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ali_harri's review against another edition
challenging
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
notebooksandlaptops's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kiraascottie's review
4.0
“But Britishness itself is mediated through empire which is why colonial nostalgia can be recruited into neo-imperial agendas like Tory Brexit, or ‘Empire 2.0’[.]” (p.82)
There is nothing normal about the house of Mother Normal. A lypard (a literary leopard) runs loose, posing threat to the general public, Reebok trainers are poets and Polar Bears are novelists. An experimental exploration of the British identity disconnection, xenophobia and the queer working-class experience. Fans of Ali Smith will enjoy!
There is nothing normal about the house of Mother Normal. A lypard (a literary leopard) runs loose, posing threat to the general public, Reebok trainers are poets and Polar Bears are novelists. An experimental exploration of the British identity disconnection, xenophobia and the queer working-class experience. Fans of Ali Smith will enjoy!
yoshi5's review against another edition
5.0
Very avant-garde, experimental book but very fun. I don't read a lot of this type of stuff but it reminded me of 1984 (Orwell) and Nausea (Sartre). Very cool characters, liked the style of writing a lot. Bit funky at first but it's consistent and I got used to it. Short read but lots to dive into and think about, quite a think piece.
Edit to add: lots of obscure art references, maybe footnotes to describe plays and exhibitions and installations would be good, but i wasn't too lost despite this. I am Australian and wouldn't say I am super well-versed in current UK politics but followed along fine
Edit to add: lots of obscure art references, maybe footnotes to describe plays and exhibitions and installations would be good, but i wasn't too lost despite this. I am Australian and wouldn't say I am super well-versed in current UK politics but followed along fine
adriancurcher's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting little book, it really brought to mind the works of Richard Brautigan, it has a similar style and flow to his books which I really liked. I think it just felt a little forced at time though. I do look forward to reading more of this authors books though, They've got a really unique voice.
pearloz's review against another edition
3.0
I finished the book but did I read it? It was vague, elusive, spoke in riddles and a secret language I wasn't really privy to. For instance:
"They are second generation migrants (Shae), ecological refugees (the polar bears) and African elopers I mean antelopes (the reeboks) from North West London."
The Polar Bears and the Reeboks make appearances throughout the novel so I presume they are...people, yes? Our narrator and the character Shae are best friends, as far as I can gather, and work...at a hotel?, a "no-star hotel--the 'New House of Normal,'" on the Isle of Wight, employed by a woman named House Mother Normal, herself derived from a character from a BS Johnson novel; BS Johnson who is a known English experimental novelist. It's like a Brexit-nightmare this book.
Interspersed throughout are random histories: nomenclature of American military helicopters, the flag colors of various LGBTQI+ communities, etc.
Unlike other novels where I couldn't find a narrative purchase to hold onto, WAMODS was just tantalizingly close enough to my reach that I am excited to read it again. I'll be reading D and W authors in April so I hope to read this and [b:Gaudy Bauble|36304263|Gaudy Bauble|Isabel Waidner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506374339l/36304263._SY75_.jpg|57972977], along with their PhD thesis which I think will illuminate their style of writing a great deal (thesis here: https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/366410/Isabel_Waidner_Thesis.pdf).
2nd read thoughts: I found it easier to trace but no less inscrutable—I think the Polar Bears and Reeboks are just that: polar bears on Shae’s top, Reeboks on her feet? even though at some point they were personified. They fed worked in a hotel, lots of shenanigans occurred, Mother used locals to sell drugs, our main characters sold knock off clothes? Needless to say, it did not coalesce for me.
"They are second generation migrants (Shae), ecological refugees (the polar bears) and African elopers I mean antelopes (the reeboks) from North West London."
The Polar Bears and the Reeboks make appearances throughout the novel so I presume they are...people, yes? Our narrator and the character Shae are best friends, as far as I can gather, and work...at a hotel?, a "no-star hotel--the 'New House of Normal,'" on the Isle of Wight, employed by a woman named House Mother Normal, herself derived from a character from a BS Johnson novel; BS Johnson who is a known English experimental novelist. It's like a Brexit-nightmare this book.
Interspersed throughout are random histories: nomenclature of American military helicopters, the flag colors of various LGBTQI+ communities, etc.
Unlike other novels where I couldn't find a narrative purchase to hold onto, WAMODS was just tantalizingly close enough to my reach that I am excited to read it again. I'll be reading D and W authors in April so I hope to read this and [b:Gaudy Bauble|36304263|Gaudy Bauble|Isabel Waidner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506374339l/36304263._SY75_.jpg|57972977], along with their PhD thesis which I think will illuminate their style of writing a great deal (thesis here: https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/366410/Isabel_Waidner_Thesis.pdf).
2nd read thoughts: I found it easier to trace but no less inscrutable—I think the Polar Bears and Reeboks are just that: polar bears on Shae’s top, Reeboks on her feet? even though at some point they were personified. They fed worked in a hotel, lots of shenanigans occurred, Mother used locals to sell drugs, our main characters sold knock off clothes? Needless to say, it did not coalesce for me.
__emma__'s review
challenging
emotional
reflective
3.0
Not 100% my cup of tea but I appreciated a fair amount, particularly the second half. I found the cumulative effect of the book — and especially that last chapter — especially harrowing. An incisive and poignant commentary.