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cinemazombie's review against another edition
5.0
A story of the past bleeding into the present, a tale of blood written in the grooves of a record whispering static ghosts your ears. A truly gripping story of race, music, and the struggle for lasting purpose. It reads like a fever dream, both breakneck and fugue-like in pace and atmosphere, engrossing from start to finish.
zzfinch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
discokonomi's review against another edition
4.0
A tremendous, difficult, and stunning read. It melds temporalities and timelines, characters and motivations, with a tinge of satire. The writing is beautiful; the way the book comes together is neat, although the journey is at times obscured. I can't wait to revisit this.
sarabasti's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
3.5
i truly don’t know how to feel about this book. but i’m sure a reread in like 3 years will hit hard
aelishhh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cpoole's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lambofgod420's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
minnaobrien's review against another edition
3.0
This is the most conflicting book I've read in a long time.
Based on the synopsis and blurbs on the back of the book, I was expecting a ghost story about race, class, and cultural appropriation. And it was. ... But it also spent a lot of time, especially in the first quarter, on the dysfunctional relationship between Seth (the POV character) and his best friend. It wasn't that it was poorly written, just 1) I find that dynamic of the incredibly rich friend who provides a fantastic life but is also toxic and controlling to be over-represented in fiction and 2) it was not the story I had picked up the book for.
The book definitely gets better as it goes on. The biggest detractor to my reading experience was that I never got invested in Seth, so I didn't really enjoy his parts of the timeline - which make up the largest fraction of the story. But as other characters are introduced and the ghost story starts overtaking the realism, I enjoyed it more and more. The last 75 pages were the upsetting ghost story about black American disenfranchisement I had been looking for, and I loved it.
I can't overall call this a great book, but because the best parts are at the end, it left me with a good final impression.
Based on the synopsis and blurbs on the back of the book, I was expecting a ghost story about race, class, and cultural appropriation. And it was. ... But it also spent a lot of time, especially in the first quarter, on the dysfunctional relationship between Seth (the POV character) and his best friend. It wasn't that it was poorly written, just 1) I find that dynamic of the incredibly rich friend who provides a fantastic life but is also toxic and controlling to be over-represented in fiction and 2) it was not the story I had picked up the book for.
The book definitely gets better as it goes on. The biggest detractor to my reading experience was that I never got invested in Seth, so I didn't really enjoy his parts of the timeline - which make up the largest fraction of the story. But as other characters are introduced and the ghost story starts overtaking the realism, I enjoyed it more and more. The last 75 pages were the upsetting ghost story about black American disenfranchisement I had been looking for, and I loved it.
I can't overall call this a great book, but because the best parts are at the end, it left me with a good final impression.
alvamalmstrom's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
canaanmerchant's review against another edition
4.0
This is almost two different books. That makes sense for a book filled with characters obsessed with old records that require a flip to hear a new song.
The A-Side is a story of two outcasts who bond over music. Even if you don't like the blues any music obsessive can see themselves in these pages especially with many poignant passages about the power of a recording.
But the B-Side is where things start to warp and get distorted, as if Kunzru intentionally scratched his own record. The narrative starts to split and the reader has trouble keeping track of timelines because the characters themselves start to have the same problems. That leads to a disturbing story about what our responsibility is to people who create but may never get credit.
The A-Side is a story of two outcasts who bond over music. Even if you don't like the blues any music obsessive can see themselves in these pages especially with many poignant passages about the power of a recording.
But the B-Side is where things start to warp and get distorted, as if Kunzru intentionally scratched his own record. The narrative starts to split and the reader has trouble keeping track of timelines because the characters themselves start to have the same problems. That leads to a disturbing story about what our responsibility is to people who create but may never get credit.