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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Roxanne Gay is an incredible writer.
Despite finding maybe one likeable character in the whole book, it still read so well that I was through 175 pages in an afternoon.
But the despair and despondency just made it super hard for me to connect. If I wasn't bawling, I felt somewhat indifferent.
Especially because this felt to me like it was more about the men who made the lives of these women difficult, rather than about the women themselves?
But its interesting to see the other reviews and what others got out of it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right space.
Despite finding maybe one likeable character in the whole book, it still read so well that I was through 175 pages in an afternoon.
But the despair and despondency just made it super hard for me to connect. If I wasn't bawling, I felt somewhat indifferent.
Especially because this felt to me like it was more about the men who made the lives of these women difficult, rather than about the women themselves?
But its interesting to see the other reviews and what others got out of it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right space.
3.8
Fave Stories:
I Will Follow You
Water, All Its Weight
difficult women
north country
Requiem for a Glass Heart
Break All the Way Down
Strange Gods
Fave Stories:
I Will Follow You
Water, All Its Weight
difficult women
north country
Requiem for a Glass Heart
Break All the Way Down
Strange Gods
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Roxane Gay has a very dark imagination. She says so in an interview at the end of this collection of short stories, but this is not a surprise at all once you've read it (or anything else she's written). I love her writing, but I didn't love this collection. It's violence, sex, loneliness, rape, brokenness, loss, shame; so many of the stories involve some kind of extramarital affair, even the stories that were interesting enough before the affair was introduced (Requiem for a Glass Heart, We Are All So Happy Now). These women, collectively, are not so much difficult as enduring, but reading about their endurance is difficult and bleak and often hopeless. There's not much to celebrate these women, which is not to say that these stories are unimportant, and this felt like a good time for me to have read it. I'd probably give it a 2.5.
Excelentes relatos, aunque bastante crudos.
Mis favoritos son:
*Iré adonde tú vayas: el relato con el que empieza el libro es sobre el abuso sexual que sufrieron dos hermanas cuando eran niñas, y ya nos deja bien claro la dureza de las historias.
"El jurado nos compensó con muchísimo dinero, tanto que nunca tendríamos que volver a trabajar ni pasar necesidades. Durante mucho tiempo nos negamos a gastarlo. Todas las noches yo me metía en internet y verificaba el saldo de mi cuenta, pensando: «Este es el precio de mi vida»."
*Romperme hasta la médula: lloré a mares con este relato sobre la pérdida de un hijo y la dificultad de sobrellevarlo.
"Me aferró la garganta y apretó cada vez más, dejando su marca. Le sostuve la mirada. Esperé a que me castigara y cuando lo hizo fue un alivio perfecto."
Mis favoritos son:
*Iré adonde tú vayas: el relato con el que empieza el libro es sobre el abuso sexual que sufrieron dos hermanas cuando eran niñas, y ya nos deja bien claro la dureza de las historias.
"El jurado nos compensó con muchísimo dinero, tanto que nunca tendríamos que volver a trabajar ni pasar necesidades. Durante mucho tiempo nos negamos a gastarlo. Todas las noches yo me metía en internet y verificaba el saldo de mi cuenta, pensando: «Este es el precio de mi vida»."
*Romperme hasta la médula: lloré a mares con este relato sobre la pérdida de un hijo y la dificultad de sobrellevarlo.
"Me aferró la garganta y apretó cada vez más, dejando su marca. Le sostuve la mirada. Esperé a que me castigara y cuando lo hizo fue un alivio perfecto."
I had no expectations going in, but this was a surprisingly sexy collection of stories. It’s always refreshing to see women portrayed as the nuanced and complex people we are.
Also, as a fellow MTU alum I really appreciated all of the UP references and stories.
Also, as a fellow MTU alum I really appreciated all of the UP references and stories.
This collection of short stories were somber and interesting. I like how the author showed the uncomfortable space in relationships with her writing because it made it feel that even though something is complicated there's a narrative worth exploring/reading.
dark
emotional
sad
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
Short stories that are impossible to read quickly - some are dark, some are heavy, some are both. I will devour anything Roxane Gay writes, though I think I prefer her non-fiction, but this was as great as I expected it would be.
What a powerhouse she is! I basically need to read everything that Roxane Gay has written.