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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book feels like a fictional telling of history of our very right now, of real modern experiences and issues, and what it’s like to be your average person. Not history on the global national or state level. But history of our day to day.
A beautiful story about two broken, normal people who fall deeply in love in their youth, and have to learn how to manage the fact that they’re still two individually broken people who cannot be fixed just by the jagged edges of each other. The story flipped back and forth through time and between the characters, and there were really nice reveals as the book progressed, which made me feel closer, more sympathetic, more understanding of each of them.
I absolutely LOVED the relationships between all the characters, and how they were written out. The differences in time were also so nicely spelt out (although being obsessed with Ebola felt quite out of date reading post-COVID). The parents of both characters (Jack’s in particular, for me) were intriguing and heart wrenching in their own ways. The pain we inflict on those we love the most.
Only complaint - At some points, the writing felt a bit too lengthy, particularly in the science writing. It was incredibly interesting and a great example of valorisation beyond academia (reminded me also of Hello Beautiful). But it felt like I wasn’t learning more about the character beyond her passion for the field, and instead delving into a non-fiction pop psych chapter. Could also be that the research is familiar to me so wasn’t anything new, and would be really interesting to someone who isn’t in the behavioural/psych field.
I absolutely LOVED the relationships between all the characters, and how they were written out. The differences in time were also so nicely spelt out (although being obsessed with Ebola felt quite out of date reading post-COVID). The parents of both characters (Jack’s in particular, for me) were intriguing and heart wrenching in their own ways. The pain we inflict on those we love the most.
Only complaint - At some points, the writing felt a bit too lengthy, particularly in the science writing. It was incredibly interesting and a great example of valorisation beyond academia (reminded me also of Hello Beautiful). But it felt like I wasn’t learning more about the character beyond her passion for the field, and instead delving into a non-fiction pop psych chapter. Could also be that the research is familiar to me so wasn’t anything new, and would be really interesting to someone who isn’t in the behavioural/psych field.
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like an onion, you peel off one layer and another one sits there waiting to be discovered
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I vacillated between 4 and 5 stars and ultimately rounded down because while this book was compelling, thought-provoking, insightful conversation fodder, it was also incredibly stressful to read - I had to put it down several times just to get out of the storm. I know that’s part of the point, and the author does it well - his run-on, compound sentences and armchair psychological insights had the effect of making me emotionally aligned with the characters at this crisis point in their marriage. Highly recommend, but read at your own risk and take some walks outside to clear your head.
I loved this book so much. When the audiobook ended, I could have just started it again.