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A literary masterpiece which I wrote my final term paper for with a very difficult professor and scored a solid "A" on, back in 2014. This is a must read! I used the word "f$#k" three times in said paper. Dare to dare! He loved it! The boldness!
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beatifully written. Distinct honesty. The beauty of dark comedy.
This was another book i was forced to get through for a seminar I attended (Kafka’s Metamorphosis). I had a presentation on this book and that was the only way I got through it. It is one of those books where you are happy you finished it, as it deals with lots of important topics and it really forces you to face the privilege we so often take for granted. There is so much to unpack and you probably could discuss the many reasons this book is important but the entire reading experience is surreal, highly uncomfortable, quite disturbing and disgusting at times and overall not really what I wanted or planned on picking up. However, that is exactly what I like about my studies, they push me to try new things, work through it and come out on top (well, this is debatable but still).
Even though i complained the entire two days I read it (i was in a hurry, otherwise it would have taken me AGES to get through), I am somewhat glad I did it. It is the kind of ‘worldly-book’ you can start a discussion on and even though these type of books are not the easiest to get through, reading can be more than just happy, comfort and ease, especially considering my field of study and where I want to end up. This is not the case for all readers!!
Somewhat begrudgingly….3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Even though i complained the entire two days I read it (i was in a hurry, otherwise it would have taken me AGES to get through), I am somewhat glad I did it. It is the kind of ‘worldly-book’ you can start a discussion on and even though these type of books are not the easiest to get through, reading can be more than just happy, comfort and ease, especially considering my field of study and where I want to end up. This is not the case for all readers!!
Somewhat begrudgingly….3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Powerful, dark, at times funny, this story of Arab and Persian immigrants in Canada was hard to put down. The main characters all have reasons for migrating from their homeland which are gradually revealed throughout the story and woven together to a climax on the last page. The narrator believes he is part cockroach and this is reflected in some of his questionable deeds as he slowly transforms more and more into an insect. Hallucinatory and disturbing at time, beautifully written and the kind of story that sticks with you.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
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
This was... a lot... this book literally left me depressed and jaded. It is though, beautifully written! For the second publish book of Rawi Hage, I understand the importance it has in Montreal and Canadian Literature overall. I know the name coackroach will have a lot thinking that this book is Kafka-esque but it isn't a comparaison that holds up after reading it. In a way it reminded much more about Dany Lafferière's "How to make love to a negro without getting tired".
It is gritty, clever, funny, absurd and dark. It's a book filled with stories of misery punctuated with sardonic laughs and nihilistic smiles.
In short you follow a very "socially dysfunctional" and mentally ill Lebanese immigrant, that has done terrible things in his past and do terrible things now, albeit in a more subdued way.
I have found it a hard read, it was about 300 pages in length and while I was surprised by the ending which abruptly concludes a sort of narrative introduced about 2/3rd's in. I was glad it was over, no matter how well written and engaging a lot of that novel was, so much of it felt tedious and actually I believe it is purposeful.
The main character, after all, is introduced as he sits across from a therapist that he is mandated to see due to his failed attempt on his life. Rawi Hage is really skilled at bringing us into his psyche, no matter how slimy and uncomfortable it is. Unfortunately though that leads to quite triggering scenes, especially sexual ones with women and a teenager (you read that right).
This said you're never meant to sympathize with the guy and instead are just showed the brutal ways in which colonialism and capitalism shapes the lives of the individuals under it. All the characters we focus on are hurting, some more than others perhaps but all of their lives and behaviours are shaped by those social structures and the violence cultivated under them.
I'm sure anyone could see that coming but Cockroach main theme is the dehumanization of the marginalized and impoverished. How someone who comes to sneak into people's home and steal, had to morph and contort, losing their humanity in the process, shaped by the tubes that swallows them and the underground they find refuge into.
It is gritty, clever, funny, absurd and dark. It's a book filled with stories of misery punctuated with sardonic laughs and nihilistic smiles.
In short you follow a very "socially dysfunctional" and mentally ill Lebanese immigrant, that has done terrible things in his past and do terrible things now, albeit in a more subdued way.
I have found it a hard read, it was about 300 pages in length and while I was surprised by the ending which abruptly concludes a sort of narrative introduced about 2/3rd's in. I was glad it was over, no matter how well written and engaging a lot of that novel was, so much of it felt tedious and actually I believe it is purposeful.
The main character, after all, is introduced as he sits across from a therapist that he is mandated to see due to his failed attempt on his life. Rawi Hage is really skilled at bringing us into his psyche, no matter how slimy and uncomfortable it is. Unfortunately though that leads to quite triggering scenes, especially sexual ones with women and a teenager (you read that right).
This said you're never meant to sympathize with the guy and instead are just showed the brutal ways in which colonialism and capitalism shapes the lives of the individuals under it. All the characters we focus on are hurting, some more than others perhaps but all of their lives and behaviours are shaped by those social structures and the violence cultivated under them.
I'm sure anyone could see that coming but Cockroach main theme is the dehumanization of the marginalized and impoverished. How someone who comes to sneak into people's home and steal, had to morph and contort, losing their humanity in the process, shaped by the tubes that swallows them and the underground they find refuge into.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking
Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, War
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was interesting, uninviting at first and then you can't stop wanting to get to know this really self-loathing and possibly psychotic (or simply very homesick) character.
Wow, this book was different and wonderful. I couldn't put it down. The main actor of the book brings you through highs and lows via a steady narrative that instantly draws you in. I started off convinced he was insane, and midway, felt the opposite - that his experiences made for a logical and gritty wisdom. Then my opinion changed again. I love that there are still questions about some aspects of this story. It's a good writer who can skilfully leave some mystery to the story.