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sunday's review against another edition
4.0
not at all about narrative — this one is almost a scrapbook of projects and ideas, photography and ghosts. I found it very compelling and even genuinely creepy at times, even though I wished for more story.
rachaeldamms's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
venusdewillendorf's review against another edition
Every time I read/look at/experience a Leanne Shapton book, I wonder why she isn’t wildly famous.
upward_not_northward's review against another edition
3.0
I was intrigued by this. I suppose this is a book of ghost stories, though it's actually about 90% photos, drawings, or blank space and about 10% short stories or photo captions. Nothing seemingly made sense or was connected in any way, yet the overarching theme of death was present throughout the book. The overall tone is very unsettling, especially the collections of purposefully dark and out of focus "found" photos that leave you with the urge to glance over your shoulder more often than you normally would or check the foot of your bed before you go to sleep. Very unique.
smay's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
4.0
I don't think I 'got' all of the stories, but the ones that did work for me were absolutely great. Many shivers! Good times!
tessaf's review against another edition
1.0
This was not for me. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to get it, but I don't get it.
jessferg's review against another edition
4.0
I gotta say first and foremost that it's disappointing that the publisher didn't see fit to print Shapton's art on quality paper. What a waste - it's basically newsprint which destroys the integrity of most of the photos. I get that it's "ghostly" and such and it might have worked for one or two of the pieces but there are several that really suffer from the lack of attention to the book design. At least a couple are in color (or partially in color).
As for the content - it's really fun and interesting. Shapton succinctly captures entire stories with a dozen or so lines allowing the reader to fill in the missing pieces- our own experience fleshes out these stories (or doesn't) and makes them as scary (or mundane) as we can imagine - it becomes weirdly introspective. (This probably makes it a great discussion book with everyone's "extended" stories from whatever clues and inferences they internalize!)
Recommended for folks who like weird and don't need all the answers laid out in front of them.
As for the content - it's really fun and interesting. Shapton succinctly captures entire stories with a dozen or so lines allowing the reader to fill in the missing pieces- our own experience fleshes out these stories (or doesn't) and makes them as scary (or mundane) as we can imagine - it becomes weirdly introspective. (This probably makes it a great discussion book with everyone's "extended" stories from whatever clues and inferences they internalize!)
Recommended for folks who like weird and don't need all the answers laid out in front of them.
nina_andreyevna's review against another edition
4.0
There just isn’t anybody else like Leanne Shapton.
john_ingold's review
“Living without what the photo does not give back. What you don’t see. What you don’t get to see. Think about what you don’t get to see./ Remember what you don’t get to see./ The never, but ever-fixed. The latency of the latent image./ It is there in the dark. It was there. It is still there.”