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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.7/5 (lol)
I see a lot of myself in Lizzie, despite despising her. I can’t help but find her unimportant life and pessimistic attitude to be quite annoying, but then again—I see a lot of myself in Lizzie.
Offill does a lovely job presenting a life tormented by angst, desperation, and hopelessness: thank you climate consciousness! It permeates all interactions, often in these brief, inconsequential, negative thoughts. Ultimately, Lizzie is barely moved to action—what action is there when the world is going to burn? (see: The Road by Cormac McCarthy).
She is strongest when she supports her brother, a new father suffering with addiction and depravity. Can she see how valuable she can be? How tangibly she can support positive change in her brother, her young son? She is too consumed by her doomsday torment. She’s suffering with addiction and depravity, too.
My favorite passage:
“I’m trapped next to this young techno-optimist guy. He explains that current technology will no longer seem strange when the generation who didn’t grow up with it finally ages out of the conversation. Dies, I think he means.
His point is that eventually all those who are unnerved by what is falling away will be gone, and after that, there won’t be any more talk of what has been lost, only of what has been gained.”
I see a lot of myself in Lizzie, despite despising her. I can’t help but find her unimportant life and pessimistic attitude to be quite annoying, but then again—I see a lot of myself in Lizzie.
Offill does a lovely job presenting a life tormented by angst, desperation, and hopelessness: thank you climate consciousness! It permeates all interactions, often in these brief, inconsequential, negative thoughts. Ultimately, Lizzie is barely moved to action—what action is there when the world is going to burn? (see: The Road by Cormac McCarthy).
She is strongest when she supports her brother, a new father suffering with addiction and depravity. Can she see how valuable she can be? How tangibly she can support positive change in her brother, her young son? She is too consumed by her doomsday torment. She’s suffering with addiction and depravity, too.
My favorite passage:
“I’m trapped next to this young techno-optimist guy. He explains that current technology will no longer seem strange when the generation who didn’t grow up with it finally ages out of the conversation. Dies, I think he means.
His point is that eventually all those who are unnerved by what is falling away will be gone, and after that, there won’t be any more talk of what has been lost, only of what has been gained.”
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An exploration of today's zeitgeist through the lense of an anxious librarian.
“He held a magnifying glass up to my skin. Described every mark on my body one by one: Exceedingly unlikely to be cancerous! Exceedingly unlikely to be cancerous!
He had a melodious voice. I wanted every day to be like this, to begin in shame and fear and end in glorious reassurance.”
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity