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lolasherwin's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
connorgirvan's review
3.0
3 / 5 stars
Read this in one sitting - it was a surreal one. very experimental and not sure i entirely got it but certain aspects really appealed to me so it was still enjoyable overall.
would struggle to explain it succinctly to someone else
Read this in one sitting - it was a surreal one. very experimental and not sure i entirely got it but certain aspects really appealed to me so it was still enjoyable overall.
would struggle to explain it succinctly to someone else
h_tom's review
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
arturob's review
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
A little too British for me but fun!
nick_jenkins's review against another edition
I don't really understand the polar bears stuff, but this reminded me a bit of Claudia Rankine's Citizen.
spacetime03's review against another edition
“we require a starship to whisk us away. (nothing but a starship will do.)”
“losing points for her ‘unpalatable’, ‘unrefined’ or ‘unfeminine’ ‘aesthetic’. (this is what class means).”
“I THOUGHT THE SEA WAS THE GAYEST THING ON THE ISLAND BUT NO”
drinkthefloor's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
i did not enjoy reading this at all. the writing style was far too abstract, absurd, and experimental for my tastes and i simply could not follow the stream of consciousness narrative. the countless references felt pretentious and completely went over my head- i could barely picture any of the book apart from the broad setting of the isle of wight. the only credit i can give to this novel is to the themes it discusses, of class disparities and xenophobia in contemporary brexit britain and the hostile attitudes of bigots who seem to think that all issues are caused by immigration. interesting discussion of religion and xenophobia and how right wingers co opt the queer struggle to justify their bigotry, something i’ve seen first hand (a white christian gay man from a choir i sang with spouting racist hatred towards homophobic muslims as if that’ll solve homophobia rather than foster even deeper divides and hatred).
good at provoking discussion. not good for my reading experience. too confusing. perhaps a pretentious english student would love this but this was not for me.
good at provoking discussion. not good for my reading experience. too confusing. perhaps a pretentious english student would love this but this was not for me.
owenatkinson's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Very much absurdist but in a refreshing context. Some of it surely went over my head but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.