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foxo_cube's review
dark
slow-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? Yes
3.0
I don't really know how to feel about this book. The premise is interesting and the execution is perfectly fine, but I just didn't really enjoy reading it.
The dynamic between Elisabeth and Coco is unusual. It seems like they more sort of accept the other's existence than anything else. To say they like or dislike each other would be assigning too much emotion to it. Yet, simultaneously, it seems they can't really live without each other, either.
I actually rather liked Elisabeth. Not because she's particularly likeable, but because I kind of get her. She's very straightforward. She likes to frame pictures and she doesn't get why Wilbert left her because they had their routine and there was no reason to believe he'd be unhappy. She's not very nice, though. She's horrid about Coco's weight gain and terribly bitter towards Miriam, Wilbert's wife.
Coco is less likeable, which is impressive. She has a much older boyfriend who was rebounding from divorce and she doesn't really know if she especially likes him or not, but doesn't want him to leave her, either. She does impulsive things just because - it seems to ground her in reality a bit more.
The pacing of the book is a bit strange. It felt like nothing happened for most of it, and then a lot happened at once, except it still felt like very little was happening. The writing style is blunt and revealing, which works for the story, and often uses repetition for emphasis - although sometimes, the latter falls flat and feels more like padding for a word count. It's possible that it worked better in the original Dutch, though.
I don't know. I'll likely re-read it someday because it's unusual. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to read it and I'll read it some other time and it'll resonate with me much more.
The dynamic between Elisabeth and Coco is unusual. It seems like they more sort of accept the other's existence than anything else. To say they like or dislike each other would be assigning too much emotion to it. Yet, simultaneously, it seems they can't really live without each other, either.
I actually rather liked Elisabeth. Not because she's particularly likeable, but because I kind of get her. She's very straightforward. She likes to frame pictures and she doesn't get why Wilbert left her because they had their routine and there was no reason to believe he'd be unhappy. She's not very nice, though. She's horrid about Coco's weight gain and terribly bitter towards Miriam, Wilbert's wife.
Coco is less likeable, which is impressive. She has a much older boyfriend who was rebounding from divorce and she doesn't really know if she especially likes him or not, but doesn't want him to leave her, either. She does impulsive things just because - it seems to ground her in reality a bit more.
The pacing of the book is a bit strange. It felt like nothing happened for most of it, and then a lot happened at once, except it still felt like very little was happening. The writing style is blunt and revealing, which works for the story, and often uses repetition for emphasis - although sometimes, the latter falls flat and feels more like padding for a word count. It's possible that it worked better in the original Dutch, though.
I don't know. I'll likely re-read it someday because it's unusual. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to read it and I'll read it some other time and it'll resonate with me much more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Alcohol
deadmosquitoonmywall's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Confinement, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Ableism, Body shaming, and Vomit
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Addiction, Ableism, Body shaming, Blood, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
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