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chillcox15's review against another edition
5.0
Although Mike Roberts is writing about being a twentysomething (read: hipster) (read: millennial hipster) in a time period (2001-2010 or thereabouts) that I'm a tad too young to connect with directly, there's something so immediate in the depleted, ethereal emotions of Cannibals in Love. I fell for it immediately, falling for both the milieu of its characters (the bands forged in these pages sound awfully familiar) and for the stack of polaroids-cum-mixtape that the narrator-author describes the book's structure as. The emotional register is masterfully reflected in that structure of seemingly disparate narrative bubbles; it takes the first three or four to recognize that we are getting one cohesive narrator as a throughline (I thought that the tag of "A Novel" may have been a red herring) but it all comes together a third of the way through, only for it to slip apart again at the end. It's hard to grasp at, like being in love.
jen395's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is intriguing and enthralling. Not for someone who isn't a fan of muddled writing, though. There was no set plotline, climax or theme, and the ending had no closure, but I enjoyed the freeform and the curiosity I was left with. It truly is like a disorganized mixtape of unreliable memories, but there's a lot to learn nonetheless.
Younger generational tendencies are interesting indeed. Such as the crushing cynicism and constant existential crises of millennials with unwavering hopes and dreams at the exact same time; for a better president, a bestselling book, or unconditional love. This strange but realistic disparity was amazingly represented through this book. The lack of motivation on top of big dreams, the search for purpose, the idealism, the constant feeling of being lost in the world. Watching the people around you fail or succeed, have families, move on, and become increasingly more distant like nostalgic memories. Constantly moving somewhere between not having a care in the world and desperately wanting to belong somewhere. All these emotions were painfully well addressed. A very interesting novel indeed, one that's easy to get lost in.
Younger generational tendencies are interesting indeed. Such as the crushing cynicism and constant existential crises of millennials with unwavering hopes and dreams at the exact same time; for a better president, a bestselling book, or unconditional love. This strange but realistic disparity was amazingly represented through this book. The lack of motivation on top of big dreams, the search for purpose, the idealism, the constant feeling of being lost in the world. Watching the people around you fail or succeed, have families, move on, and become increasingly more distant like nostalgic memories. Constantly moving somewhere between not having a care in the world and desperately wanting to belong somewhere. All these emotions were painfully well addressed. A very interesting novel indeed, one that's easy to get lost in.
mellove's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
yellowbrickreads_1's review against another edition
4.0
Chapter by chapter this book felt all over the place but looking at it as a whole it fell into place. Modern-day, quick story that was a nice break between some of the heavier historical fiction I usually read. I enjoyed this new author!
I would rate it a 3.8 if allowed but rounded up to a 4.
I would rate it a 3.8 if allowed but rounded up to a 4.
drewsof's review against another edition
3.0
While there were moments/stories I loved, there were also moments that felt tremendously unnecessary / self-indulgent. The way Roberts captures the millennial malaise is one that resonated with me and maybe that's why I didn't love the book - hitting too close to home? - but maybe it's just because I've read these stories before. I can read what I've lived, in fact sometimes that's a really nice thing, but Roberts too often didn't do anything new with his tales. And when he did, it was enough to make me angry that he wasn't doing it more frequently.
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