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pattiillbee11's review
4.0
I really liked this book all the way until the end. But the end seemed abrupt to me and that might have been intentional considering the subject. No answers here but a lot of good insight and questions.
actuallyjulia's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
johndiconsiglio's review
3.0
Nunez’s National Book Award-winner The Friend co-starred a dog. So this one features a cat. Actually, both books are about death. (Fun!) An author stand-in accompanies a terminally ill friend on her assisted-suicide journey. (Thinly-veiled Susan Sontag?) Luckily, this is a small, smart, witty read. Rachel Cusk-like, Nunez incorporates seemingly random conversations & observations into a loose plot. But unlike Cusk, she knows when to add pathos & humor. If you’re looking for euthanasia with some laughs—who isn’t?—you’ve come to the right place. Birds next time?
lonelybloomer's review
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jackscou's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
arhkym's review against another edition
4.0
Dużo emocji i choć zakończenie być może nie do końca satysfakcjonujące, to i tak świetna Nunez!
bunburyist's review
2.0
This almost felt like a one woman play to me.
A much better work about a literary teacher dying of cancer is Margaret Edson’s “Wit.”
[b:Wit|171201|Wit|Margaret Edson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327908183l/171201._SY75_.jpg|2206]
The only character in “What Are You Going Through” who has a name is a girl named Winnie who is described in a brief digression about the dying woman’s favorite book bag when she was a child.
You know that one friend who tells you about their day but it takes forever because they keep getting side tracked on annoying tangents that you just don't care about, and they don't know how to self sensor or edit? That person is the narrator in this book. All of the digressions and lack of names made the story feel purposefully distant. Also there really isn't any dialogue, because it's all told to us from the main character's narration. Additionally, both the main character and her dying friend have these digressions every few pages and it is often confusing, due to the lack of names and lack of quotation marks, who is having this memory and who is saying what.
I would say maybe half, or a little less than half of this book is about this woman keeping her friend company while she is dying of cancer. The digressions take up so much space in this already short novel. And none of them are interesting or important to the story. The friendship at the core of this book is also weak. The main character has this idea she should talk her friend out of ending her life on her own terms, but what does she think she is keeping her friend around for? A few more weeks so she can die of natural causes in excruiciating pain?
I live in a US state where "death with dignity/physician assisted suicide/medical aid in dying" is legal, and I sometimes forget that it's not more widely legalized in the US.
A much better work about a literary teacher dying of cancer is Margaret Edson’s “Wit.”
[b:Wit|171201|Wit|Margaret Edson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327908183l/171201._SY75_.jpg|2206]
The only character in “What Are You Going Through” who has a name is a girl named Winnie who is described in a brief digression about the dying woman’s favorite book bag when she was a child.
You know that one friend who tells you about their day but it takes forever because they keep getting side tracked on annoying tangents that you just don't care about, and they don't know how to self sensor or edit? That person is the narrator in this book. All of the digressions and lack of names made the story feel purposefully distant. Also there really isn't any dialogue, because it's all told to us from the main character's narration. Additionally, both the main character and her dying friend have these digressions every few pages and it is often confusing, due to the lack of names and lack of quotation marks, who is having this memory and who is saying what.
I would say maybe half, or a little less than half of this book is about this woman keeping her friend company while she is dying of cancer. The digressions take up so much space in this already short novel. And none of them are interesting or important to the story. The friendship at the core of this book is also weak. The main character has this idea she should talk her friend out of ending her life on her own terms, but what does she think she is keeping her friend around for? A few more weeks so she can die of natural causes in excruiciating pain?
I live in a US state where "death with dignity/physician assisted suicide/medical aid in dying" is legal, and I sometimes forget that it's not more widely legalized in the US.
anusha_reads's review
5.0
I know we don't judge a book by its cover. We can't assess a book after reading a few lines. A few pages? A few Chapters? I could say nothing about this book. Even now I am in a haze. Not sure what to make of it!
I closed the book and looked out of the window, and I contemplated: What did I read exactly? It's profound. It just makes you think and look at life and death from a different perspective.
The book is neither plot-driven nor character-driven. The narrator digresses into various topics like feminism, climate change, loneliness aging, etc. through various anecdotes. For example, there is one in which a cat narrates its story. The cat talks about people who are not kind to it and finally finds people who are nice and caring. I found the cat narration Murakamiesque!
