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zankzank's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
2.5
This book is very likely for someone!! But not me. I made it 20 pages from the end so I’m calling it read. It is very hard to write about loneliness in a way that is not boring (ennui is a thing) or is new. Wanted to like it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
seasonedreadings's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death
tenderbench's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.75
I'm not sure what I was hoping to get from this book, and I'm still not sure what I was supposed to get out of it. Dixon uses an essay form for her memoir, but I'm not sure if it fully worked. On the one hand, I really appreciated her reflections on loneliness, especially in the last few years, and personally for her, the way loneliness played out in her life. On the other hand, I'm struggling to figure out the outcome of this memoir-turned-essay collection. Some essays read precisely as such: essays. But others read more like diary entries, which, while there isn't anything wrong with this, I wasn't sure what Dixon wanted the reader to take away from her book at the end of the day.
I thought the first part of the memoir was much stronger than the other two parts, which started to stray away from this theme of loneliness (though it did come back with the final essay, "Auld Lang Syne"). I think the issue at hand was that the memoir was not particularly cohesive, which might be why I'm struggling to pinpoint the essence of this memoir, other than that it gestured toward loneliness.
I wouldn't say this was a mediocre read, but I think I was expecting more than what was given. I should also note that this is a rather heavy read, and if you're not in a great place mentally and emotionally, this might be a tough one to get through.
I thought the first part of the memoir was much stronger than the other two parts, which started to stray away from this theme of loneliness (though it did come back with the final essay, "Auld Lang Syne"). I think the issue at hand was that the memoir was not particularly cohesive, which might be why I'm struggling to pinpoint the essence of this memoir, other than that it gestured toward loneliness.
I wouldn't say this was a mediocre read, but I think I was expecting more than what was given. I should also note that this is a rather heavy read, and if you're not in a great place mentally and emotionally, this might be a tough one to get through.
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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