Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i kept reading this because i wanted to get the moment where something would wow me, and there…just wasn’t one, and then i finished the book. this is a modern queer retelling of the shakespearean henriad, and while that’s usually enough for me, i just couldn’t get into the story deeper than just a surface level. it kind of reads like the american version of skins, which isn’t a great connection to draw lol. there is a lot going on: the main character hal is in an incestuous relationship with his father that stems from childhood abuse, all the while his father is at ends with the fact that hal is unabashedly gay and honestly, a bit of a mess. he has younger siblings, but no one knows what’s been happening to hal, and he thinks that because of the way that he is, no one would believe him if he said something anyway. you’d think with that being the heart of the book’s subject matter that i would have felt something stronger, but nope.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
I actually don’t know what to rate this, I can’t tell if I loved it or hated it
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was more depressing than I expected but I enjoyed it quite a bit—I think I’ll need to return to it after I actually *read* Shakespeare’s Henriad because right now my main association is with Timmy’s bowl cut in The King. I’m sure I’d get more out of it with that background, but also worth reading as a self-contained story and for its sentence-level craft. Rounding up to 3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail
I don't think I thought this was very good 🤷♀️ maybe if I had any familiarity with the Shakespeare it would have worked better, but the sexual abuse was a yikes surprise. I agree with the nytimes "feels well written but inert". I did like a lot of the actual writing! love me a list sentence.
Huge TW. How does this entire plot synopsis miss that this has major themes of sexual assault and incest? It was a major part of the plot and action. Needs to be better broadcast - it was surprising to me even though I was slightly prepared from the comments.
Not the author’s fault (or maybe it is? I don’t know). Still an impactful read although not a fun one.
Not the author’s fault (or maybe it is? I don’t know). Still an impactful read although not a fun one.
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe I'm just my father, and he's just his father, and on and on, all the way back to Adam, so no one has ever really died, and no has ever really lived.Henry "Hal" Lancaster is a posh 22-year-old druggie fag with daddy issues, living life. After a shooting accident, he embarks on a romantic stint with a childhood friend. As his faith, familial bonds, and life choices are being tested, Hal desperately tries to cling to his idea of 'self'.
To be fair, I haven't read the henriad so I cannot talk much about that parallel, but if it's as much fun as this novel, then I should get on it. Parts of this novel are cruel (spoilers: the childhood abuse and grooming exhibited by hal's father, e.g.) but serve the overline character study of Hal. Where, let's say, A Little Life centres its queer character in a trauma porno, this novel, while erotic in parts, clearly distinguishes the abuse hal suffers from as something that's literally ruined the trajectory of his life. Which i can appreciate.
I devoured this in one go. Loved.