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reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best descriptions I’ve read of the melodramatic inner dialogue of a college student. Even though I didn’t relate to the narrator’s experiences, she was somehow one of the most relatable narrators I’ve read. I think listening to the audiobook (read by the author) helped with this - listening to her narration felt like she was my own thoughts.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I freely admit that it is possible that I didn't "get" this book, but it really felt like, and the text itself says this, it's 14 hours of the characters misunderstanding each other. But not in a Hallmark-movie-misunderstanding-silly way, like a "I guess that XXX." "What?" "Nothing." "No, what did you say?" "It's dumb. Just that I guess that XXX." "Oh." way. And I am all for a weird little book that is doing something different than the norm, but this got tedious. The writing isn't bad at all, but I had a hard time getting engaged. Which could be the point? That Selin couldn't get engaged with Ivan either? I feel like I could write on this book, but it didn't qualify as a "fun" read for me. I'm not sure this had a plot?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Racism
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first half of the book is focused on Selin, a freshman at Harvard, going through the machinations of college life. If the whole book was set up like this, I think it'd be easier to like it. Unfortunately, at the halfway mark, the book devolves into a strange grooming scenario between Selin and a senior/grad student. When you combine that with the sheer amount of casual racism, literal slurs, *acknowledgement* of the slurs and yet the continued use of them, the constant antisemitism the book somehow always finds a way to come back to... it's not a good book. It glorifies a predatory dynamic between a young woman and a man too old to be dating an 18 year old. It doesn't criticize the lack of empathy Selin feels for those around her. Characters in the book are often devoid of any real personality beyond "the black roommate" and "the friend of a friend who has a girlfriend in a wheelchair." Also just a lot of strange sexual content. If any of that's not your cup of tea, I'd avoid reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Excrement, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Classism