about what is and isn't art (despite at the time having almost no stake in the art world).My mouth was agape reading the way she interacted with him.
The final point I'd like to make is more of a question: If the novel was meant to focus on the bond between two women (pulled from the synopsis on the back), why did we get so little interaction between the two? (Kate and Lu, that is) It seemed that readers only got a few glimpses of their budding connection, plus a montage-like summary of the times they had dinner together with the other tenants. Their connection felt like an afterthought, included to make the ethics debate seem more complex.
The two stars from me were earned by the interesting premise and bits about the ghost. Had the novel focused more on those two things, I suspect my rating would be much higher.
ladulcinella's review
4.0
A 4,5 star read. The novel is really mesmerizing, pulling you in right from the start. The style is very fine, the tone conveys excellent the characters of the book. Most of all I loved all the moral dilemma in it.
robforteath's review against another edition
5.0
From the synopsis, you already know the main facts of the internal conflict that is at the core of this book.
At the beginning of the story, Lu has nothing. She has no friends, no love, no career. Then a single accident gives her all three, but forces her to choose. This sounds like a simple ethics problem -- except that the novel loads us with context and circumstances that make it not so simple. Lu loves and values people who do not love and value her. She is without a dollar or a professional contact, forced to compete with people who have enormous resources of both.
The book is enthralling from beginning to end.
At the beginning of the story, Lu has nothing. She has no friends, no love, no career. Then a single accident gives her all three, but forces her to choose. This sounds like a simple ethics problem -- except that the novel loads us with context and circumstances that make it not so simple. Lu loves and values people who do not love and value her. She is without a dollar or a professional contact, forced to compete with people who have enormous resources of both.
The book is enthralling from beginning to end.
cmestevez's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars! There are some scenes that I’m sure are supposed to be “symbolic” but that felt largely unnecessary (i.e. the vivid & disturbing description of the rats). I would have also liked for the author to have spent more time exploring Kate and Lu’s relationship and giving the readers something to feel a true loss over. Their relationship seemed too insignificant to be the crux of the book, as the last line indicates.
claresa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
margaret_adams's review against another edition
An interesting look at artistic ambition, artistic intent, and ruthlessness. Definitely worth all of the buzz.
Update: check out this great interview with Lyon on the Otherppl podcast.
Update: check out this great interview with Lyon on the Otherppl podcast.
eshimoda10's review against another edition
5.0
“Twenty-six, naive, and ambitious as hell. A skinny friendless woman in thick glasses with a mop of coarse black hair. There were so many people I had not yet become.”
How selfish should you be for the sake of your ambition and art (and are they the same things)? This question is one that has been floating in my mind as I’ve been working on my own projects, and is at the center of Rachel Lyon’s radiant first novel Self-Portrait with Boy. (Except my idea of selfishness is more along the lines of “Should I say no to an invitation to dinner to work on my project?” rather then “Can I showcase an image of a friend’s child plummeting to his death?”)
It is 1991 in DUMBO, Brooklyn. There is a desperate energy in the air. Lu Rile, fresh out of art school, lives in an abandoned warehouse, a building filled with artists— this was a time before gentrification and high-rise apartment complexes. One day, while taking a self-portrait— number 400 in an ongoing series— she accidentally shoots an image that captures a boy plummeting to his death. The photograph is a masterpiece, something she is certain will change her career forever. The boy in the image is the son of her neighbor, and his death brings Lu closer to Kate, the mother of the boy. Kate becomes a close confident and only friend. This complicates Lu’s decision to show the photograph as she grapples with reconciling her artistic ambition and her desire to protect her friendship.
Precision— of storytelling and of language— is Lyon’s forte. Every scene is painfully real. Desperation and discomposure are palpable on every page. And as a reader, I was driven to turn the page, eagerly awaiting release (which comes in small doses throughout the novel, with a deliciously satisfying ending). Her prose is sleek and tailored— there is nothing superfluous about her writing— and yet, it is kinetic and full of fervor and emotion.
What a fascinating meditation on ambition and self-preservation, and what it means to be, to quote Lu’s father, a “decent” person. The poignant story of Self-Portrait with Boy is one that will stay with me for awhile.
How selfish should you be for the sake of your ambition and art (and are they the same things)? This question is one that has been floating in my mind as I’ve been working on my own projects, and is at the center of Rachel Lyon’s radiant first novel Self-Portrait with Boy. (Except my idea of selfishness is more along the lines of “Should I say no to an invitation to dinner to work on my project?” rather then “Can I showcase an image of a friend’s child plummeting to his death?”)
It is 1991 in DUMBO, Brooklyn. There is a desperate energy in the air. Lu Rile, fresh out of art school, lives in an abandoned warehouse, a building filled with artists— this was a time before gentrification and high-rise apartment complexes. One day, while taking a self-portrait— number 400 in an ongoing series— she accidentally shoots an image that captures a boy plummeting to his death. The photograph is a masterpiece, something she is certain will change her career forever. The boy in the image is the son of her neighbor, and his death brings Lu closer to Kate, the mother of the boy. Kate becomes a close confident and only friend. This complicates Lu’s decision to show the photograph as she grapples with reconciling her artistic ambition and her desire to protect her friendship.
Precision— of storytelling and of language— is Lyon’s forte. Every scene is painfully real. Desperation and discomposure are palpable on every page. And as a reader, I was driven to turn the page, eagerly awaiting release (which comes in small doses throughout the novel, with a deliciously satisfying ending). Her prose is sleek and tailored— there is nothing superfluous about her writing— and yet, it is kinetic and full of fervor and emotion.
What a fascinating meditation on ambition and self-preservation, and what it means to be, to quote Lu’s father, a “decent” person. The poignant story of Self-Portrait with Boy is one that will stay with me for awhile.
egmrozek's review against another edition
4.0
For what the plot lacks in excitement and momentum, the symbolism makes up for in intricacy and depth. Well-written, and although at times it feels slow, it is tied together at the end, and the implications are both clear and complex.
ellaxbrooke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
raejeana's review against another edition
I'm gutted.
Lu is a complicated character to follow, but Lu also makes no promises to be anything. She simply becomes. Every world that Lu belongs to, both chosen and circumstantial, shapes her complexity, which drives me mad sometimes but warms me almost just as often. Lu is no victim to her surroundings by any stretch of the imagination, but god do I feel the heat of the regretful things that ultimately bring her to herself. And then there are the people who bear witness to her. Toby, Fiona, Casper, Chad, Max, Kate. I will never be able shake Kate.
I don't regret my softness for her. Lu - and more importantly, Rachel Lyon - have an undeniable pull.
Lu is a complicated character to follow, but Lu also makes no promises to be anything. She simply becomes. Every world that Lu belongs to, both chosen and circumstantial, shapes her complexity, which drives me mad sometimes but warms me almost just as often. Lu is no victim to her surroundings by any stretch of the imagination, but god do I feel the heat of the regretful things that ultimately bring her to herself. And then there are the people who bear witness to her. Toby, Fiona, Casper, Chad, Max, Kate. I will never be able shake Kate.
I don't regret my softness for her. Lu - and more importantly, Rachel Lyon - have an undeniable pull.