Reviews

Blood Oranges by John Hawkes

cjt64's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.25

jay__book's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

encyclopediablonde's review

2.0

Here's the best line of this book so you don't have to waste your time reading the whole thing: "I am a match, I hope, for the hatred of conventional enemies wherever they are." As always, Hawkes' prose is beautiful, but his story is seriously lacking.

ponycanyon's review

5.0

This may be my new favorite Hawkes, unseating "Second Skin." I do not summarize books in reviews, but the writing here is just freaking delicious, an entirely different style than what I've experienced from him. It's luscious and fragrant, almost malarial. This book is like a great Leonard Cohen record.

coleton's review

3.0

I've sat with this long enough now to say that it was both interesting, and incredibly tedious.

It's essentially the same joke as Lolita, but the unreliable narrator we're dealing with is neither as morally reprehensible as Humbert Humbert, nor as erudite, which means reading his thoughts are not really shocking, just annoying.

Glad I read it, found parts of it compelling enough. Not gonna make a Hawkes convert out of me any time soon.

adrianasturalvarez's review

4.0

I came to this book fresh off The Lime Twig and so impressed with John Hawkes I had resolved to read everything by him. What I discovered was a completely different tone than I was expecting and it was around the section of the book when the arrogant narrator, Cyril, tried to fuck a mimosa tree when I thought maybe I made a horrible mistake diving blindly into this author's catalogue. Fortunately, the novel builds, and Hawkes effortlessly leads his characters along trajectories so inevitable and so perfect he's able to boil them alive without incident.

There is so much craft in this seemingly easy breezy story and I am still very impressed with Hawkes' ability to thread his narratives through such narrow eyes.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants the experience of reading dark psychic violence masquerading as soft core porn.

b_caligari's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Chronic illness

Minor: Excrement, Blood, and Xenophobia