Reviews

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

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sallyn's review against another edition

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funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

whatshenareading's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

anjalisudarsan's review against another edition

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3.0

I like Sloane Crosley's style of writing, it's so poetic yet witty and she mentions all the little quirks that we see around us but don't really pay attention too. It was a delight reading through all her descriptions of people and things.
I also enjoyed the plot - meeting ghosts of your past one by one sounds horrifying; and from the eyes of Lola, it sounds even worse. Although there were points where I felt like the story was dragging a bit (hence the 3 stars), I was hooked until the end.

The past is too deep a hole to be crowded out by the present

justinkhchen's review against another edition

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4.0

4 stars

More of a razor-sharp essay on modern romance than an engaging story, while one can't deny Sloane Crosley's penetrating observation on the subject matter, and her unique way with prose, if you were drawn to Cult Classic primarily for the surrealist elements in its synopsis, you might be slightly let down by the trivial nature of their existence.

In some ways, Cult Classic is not dissimilar to Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol: through a series of strange events, the female protagonists has the opportunity to reunite with all the men from her past failed relationships, and reconcile her emotion. Another association I can make is Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris, where the fantastical premise (time travel) is not the focus of the story, but simply the 'excuse' to have a diverse range of personas philosophizing and challenging each other's world view.

Cult Classic perfectly captures the Manhattan-living, middle class millennial's state of mind, but it is also a very specific one; I can see many readers be potentially turned off by its detached aloofness, the dry sense of humor (I did chuckle at a few places), and countless references to Manhattan as a city (it really helps with immersion if you have knowledge of the city's neighborhoods). I find my attention span fluctuates pretty drastically; there are times when sentences just wash over without much impact, and others where I'm fully engaged by its inventive passages, and its deconstruction on heartbreak.

Cult Classic is a cautious recommendation; objectively accomplished, but for a very specific audience. I myself find its high-brow, intellectual breakdown on today's state of mind fascinating at times, but also slightly bored by the slow pacing, rambling train of thoughts, and ultimately absence of a real story arc in others. Excellent to be appreciated in small dosage and let it marinate, but look elsewhere if you want something explicitly exciting and bingeable.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**