Scan barcode
emory's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
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
beltari's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Trafficking, and Slavery
Minor: Child abuse and Adult/minor relationship
torismazarine's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Stalking, and Death
Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Pedophilia
Minor: Domestic abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
bailey_the_bookworm's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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? No
4.5
This book broke my brain. I read it in a single sitting—I could not put it down once I started it. It’s disturbing, upsetting, fascinating, thought-provoking. I’m going to have nightmares for weeks
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Toxic friendship
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
I couldn't picture these Kentukis as anything other than Furbys. Doesn't matter if it's described as a crow, bunny, or dragon, my brain says Furby.
I did end up overwhelmed by how many different POVs we are given here. Instead of being numbered, each chapter is titled with a town name. Some we only see once, others several times. We see new POVs almost right up until the end, so it would take me a few paragraphs sometimes to remember who the people are.
The first chapter is essentially what you first think is going to happen in a situation like this. Also, imagine my surprise when the first chapter is titled South Bend, which is only 30 minutes from my hometown, and a place I've been a million times. Definitely makes it more real, but that was one town the book only visited once.
We do get a variety of situations throughout the story, but I don't believe any of them are happy endings. Since there are so many POVs, it also feels like we are viewing the stories from a distance (maybe in our own Kentuki ?). For me I think I would have have been more interested in delving into some of these stories deeper, and understanding the characters a bit more, instead of having some of the one off POVs.
You definitely need to have a sense of disbelief going into this, as the entire concept is something that just would not work in reality. The legality of it is extremely sketchy, security would be a nightmare, but all countries agreeing on something like this would just never happen.
Overall this just ended up as an average read for me. I felt most of the POVs stayed too surface level, as the connections with the Kentukis would be cut right as things were getting interesting. There are two more books by this author that I am interested in reading though, so I will be checking out more of her writing.
I did end up overwhelmed by how many different POVs we are given here. Instead of being numbered, each chapter is titled with a town name. Some we only see once, others several times. We see new POVs almost right up until the end, so it would take me a few paragraphs sometimes to remember who the people are.
The first chapter is essentially what you first think is going to happen in a situation like this. Also, imagine my surprise when the first chapter is titled South Bend, which is only 30 minutes from my hometown, and a place I've been a million times. Definitely makes it more real, but that was one town the book only visited once.
We do get a variety of situations throughout the story, but I don't believe any of them are happy endings. Since there are so many POVs, it also feels like we are viewing the stories from a distance (maybe in our own Kentuki ?). For me I think I would have have been more interested in delving into some of these stories deeper, and understanding the characters a bit more, instead of having some of the one off POVs.
You definitely need to have a sense of disbelief going into this, as the entire concept is something that just would not work in reality. The legality of it is extremely sketchy, security would be a nightmare, but all countries agreeing on something like this would just never happen.
Overall this just ended up as an average read for me. I felt most of the POVs stayed too surface level, as the connections with the Kentukis would be cut right as things were getting interesting. There are two more books by this author that I am interested in reading though, so I will be checking out more of her writing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Confinement, and Sexual content
Minor: Kidnapping, Death, and Infidelity
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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
5.0
Each chapter of Little Eyes features a perspective of either a kentuki keeper or dweller. What follows is possibly the best fictional take on human nature on the Internet. Kentukis serve as the perfect symbol for fully-online parasocial relationships. The concept of a kentuki seems exaggeratedly far-fetched at first -- who would want to let an anonymous stranger into their home in the form of a moving camera? However, how different is that from extremely online folks who chronicle most of their days for viewers? I'd say not very. Kentukis are the perfect vessel for Schweblin to explore socializing in the digital age and all of its motivations and consequences. Distilled to its essence, Little Eyes is an expertly crafted meditation on loneliness, voyeurism, cruelty, and projection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Kidnapping
marshamudpuddle's review against another edition
4.5
This took me by surprise. Very readable and engaging, but also thought-provoking and morally serious. It is about a world in which a new technology craze has taken hold globally: kentukis, which are essentially remote-controlled cuddly toys with webcams in them, allowing people to spy on, or be spied on, by strangers. The whole thing is brilliantly, vividly imagined: sometimes I genuinely had to remind myself that the kentukis aren't real! What really struck me though was how effective they were as a way of exploring ideas about technology, globalisation, interconnectivity, moral responsibility, privacy, commercialism, law and regulations, ensoulment, death, and much else besides. There is a lot to chew on here. It is that rare thing: an easy-to-read book that cuts deep.
The book is also formally interesting: somewhere between a novel and a book of short stories. There are essentially five main stories we follow, which remain separate in terms of plot, but are connected by the presence of the kentukis. Then scattered throughout (including the very opening chapter) are one-off stories as well, that further build out this imagined world. I genuinely loved all five stories, and never minded switching between them.
I would recommend this to anyone, with the only caveat being that there are some pretty unpleasant things that happen and things do get very dark towards the end.
Side-note: my copy has the tagline "Trusting strangers can lead to unexpected love..." which is a terrible tagline that makes this brilliant book sound like a crappy romance novel, and more to the point, isn't what the book is about at all. So whoever wrote that should be fired!
Second side-note: This was the second novel I've read this year translated by Megan McDowell (following The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enríquez) and once again, the translation was impeccable, totally disappearing as a great translation should.
The book is also formally interesting: somewhere between a novel and a book of short stories. There are essentially five main stories we follow, which remain separate in terms of plot, but are connected by the presence of the kentukis. Then scattered throughout (including the very opening chapter) are one-off stories as well, that further build out this imagined world. I genuinely loved all five stories, and never minded switching between them.
I would recommend this to anyone, with the only caveat being that there are some pretty unpleasant things that happen and things do get very dark towards the end.
Side-note: my copy has the tagline "Trusting strangers can lead to unexpected love..." which is a terrible tagline that makes this brilliant book sound like a crappy romance novel, and more to the point, isn't what the book is about at all. So whoever wrote that should be fired!
Second side-note: This was the second novel I've read this year translated by Megan McDowell (following The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enríquez) and once again, the translation was impeccable, totally disappearing as a great translation should.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping
elledanie's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Cursing, and Toxic relationship
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