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izkifily's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
This book speaks to the allure of mysterious strangers, places and journeys and ushers the reader through the whiplash, disorientation and disenchantment the protagonist experiences as more light is shone on unknown people and places, evaporating both the mystery and appeal.
The protagonist's description of travel expectations mirrors her experience with romantic interests:
"To imagine travel is probably better than actually travelling since no journey can ever satisfy human desire, as soon as one sets out, fantasies get tangled in the rigging and dark birds of doubt begin their circling overhead."
I found the book very enjoyable to read, mainly owing to the delightful style of writing and eloquent turns of phrase, however I was left feeling it lacked a certain depth further than being pleasant to read.
Additionally, while the protagonist (and author) is female, every other character of note is male and there seemed to be a subtle yet consistent disregard, distaste and fatphobia for any minor female characters who dared raise their heads.
The protagonist's description of travel expectations mirrors her experience with romantic interests:
"To imagine travel is probably better than actually travelling since no journey can ever satisfy human desire, as soon as one sets out, fantasies get tangled in the rigging and dark birds of doubt begin their circling overhead."
I found the book very enjoyable to read, mainly owing to the delightful style of writing and eloquent turns of phrase, however I was left feeling it lacked a certain depth further than being pleasant to read.
Additionally, while the protagonist (and author) is female, every other character of note is male and there seemed to be a subtle yet consistent disregard, distaste and fatphobia for any minor female characters who dared raise their heads.
flingornas_herre's review against another edition
3.0
Uppfriskande med 80-tals gotare i mexiko och coming of age-äventyr på rymmen, men kanske inte någon bok man kommer minnas om ett år. Tre starka mermen får den ändå!
adrianogletree's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover art, which turned out to be the best thing about it.
caerrie's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
First of all: this is technically a novel, but don't read it expecting a novel. You will be disappointed. Approach it more like poetry, or like an atmospheric playlist.
This is a strange book, but it's beautiful. The narrator, 17-year old Luisa, is... not unsympathetic, at least not really, but she is blissfully and obliviously privileged and unbelievably pretentious. Her musings are aimless and never really seem to be leading up to anything. But again, the paper-thin main story is probably not the point of this book. It's incredibly atmospheric, and I really felt myself plunged into a Mexico city apartment or a remote Mexican beach - the descriptions and the vibe are so vivid that it really springs up right before your eyes, even for me who's never set foot on the continent.
So yes, the prose is lovely and the chapters are more like individual snippets (short stories would be too strong a word), so it's a nice book to read in the sun for twenty-or-so minutes every other day. But the fact that nothing is happening, and nobody seems to have an arc or a real aim or a concrete problem, gets progressively more annoying the further you get. The only throughline, apart from Louisa's rambling voice throughout, might be the idea that things and people and places and ideas are less interesting in the concrete, that once looked at in the light of day, they tend to lose their appeal. And the author falls prey to her own thesis statement, HARD, especially towards the end of the book, one that really cements that nothing in the book seems to have had any consequence and nothing has been learned and Luisa certainly hasn't matured in any way. Luisa's father is another example: I quite enjoyed the glimpses we get of him throughout the book, but as soon as he steps into the main story and we really hear him talk, he was not only uninteresting, he was just a collection of incredibly weird writing choices. His entire behaviour and almost every emotion he displayed was just completely at odds with the situation.
Overall, again - the writing is poetic and evocative, the setting is lovely, but the book has absolutely nothing else going for it.
This is a strange book, but it's beautiful. The narrator, 17-year old Luisa, is... not unsympathetic, at least not really, but she is blissfully and obliviously privileged and unbelievably pretentious. Her musings are aimless and never really seem to be leading up to anything. But again, the paper-thin main story is probably not the point of this book. It's incredibly atmospheric, and I really felt myself plunged into a Mexico city apartment or a remote Mexican beach - the descriptions and the vibe are so vivid that it really springs up right before your eyes, even for me who's never set foot on the continent.
So yes, the prose is lovely and the chapters are more like individual snippets (short stories would be too strong a word), so it's a nice book to read in the sun for twenty-or-so minutes every other day. But the fact that nothing is happening, and nobody seems to have an arc or a real aim or a concrete problem, gets progressively more annoying the further you get. The only throughline, apart from Louisa's rambling voice throughout, might be the idea that things and people and places and ideas are less interesting in the concrete, that once looked at in the light of day, they tend to lose their appeal. And the author falls prey to her own thesis statement, HARD, especially towards the end of the book, one that really cements that nothing in the book seems to have had any consequence and nothing has been learned and Luisa certainly hasn't matured in any way. Luisa's father is another example: I quite enjoyed the glimpses we get of him throughout the book, but as soon as he steps into the main story and we really hear him talk, he was not only uninteresting, he was just a collection of incredibly weird writing choices. His entire behaviour and almost every emotion he displayed was just completely at odds with the situation.
Overall, again - the writing is poetic and evocative, the setting is lovely, but the book has absolutely nothing else going for it.
geeth's review against another edition
3.0
Sea monsters is a meandering book about a teenage run away girl. Is it good? Yes. Could it have been better? Way more. The book falls short of its promise and becomes a one time read, not something you want to go back to time and again.
lucas115's review against another edition
4.0
Sea Monsters is the tale of a young woman running off to the beach with a man she seems not to care for too much. This is my first time reading Ardijis and I as impressed by the writing style. The narration flowed smoothly and told of beautiful scenes and thoughts. It felt much longer than 200 pages.
elisefm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
i’m just a little sad that this book didn’t live up to my expectations. i thought the dwarves would be a far more prominent part of the book. i’m still a little confused why the book is called sea monsters. super intriguing beginning but i’m left a little disappointed. beautiful writing but not much plot or character development. i’m not really sure if i enjoyed it or found much interest in it
sunwatersalt's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This isn't a plot heavy book, most of the action takes place in the narrator's head. I enjoyed seeing through her eyes, especially when her interpretation was clearly more teenage wishful twisting rather than an accurate depiction of events & intentions. I loved the writing and the rolling flow of the narrator's thoughts. It's definitely a distinct style and not for everyone, but it worked well for me, especially in the seaside setting.
