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micaelabrody's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
this book was like one of the great black mirror episodes - transparently a parable and somewhat of a morality tale but with enough complexity and nuance to keep it interesting. i liked the length - any longer and it would have gotten old, but schweblin already proved with the tremendous Fever Dream (another well-executed unsubtle parable) that she can do the Short Fucked Up Novel well.
this book is at its best when contrasting horrors great and small, on both sides of the kentuki relationship. from the book’s very first vignette - a horrifying yet resigned sort of “this is where we will inevitably end up, let’s get it out of the way” pedophilic extortion scam - to the relatively benign antagonism between one of the dwellers and her keeper’s new boyfriend, schweblin deftly turns a sharp eye to every single participant and doesn’t shy away from laying blame at everyone’s feet. in the end abuses and struggles don’t need to be criminal or heinous for them to be really distressing to both the characters and readers - schweblin is careful to emphasize that these are humans on both ends of the screen, even as her characters alternately forget and remember that themselves.
there were in my opinion one too many neat endings (enzo’s and alina’s endings did work, but felt a hair too close to Just Desserts for a book that was determined to look at its characters wholly) but most resolve themselves with a discomfort that made me squirm.
when i started out online i was careful to always keep my boundaries secure. since then i’ve joined a zillion people who have gotten lax - i’ve revealed my name or my location, often thoughtlessly, many times. little eyes was not exactly shy about its message of the joys and dangers of the globalizing and connecting power of the internet, but it absolutely conveyed it well. i don’t know that i really relished the reading experience, but i sure came away feeling some kind of way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping and Sexual assault
jhbandcats's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reading this book is like watching an accident in slow motion where you know how awful it's going to be but you can't do anything to stop it.
Kentukis are cute little animals on wheels. People elsewhere in the world control them, seeing through the camera in the eyes. You can be either a keeper, who owns the little animal, or a dweller, who controls it with a tablet, moving around and interacting with the keeper.
The thing is, dwellers can't communicate with the keeper. There's translation software so the dweller can understand the keeper speaking - but the keeper only, not anyone else in the room - but no official way for the dweller to communicate. Some keepers use Ouija boards or Yes / No / Don't Know / Ask Another Question plots on the floor, and some keepers hold up signs with phone numbers and email addresses in hopes the dweller will get in touch.
These things are all over the world. In upscale areas, 25% of households have at least one kentuki, and the numbers are growing. Now imagine the worst possible types of dwellers - who are these unknown people hiding inside the kentukis, watching you in the bedroom and bathroom, seeing your important papers in your office? Are they sweet little old ladies or are they pedophiles? And what about the keepers? Who would want a technological spy in their home, even if it's benign?
Very, very thought provoking and, to be honest, terrifying. An excellent book.
Kentukis are cute little animals on wheels. People elsewhere in the world control them, seeing through the camera in the eyes. You can be either a keeper, who owns the little animal, or a dweller, who controls it with a tablet, moving around and interacting with the keeper.
The thing is, dwellers can't communicate with the keeper. There's translation software so the dweller can understand the keeper speaking - but the keeper only, not anyone else in the room - but no official way for the dweller to communicate. Some keepers use Ouija boards or Yes / No / Don't Know / Ask Another Question plots on the floor, and some keepers hold up signs with phone numbers and email addresses in hopes the dweller will get in touch.
These things are all over the world. In upscale areas, 25% of households have at least one kentuki, and the numbers are growing. Now imagine the worst possible types of dwellers - who are these unknown people hiding inside the kentukis, watching you in the bedroom and bathroom, seeing your important papers in your office? Are they sweet little old ladies or are they pedophiles? And what about the keepers? Who would want a technological spy in their home, even if it's benign?
Very, very thought provoking and, to be honest, terrifying. An excellent book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Bullying, Confinement, and Kidnapping
pages_with_a_preoccupied_prin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a really interesting read thar was incredibly unnerving. It felt like I was reading an episode of Black mirror.
I was really intrigued by the various characters portrayed in this novel and found the concept fascinating. I think this book looked really well at society and how people interact, considering how much everyone is interested in how other people live.
It was incredibly graphic at points, with one scene I had to actually skim read because I found it so gross.
I can't lie, but I am incredibly glad the Kentuki's don't actually exist.
I was really intrigued by the various characters portrayed in this novel and found the concept fascinating. I think this book looked really well at society and how people interact, considering how much everyone is interested in how other people live.
It was incredibly graphic at points, with one scene I had to actually skim read because I found it so gross.
I can't lie, but I am incredibly glad the Kentuki's don't actually exist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Torture, and Pedophilia
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