Reviews with content warning for Death - No One Is Talking About This

One almost viscerally feels the emotional whiplash between the first and second parts of the book. The book is written in short disconnected paragraphs, quintessential of our Twitter ADD age, and is in equal parts an ode to this time and a satire of this time. The very-online narrator, an accidental influencer for what could easily have been a throwaway post (“Can a dog be twins?”), looks at the state of things through a social media lens, with the wit and wry that goes with it. On the "portal" — a term that encompasses all the social media platforms — she examines US politics, the state of her own life, her relationship with her husband, and memes natch.

Even a spate of sternly worded articles called "Guess What: Tech has an Ethics Problem" was not making tech have less of an ethics problem. Oh man. If _that_ wasn't doing it, what would??

why should I care what the founding fathers intended when none of them ever heard a saxophone

In the second part of the book, though, real life catches up as her pregnant sister's baby develops a fatal condition. The narrator drops everything to spend time with her family leaving the portal behind, and we see the tragedy unfold.

The whiplash from a humorous satirical first part to a heartbreaking second is severe. In the hands of someone else, this could come across as gimmicky or shallow, but here, it works. The snark, the humour, the non-sequiturs.

Content Warnings

carolinb's review

Go to review page

emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

sarahkathleenbest's review

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Wow. I can't stop thinking about this book. I really loved priestdaddy and heard such good reviews about this book so I was so excited to pick it up and it did not disappoint. I even got my partner to read it and he normally does not enjoy memoir-ish books. I felt so seen in the first half as I was so hyper online during that time period as well and really understood a lot of the references she was making. That actually didn't make me feel great but really opened my eyes to how much I was living in this alternate reality at the time. I think the first half of this book really interrogates social media in a fun way, and I feel like I trust Lockwood's writing on social media since I know she actually uses it - rather than critiquing it from the outside. The second part of the book made me sob. It was so heart breaking and beautiful and I am so grateful she shared that story with us. Overall this was a great book that got me out of a reading slump and made me excited about stories again.

Content Warnings

jouljet's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

More...