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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
Som om det inte räckte med att jag läser världens tråkigaste grammatikkurs i sommar; Jag envisas med välja sega böcker också!
Denna dystopi lät som om den skulle ha en ung kvinna i fokus, och kanske nya idéer om genren.
Istället byter författaren POV ungefär hela tiden (även mitt i stycken), och allt är bara konstigt och (kanske?) pretentiöst och obehagligt.
Det händer faktiskt ingenting alls, och enda anledningen till att jag läser ut boken är att jag tänker att det kanske ska göra det till slut. Spoiler: Det gör det inte. Suck.
Stackars häst på omslaget också.
Denna dystopi lät som om den skulle ha en ung kvinna i fokus, och kanske nya idéer om genren.
Istället byter författaren POV ungefär hela tiden (även mitt i stycken), och allt är bara konstigt och (kanske?) pretentiöst och obehagligt.
Det händer faktiskt ingenting alls, och enda anledningen till att jag läser ut boken är att jag tänker att det kanske ska göra det till slut. Spoiler: Det gör det inte. Suck.
Stackars häst på omslaget också.
challenging
dark
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
After I started it, I had to quickly google what the hell genre is this book. I still don’t know. Google says science-fiction fantasy. I say dystopian gobbledygook. I just can’t
This is a little too experimental for me I think. I'm just not following it well, though I do like how all the characters are a little weird and disjointed.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
3 stars
I'm both at a loss and fascinated by Harrow, while I appreciated its societal and environmental commentary, the acute sense of humor, and some jaw-droppingly provocative passages, I was barely comprehending what's happening narrative-wise — this is an Alice in Wonderland-style fever dream in the midst of a post-apocalyptic landscape.
"Denial is now an art, a social grace, a survival tool, as is apathy which has become a sign of refinement."
"It’s not that you are merely insignificant, you are too transient. Your transience is so great that you do not exist.”
One undeniable positive is Joy Williams' writing, which is the type of literary gymnastic that leaves you in awe of its concise brilliance. But beyond that, the fragmented 'plot' of Harrow is brutally absurd and nonsensical, and filled with fantastical concepts and characters that focus more on idea than relatability; even though I understand a group of dying elderly as suicidal terrorists (killing 'unethical' scientists) is a satirical setup, it is all too unhinged for me as an enjoyable reading experience.
Harrow is a book I can appreciate from afar, and be envious of people who are capable of grasping its message and literary references (the last section completely lost me with its deep callback to Kafka). While this experience was admittedly a little painful, I'm still interested in check out more of Joy Williams' work, but in smaller dosage (my friend has recommended me her short stories collection, 99 Stories of God and Taking Care).
I'm both at a loss and fascinated by Harrow, while I appreciated its societal and environmental commentary, the acute sense of humor, and some jaw-droppingly provocative passages, I was barely comprehending what's happening narrative-wise — this is an Alice in Wonderland-style fever dream in the midst of a post-apocalyptic landscape.
"Denial is now an art, a social grace, a survival tool, as is apathy which has become a sign of refinement."
"It’s not that you are merely insignificant, you are too transient. Your transience is so great that you do not exist.”
One undeniable positive is Joy Williams' writing, which is the type of literary gymnastic that leaves you in awe of its concise brilliance. But beyond that, the fragmented 'plot' of Harrow is brutally absurd and nonsensical, and filled with fantastical concepts and characters that focus more on idea than relatability; even though I understand a group of dying elderly as suicidal terrorists (killing 'unethical' scientists) is a satirical setup, it is all too unhinged for me as an enjoyable reading experience.
Harrow is a book I can appreciate from afar, and be envious of people who are capable of grasping its message and literary references (the last section completely lost me with its deep callback to Kafka). While this experience was admittedly a little painful, I'm still interested in check out more of Joy Williams' work, but in smaller dosage (my friend has recommended me her short stories collection, 99 Stories of God and Taking Care).
challenging
slow-paced
I love Joy Williams but I wish this wasn't her only book available at the library rn. frankly too loose for me, and her character work felt rough causing me to get confused with what was happening
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Post-apocalyptic eco-fiction with obscure, unlikeable and/or uninteresting characters. Even though I was impressed by the skillful use of language throughout the novel and I appreciated the humor Joy Williams wove into it, the big picture was too surreal for my understanding or liking.
Thankfully, someone from my book club gave me a detailed, positive review explaining the wit and depth of the novel - it made me feel better about the time I spent struggling to get to the end. However, if the author did not effectively lead me to(ward) ruminating on the points, according to my book club, that the author was making, the experience of reading the novel was not worth the time spent doing it.
Thankfully, someone from my book club gave me a detailed, positive review explaining the wit and depth of the novel - it made me feel better about the time I spent struggling to get to the end. However, if the author did not effectively lead me to(ward) ruminating on the points, according to my book club, that the author was making, the experience of reading the novel was not worth the time spent doing it.