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dizzzybrook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Since no one else wants to say it, I guess I will. This book is 544 pages of excessive and graphic depictions of minors jerking off and having sex. Foster Dade could have been an incredible opportunity for Jenkins to comment on toxic masculinity, how porn influences men's empathy towards women, and how such topics influence our relationships and mental health throughout youth, but what we get is rather another "boys will be boys" driven book that essentially amounts to nothing and seeks validation through nostalgia.
Absolutely NOTHING about this book is reminiscent of The Secret History. No aspect of Foster Dade falls into the category of dark academia. With that being said, for a book that's plot is supposed to involve the main character selling drugs, this book really isn't even about drugs either. I feel that so much of this book's defense is that it is trying to authentically portray the lingo, the values, and the social climate of those back in 2008-2010, but if you are going to write a book consumed with so much misogyny, shouldn't there be a point?
There are no likeable characters in this book. Every female character exists with the sole purpose of being traumatized by another male character, usually in a sexual way. Every female character is described by their hotness, their breast size, how good they would be in bed. There is nothing remarkable or interesting about Foster other than the fact that the narrator does their best to convince us we should care - only for the reader to realize in the end that there simply truly never was anything to care about in the first place.
The structure of this book is absolutely punishable. The constant jumping between timelines made this book nearly impossible to listen to at times. I feel like this structure made Foster's story even more cold and distant and unapproachable than it already was. This book could have benefited dramatically from being edited and cut down several hundred pages.
The only reason I'm rating 2/5 stars is because I'm adding an extra star for MYSELF for sitting through 22 hours of the audiobook.
Major TW's for graphic sex scenes depicting minors, graphic and excessive scenes involving masturbation, sexual assault, drug use, suicide, misogyny, homophobia, bullying.
Absolutely NOTHING about this book is reminiscent of The Secret History. No aspect of Foster Dade falls into the category of dark academia. With that being said, for a book that's plot is supposed to involve the main character selling drugs, this book really isn't even about drugs either. I feel that so much of this book's defense is that it is trying to authentically portray the lingo, the values, and the social climate of those back in 2008-2010, but if you are going to write a book consumed with so much misogyny, shouldn't there be a point?
There are no likeable characters in this book. Every female character exists with the sole purpose of being traumatized by another male character, usually in a sexual way. Every female character is described by their hotness, their breast size, how good they would be in bed. There is nothing remarkable or interesting about Foster other than the fact that the narrator does their best to convince us we should care - only for the reader to realize in the end that there simply truly never was anything to care about in the first place.
The structure of this book is absolutely punishable. The constant jumping between timelines made this book nearly impossible to listen to at times. I feel like this structure made Foster's story even more cold and distant and unapproachable than it already was. This book could have benefited dramatically from being edited and cut down several hundred pages.
The only reason I'm rating 2/5 stars is because I'm adding an extra star for MYSELF for sitting through 22 hours of the audiobook.
Major TW's for graphic sex scenes depicting minors, graphic and excessive scenes involving masturbation, sexual assault, drug use, suicide, misogyny, homophobia, bullying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Biphobia, Death, Bullying, Body shaming, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Fatphobia
lizzybennets's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Body shaming and Rape
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