The book has quaint humour and genuine pathos that’s indescribable! I think she has tried to present the serene topic of death with a mild undertone by sprinkling unrelated yet interesting topics here and there, or else this topic is too heavy
A story involves a couple who fall in love and the years of married life, parenthood, and life, in general, make them fall out of love. The lady narrates that her husband had a smile on his face when she got cancer. I found this husband very intriguing. I liked the fact that she acknowledged him, and she knew that he loves her and did things to help her through her illness. I think he was smiling because finally, he got something to help her out with?!
They say women are very difficult to understand. I feel one can't be so hypocritical about it. It differs from person to person. Sometimes it's difficult to understand men too!
One story is about a guy who marries a lady just purely for her beauty. As she grows old, she accepts it, and she refuses to dye her hair black nor does she like putting on make-up. She says that she knows her husband doesn’t like it and that she knows that he is having an affair. I have heard this story from many women. They feel so threatened once they have had babies or they put on even a little bit of weight. What makes them feel so insecure and why don’t men feel insecure with respect to marriage? I know many women from many societies do not easily break up their relationships once they have children whereas the majority of men do not bother.
The cruelty of death, suffering, and illness is the crux of the discussion though. What do you think about euthanasia? Can we eradicate existential suffering due to debilitating illness by Euthanasia? Is it ethical?
A quote from the book “They are young, and they are beautiful—even in anger, they are beautiful, the way young people are” made me wonder. Don’t we all always idealise our childhood? There are teenagers out there who are yearning to become adults and do whatever the adults do! The old people want to be young because of their inability to do things that they used to as youngsters.
It's not an easy book, though the language is simple. The topics that it deals with are so intense, that one feels inundated. It deals with many issues that confront humans with specific existential issues.
I did not read the blurb because it was a book chosen by a wonderful reader of our book club and she always chooses amazing books and it turned out to be one too!
I closed the book and looked out of the window, and I contemplated: What did I read exactly? It's profound. It just makes you think and look at life and death from a different perspective.
The book is neither plot-driven nor character-driven. The narrator digresses into various topics like feminism, climate change, loneliness aging, etc. through various anecdotes. For example, there is one in which a cat narrates its story. The cat talks about people who are not kind to it and finally finds people who are nice and caring. I found the cat narration Murakamiesque!
The book has quaint humour and genuine pathos that’s indescribable! I think she has tried to present the serene topic of death with a mild undertone by sprinkling unrelated yet interesting topics here and there, or else this topic is too heavy
A story involves a couple who fall in love and the years of married life, parenthood, and life, in general, make them fall out of love. The lady narrates that her husband had a smile on his face when she got cancer. I found this husband very intriguing. I liked the fact that she acknowledged him, and she knew that he loves her and did things to help her through her illness. I think he was smiling because finally, he got something to help her out with?!
They say women are very difficult to understand. I feel one can't be so hypocritical about it. It differs from person to person. Sometimes it's difficult to understand men too!
One story is about a guy who marries a lady just purely for her beauty. As she grows old, she accepts it, and she refuses to dye her hair black nor does she like putting on make-up. She says that she knows her husband doesn’t like it and that she knows that he is having an affair. I have heard this story from many women. They feel so threatened once they have had babies or they put on even a little bit of weight. What makes them feel so insecure and why don’t men feel insecure with respect to marriage? I know many women from many societies do not easily break up their relationships once they have children whereas the majority of men do not bother.
The cruelty of death, suffering, and illness is the crux of the discussion though. What do you think about euthanasia? Can we eradicate existential suffering due to debilitating illness by Euthanasia? Is it ethical?
A quote from the book “They are young, and they are beautiful—even in anger, they are beautiful, the way young people are” made me wonder. Don’t we all always idealise our childhood? There are teenagers out there who are yearning to become adults and do whatever the adults do! The old people want to be young because of their inability to do things that they used to as youngsters.
It's not an easy book, though the language is simple. The topics that it deals with are so intense, that one feels inundated. It deals with many issues that confront humans with specific existential issues.
I did not read the blurb because it was a book chosen by a wonderful reader of our book club and she always chooses amazing books and it turned out to be one too!
edenseve63's review against another edition
2.0
Beautifully written, but I could not connect with what is one woman’s exploration of a short period of her life and those human encounters she experiences.
Though much lauded by critics “What Are You Going Through” by Sigrid Nunez was perhaps above my mid-level intellect and the cold or aloof nature of the monologue grated with me. I found it on the whole a depressing exercise listening to the audio version. Perhaps had I read a hard copy I might have had a more enjoyable experience.
Though much lauded by critics “What Are You Going Through” by Sigrid Nunez was perhaps above my mid-level intellect and the cold or aloof nature of the monologue grated with me. I found it on the whole a depressing exercise listening to the audio version. Perhaps had I read a hard copy I might have had a more enjoyable experience.