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jbabiarz's review against another edition
3.0
It was a great book - well written. Although at times non-essential details were fleshed out for pages, which made the book a bit more difficult to get through. But overall, worth the read.
corvuscorax's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Phew, needed something like this in a little while. Eminently readable, with some beautiful turns of phrase and solid construction. But this book isn't just... right, it's also good. The way the plot kept diverging and then folding in on itself, you kept meeting new people just to learn they had already been part of the story in some way, it all felt deeply human and it was so natural that I could really, truly get attached to all the stories without getting bored or asking myself why so-and-so got a few pages when we had been at the climax of another character's arc just paragraphs beforehand. There were a few times where I felt a little uncomfortable with wording choices, but it all seemed like it was part of the characters' worldview and it fit. Denise's story felt very real and it felt close to me, and I hope that she finally learned to get what she wanted.
The "repeating the word corrections" gimmick was funny about the first five times, then it progressively got a little more annoying each time. Still, gosh, this book was so good.
The "repeating the word corrections" gimmick was funny about the first five times, then it progressively got a little more annoying each time. Still, gosh, this book was so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Dementia, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Excrement, and Sexual content
Moderate: Antisemitism, Gun violence, and Racism
lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition
3.0
Writing: phenomenal. Story: I wanted more. No real plot point here. Just a tragic, and darkly comical, story of a god-awful mother and a father who's literally losing his mind.
bps's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
linapamela's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jgraydee's review against another edition
5.0
I hesitate to give this novel five stars -- it is definitely not a story that will appeal to everyone -- but it was a story that "got into my head" and kept me interested in reading for the next revelation.
The adult children reflect on their own lives, the positives and the negatives. Each child has deep seated, emotional problems with their parents, but also a strong desire to never disappoint either parent. The siblings have a close, honest with each other, but struggle to be honest with their parents. This is partly a personal decision on their part to deceive, but is also the result of a mid-western, prudish mother who doesn't want to hear anything honest or controversial, and a distant father who has a rapidly progressing dementia.
I skimmed some parts of the novel in great detail -- namely, the beginning of the book which describes Chip's literary occupation and the technical/financial information about Axon Corporation. I just found these parts of the book to be unnecessarily hard to follow.
The adult children reflect on their own lives, the positives and the negatives. Each child has deep seated, emotional problems with their parents, but also a strong desire to never disappoint either parent. The siblings have a close, honest with each other, but struggle to be honest with their parents. This is partly a personal decision on their part to deceive, but is also the result of a mid-western, prudish mother who doesn't want to hear anything honest or controversial, and a distant father who has a rapidly progressing dementia.
I skimmed some parts of the novel in great detail -- namely, the beginning of the book which describes Chip's literary occupation and the technical/financial information about Axon Corporation. I just found these parts of the book to be unnecessarily hard to follow.
lizjackson1990's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-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
5.0