Scan barcode
em_harring's review
3.0
A Bad Character very much feels like a spiritual predecessor to Age of Vice, which I read earlier this year and loved. This novella feels a bit less grounded and like more of a fever dream, the imagery and writing still paints a vivid picture of the landscape and city of New Delhi, but it's less focused.
Flashing back and forth in time also isn't quite as successful here, and sometimes is a bit confusing. As is the choice to seemingly randomly switch from first to third person. On one hand, that's understandable given the sort of out of body experience the main character is going through at those times, but it's not consistent, which makes it a bit jarring.
This novella opens a lot of conversations that it never really engages with, particularly when it comes to class and colorism. The main character's low key obsession with her love interest's "dark skin" and "black skin" was pretty uncomfortable and that was never really handled in a satisfying way for me.
A mixed bag, really. I enjoy the author's storytelling, and it's interesting to see how much she has grown as a writer from the publication of this novella to Age of Vice, but I didn't love the story as much as I thought I would.
Flashing back and forth in time also isn't quite as successful here, and sometimes is a bit confusing. As is the choice to seemingly randomly switch from first to third person. On one hand, that's understandable given the sort of out of body experience the main character is going through at those times, but it's not consistent, which makes it a bit jarring.
This novella opens a lot of conversations that it never really engages with, particularly when it comes to class and colorism. The main character's low key obsession with her love interest's "dark skin" and "black skin" was pretty uncomfortable and that was never really handled in a satisfying way for me.
A mixed bag, really. I enjoy the author's storytelling, and it's interesting to see how much she has grown as a writer from the publication of this novella to Age of Vice, but I didn't love the story as much as I thought I would.
corporal_bookish's review
4.0
Haunting and surprisingly real. Gave me shivers. The writing is lyrical but raw, leaving no room for doubt.
Somewhat disappointing end, but it was to be expected. Will be reading more by this author.
Somewhat disappointing end, but it was to be expected. Will be reading more by this author.
whimsybookworm's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
quinndm's review against another edition
3.0
A solid debut novel with all the promise that led to the perfect creation of AGE OF VICE. Deepti Kapoor is an author who is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourites.
izzy42's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahhehrer's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
betamagnificus's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jessrock's review against another edition
4.0
I struggled with this book at first because of its unusual narrative style, but once I got used to it, I found myself thoroughly sucked in.
In A Bad Character, an unnamed female narrator growing up in Delhi tells us about her childhood, adolescence, and young adult years by jumping from vignette to vignette. Most of these tales can be measured in paragraphs, and most characters are unnamed, so it takes a while to pick up on the flow of what is happening. The first thing we learn is that her boyfriend is dead and was described by police in a short obituary as being "a bad character." Moving backward in time, we learn that they met by chance in a cafe, that our narrator is an orphan, and that she has long struggled against societal expectations and is wrestling with decisions about finding a partner through a traditional arranged marriage.
She is beautiful and he is "ugly," though one bothersome point about this book is that it's not totally clear whether he is objectively ugly or whether she calls him that only because of his dark skin; there's a nod to her feeling bad about associating his dark skin with servitude but from there on out he's just "ugly." He has the swagger and recklessness of someone with money, and he takes her out to explore all over Delhi, a city she has always felt threatened and unsafe in as a single woman.
He is good for her but not necessarily a good person. He objectifies her in a number of ways, initiates what blossoms into heavy drug use for her, and tells her stories about himself that are not all true. She is frequently blind and unquestioning in the way she follows him - but then again, she is young, and this is a first taste of freedom for her.
This is an odd book, and feels almost more like a memoir than a novel; there's nothing in it that I can really put my finger on as being outstanding or amazing, but it's really lovely and worth a read if you have the patience to stick with it long enough to get used to the style.
In A Bad Character, an unnamed female narrator growing up in Delhi tells us about her childhood, adolescence, and young adult years by jumping from vignette to vignette. Most of these tales can be measured in paragraphs, and most characters are unnamed, so it takes a while to pick up on the flow of what is happening. The first thing we learn is that her boyfriend is dead and was described by police in a short obituary as being "a bad character." Moving backward in time, we learn that they met by chance in a cafe, that our narrator is an orphan, and that she has long struggled against societal expectations and is wrestling with decisions about finding a partner through a traditional arranged marriage.
She is beautiful and he is "ugly," though one bothersome point about this book is that it's not totally clear whether he is objectively ugly or whether she calls him that only because of his dark skin; there's a nod to her feeling bad about associating his dark skin with servitude but from there on out he's just "ugly." He has the swagger and recklessness of someone with money, and he takes her out to explore all over Delhi, a city she has always felt threatened and unsafe in as a single woman.
He is good for her but not necessarily a good person. He objectifies her in a number of ways, initiates what blossoms into heavy drug use for her, and tells her stories about himself that are not all true. She is frequently blind and unquestioning in the way she follows him - but then again, she is young, and this is a first taste of freedom for her.
This is an odd book, and feels almost more like a memoir than a novel; there's nothing in it that I can really put my finger on as being outstanding or amazing, but it's really lovely and worth a read if you have the patience to stick with it long enough to get used to the style.