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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
Crash - 3.5/5
Cryin tis as ah 'hallucinatory novel' as the blur ah ma copie states is as accurate ah descriptor of tis beuk as probably exists. It wurks beest (As I've learnd tae me dismay) if you gae through it quick, unlik wit ah ended up daeing (as yeh kin see fae how lang I wis readin tis fir). It'll flow a fair bit beeter readin it aw close the gether n how a teuk it in probably hurt ma enjoyment ah the wurk o'erall.
Oonywae, tae the beuk itsel. The protagonsist (the author himsel it seems) becomes increasinly sexually fixated on car crashes n their victims affer bein personally involved in a deadly heid-on collision. He spirals further n further intae ah new world of technological sexuality, joining it followers in praise of it.
Tis is a beau of a novel, in yeh can see the author desendin doon his pathway tae becomin lik his 'mentor' (fir lack oh a beeter word) Vaughn. The imagery of the growin technological world and how is changin thems living waein it is a sight worth the readin. However, aside fae ma own slapdash readin ah the beuk, I had me own problems.
Furst, the writin aw the sex itsel, whilst intentionally sorta clinical wae a hint of discust fae the scribbler wis a bitty hard tae get through, there is only some much semen spraying ontae dashboards ah kin tak. Secondly, homosexuality seemed to be treated as the ultimate 'perversity' in the tale, which rubbed me the wrang wae somewit. Both a these points, alonwae ma slow readin ah the storie brought the wurk doon fir me personally.
O'erall - 3.5/5
Cryin tis as ah 'hallucinatory novel' as the blur ah ma copie states is as accurate ah descriptor of tis beuk as probably exists. It wurks beest (As I've learnd tae me dismay) if you gae through it quick, unlik wit ah ended up daeing (as yeh kin see fae how lang I wis readin tis fir). It'll flow a fair bit beeter readin it aw close the gether n how a teuk it in probably hurt ma enjoyment ah the wurk o'erall.
Oonywae, tae the beuk itsel. The protagonsist (the author himsel it seems) becomes increasinly sexually fixated on car crashes n their victims affer bein personally involved in a deadly heid-on collision. He spirals further n further intae ah new world of technological sexuality, joining it followers in praise of it.
Tis is a beau of a novel, in yeh can see the author desendin doon his pathway tae becomin lik his 'mentor' (fir lack oh a beeter word) Vaughn. The imagery of the growin technological world and how is changin thems living waein it is a sight worth the readin. However, aside fae ma own slapdash readin ah the beuk, I had me own problems.
Furst, the writin aw the sex itsel, whilst intentionally sorta clinical wae a hint of discust fae the scribbler wis a bitty hard tae get through, there is only some much semen spraying ontae dashboards ah kin tak. Secondly, homosexuality seemed to be treated as the ultimate 'perversity' in the tale, which rubbed me the wrang wae somewit. Both a these points, alonwae ma slow readin ah the storie brought the wurk doon fir me personally.
O'erall - 3.5/5
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Ka,“ Lightning McQueen bit his bottom lip, “-chow”
challenging
dark
medium-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
An armada of angelic creatures, each surrounded by an immense corona of light, was landing on the motorway on either side of us, sweeping down in opposite directions. ... I realized that all these roads and expressways had been built by us unknowingly for their reception.
Crash is a book that I'd find difficult to recommend to anyone. It didn't grip me, but I did keep returning back to it. Like the Cronenberg film, the book oscillates been car crashes and sexual encounters, sometimes both at the same time. Semen, blood, and mucus seem to be expelled constantly. Our main character's disaffected tone leaves the reader skipping over the passing moments of incest, pedophilia, transphobia, misogyny, and racism. Crash is a book about wealthy white people in the film industry, and their obsessions with cars and themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Blood, Excrement, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Transphobia, Alcohol
I’d heard this compared to William S. Burroughs, but this has more in common with “Twins” (the book “Dead Ringers” is based on, not the Schwarzenegger movie) than with something like “Naked Lunch”. What little Burroughs I’ve read has an appreciably sick sense of humor, whereas this is detached and self-serious. The love triangle (well, love multisided geometrical figure) is fine, I guess, but the elliptical and freewheeling presentation gets tiresome by the end. I can only read mechanized, emotionless sex scenes filled with descriptions of bodily fluids and scar tissue before the novelty wears off. I’m interested to see how the movie plays out.
dark
medium-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
I had been looking forward to reading this for years after seeing the film in a sexualities class in college. I'm not easily scared away by weird sex stuff as that's like 3/4 of what I studied in college, but this just oozed toxic masculinity. We're already so oversaturated with cis/het men's perspectives on gender and sexuality that I have no interest in another objectifying, hegemonic male voice chiming in. Plus, seriously, if I have to read the word "smegma" one more time I'm gonna hurl. No thanks.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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 never could figure out whether this book is brilliant or totally pointless. At very least it could have been at least half as long. Most of the text consists of the narrator talking about the various parts of a car and how they remind him of parts of the human body.
There are indeed moments of brilliance and insight, but they make up only a small fraction of the book. The rest is somewhat repetitive, especially the most prolific use of the word "anus" of any novel I've read.
There are indeed moments of brilliance and insight, but they make up only a small fraction of the book. The rest is somewhat repetitive, especially the most prolific use of the word "anus" of any novel I've read.