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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Across the US, musicians in local rock bands are getting shot and killed onstage. There are two stories, an A side and a B side. Both tales involve grieving characters trying to move on with their lives. It was just okay.
Idk if I want to rate this a 2.75 or a 3.75 . I dont know if I really LIKED this book but I havent been able to stop thinking about it since finishing it.
So, I honestly know that if I gave myself time to really sit with this story after reading, I'd have a lot more thoughts that I could articulate but. Here we are.
I flew through the first 120 pages and was so intrigued. Unfortunately, the story just couldn't keep me as engaged as I had anticipated it would based on the first bit. Interesting writing choice as far as how the book was formatted. The alternate story (Kill City) was actually more appealing to me even though I wasnt into it initially. The total opposite of side A which sucked me in from the first page and then lost me as the story progresses. Great start but slow to finish. This book has been said over and over to be a book about rock and roll but I I actually feel like this book is about grief. It's about how we process loss to a very specific violence. It's about profound discontent and fear and friendship and yes, even love. The atmosphere of this novel felt really bleak and I don't think any of the characters were very happy. And while I feel that the author was possibly making commentary on the culture of music in recent years, I kind of felt like...idk it came off as a teensy bit pretentious at times. This was definitely a really interesting and unique book in terms of writing choices and format and the writing style itself was really good for me personally. It's also fast paced which I like. I would def recommend this book to someone looking to read something a little odd and serious. I do warn folks though that this is a book that has a plot that is centered heavily around gun violence , particularly in places where lots of people come together so definitely keep that in mind going into this book.
So, I honestly know that if I gave myself time to really sit with this story after reading, I'd have a lot more thoughts that I could articulate but. Here we are.
I flew through the first 120 pages and was so intrigued. Unfortunately, the story just couldn't keep me as engaged as I had anticipated it would based on the first bit. Interesting writing choice as far as how the book was formatted. The alternate story (Kill City) was actually more appealing to me even though I wasnt into it initially. The total opposite of side A which sucked me in from the first page and then lost me as the story progresses. Great start but slow to finish. This book has been said over and over to be a book about rock and roll but I I actually feel like this book is about grief. It's about how we process loss to a very specific violence. It's about profound discontent and fear and friendship and yes, even love. The atmosphere of this novel felt really bleak and I don't think any of the characters were very happy. And while I feel that the author was possibly making commentary on the culture of music in recent years, I kind of felt like...idk it came off as a teensy bit pretentious at times. This was definitely a really interesting and unique book in terms of writing choices and format and the writing style itself was really good for me personally. It's also fast paced which I like. I would def recommend this book to someone looking to read something a little odd and serious. I do warn folks though that this is a book that has a plot that is centered heavily around gun violence , particularly in places where lots of people come together so definitely keep that in mind going into this book.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book immediately piqued my interest by having an A Side and B Side, and I was excited to dig into the story that was set from the first page. However, the deeper I went into this book, the less interested I became. I felt as though the writing was just a little bit bland and repetitive, and that there lacked any depth. While I thought the fragmentation of the story was interesting, I also began to grow tired of not understanding...... literally anything that was going on because the plot moved away from it or neglected to explain it. Jackson's portrayal of pain after violence and the ways in which popularity = loss of individuality was interesting, but there was nothing that will make this book particularly memorable to me after finishing it.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
intriguing! i wasn't sure what to make of the ending, though.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Destroy All Monsters really gets at the feeling of being a lifer in the music scene, someone who can't imagine not going to dozens of concerts a year (or hell, a month). It literalizes the feeling of being at a concert, which to a certain extent, is a contract for your own destruction. Your ears ring, your body is beaten by the rowdy crowd, your eyes assailed with lights; in Destroy All Monsters, going to a concert means you might end up all the way dead at once, and not slowly, over time.
The A Side, B Side structure is interesting enough to work, even if it disproves its own thesis of the B Side being the more interesting, secretive of the two.
The closest thing to this novel that I can think of is the movie Green Room, which also has a depressed, depleted feeling about it, and is about continuing on in music, because it's the only thing that really seems to make sense, even when it seems to be the escapable path to one's own destruction.
If you've ever slogged through a day at work, looking forward to a cramped house show with shitty noise punk music, this book is for you!
The A Side, B Side structure is interesting enough to work, even if it disproves its own thesis of the B Side being the more interesting, secretive of the two.
The closest thing to this novel that I can think of is the movie Green Room, which also has a depressed, depleted feeling about it, and is about continuing on in music, because it's the only thing that really seems to make sense, even when it seems to be the escapable path to one's own destruction.
If you've ever slogged through a day at work, looking forward to a cramped house show with shitty noise punk music, this book is for you!