The story's last line indicates that as much as the narrator is determined to view this experience as a brief story to file away in her mind, it has profoundly affected her, and no amount of mental willpower can alter that. I think that concept hits what I loved most about the story.
dreesreads's review against another edition
3.0
*from the 2019 Camp ToB longlist*
Sometime in the mid-1980s. This short novel follows 17-year-old Luisa. She disappears after school one day, traveling to Oaxaca (Zipolite) with her new friend/boyfriend Tómas (19). She claims to be looking for a group of Ukrainian dwarves who disappeared from the Soviet circus they were traveling with. Tómas takes her to a tourist beach he likes. They mostly hang out, eat lunch at one of the beach restaurants (which sounds much more casual and cheaper than a CA beach restaurant), drink beer, and sleep in hammocks--as they slowly run through their money. One day they walk to town. She thinks about calling her parents, but doesn't. She has not exactly run away (she knows she will return), but they do not know where she is. She and Tómas drift apart, as she realizes they don't have much in common. Instead she hooks up with an older (30ish?) man she imagines is from Eastern Europe and does not speak Spanish. They eat dinner together regularly, apparently never talking? She finally sees him during the day and learnsthat he is Gustavo, one of the Mexican men who has a dinghy that takes tourists back and forth to different beaches .
More spoiler:She does not head home herself, her father finds her, with the assistance of Tómas' father. She perfectly willingly returns home, and seems rather glad to be found.
A coming-of-age story, through really there isn't much here. She is gone maybe 10 days? The cover flap says "pulsing to the soundtrack of Joy Division, Nick Cave....". Not exactly. The best parts, for me, were the mentions of bands and songs (The Smiths, several times, and others). But I wouldn't call it a soundtrack.
Moody and atmospheric, but it doesn't really go anywhere.
Sometime in the mid-1980s. This short novel follows 17-year-old Luisa. She disappears after school one day, traveling to Oaxaca (Zipolite) with her new friend/boyfriend Tómas (19). She claims to be looking for a group of Ukrainian dwarves who disappeared from the Soviet circus they were traveling with. Tómas takes her to a tourist beach he likes. They mostly hang out, eat lunch at one of the beach restaurants (which sounds much more casual and cheaper than a CA beach restaurant), drink beer, and sleep in hammocks--as they slowly run through their money. One day they walk to town. She thinks about calling her parents, but doesn't. She has not exactly run away (she knows she will return), but they do not know where she is. She and Tómas drift apart, as she realizes they don't have much in common. Instead she hooks up with an older (30ish?) man she imagines is from Eastern Europe and does not speak Spanish. They eat dinner together regularly, apparently never talking? She finally sees him during the day and learns
More spoiler:
A coming-of-age story, through really there isn't much here. She is gone maybe 10 days? The cover flap says "pulsing to the soundtrack of Joy Division, Nick Cave....". Not exactly. The best parts, for me, were the mentions of bands and songs (The Smiths, several times, and others). But I wouldn't call it a soundtrack.
Moody and atmospheric, but it doesn't really go anywhere.
syllareads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Sea Monsters is Chloe Aridjis' third novel, a short but breathtaking piece of art with a meandering voice weaving in and out of the pages like the waves it's trying to describe.
We follow Luisa, a 17-year-old girl who one day decides to follow a young man she hardly knows, Tomás Román, away from her home and onto the "Beach of the Dead", Zipolite. There is not much else plot to be had - most of the book is taken up with Luisa's musings as to how and why she ended up on this beach, her retellings of the past that formed her and the lonely voice of a young girl crying out to the world without understanding it fully.
Aridjis' way of writing is as mesmerizing as it can be slightly confusing at times. The entire novel feels like one big internal monologue, a feeling which is even more reflected by the missing quotation marks for when characters actually deign to speak out loud - it makes the reader feel as if even those loud words might simply be figments of imagination for our young main character. I was at times unsure about this very thing, not knowing if Luisa was actually talking out loud or simply thinking to herself, but instead of making me confused it gave the book a unique, compelling feeling to it; the feeling that we were, indeed, completely stuck in Luisa's head with no chance of leaving until we finished the very last page.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short read though I am certain that people from Luisa's background might find far more things in this piece of art to enjoy.
We follow Luisa, a 17-year-old girl who one day decides to follow a young man she hardly knows, Tomás Román, away from her home and onto the "Beach of the Dead", Zipolite. There is not much else plot to be had - most of the book is taken up with Luisa's musings as to how and why she ended up on this beach, her retellings of the past that formed her and the lonely voice of a young girl crying out to the world without understanding it fully.
Aridjis' way of writing is as mesmerizing as it can be slightly confusing at times. The entire novel feels like one big internal monologue, a feeling which is even more reflected by the missing quotation marks for when characters actually deign to speak out loud - it makes the reader feel as if even those loud words might simply be figments of imagination for our young main character. I was at times unsure about this very thing, not knowing if Luisa was actually talking out loud or simply thinking to herself, but instead of making me confused it gave the book a unique, compelling feeling to it; the feeling that we were, indeed, completely stuck in Luisa's head with no chance of leaving until we finished the very last page.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short read though I am certain that people from Luisa's background might find far more things in this piece of art to enjoy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Drug use