Scan barcode
pinkeyeofsauron's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
libbykerns's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
this insane little theory novel was actually quite satisfying and definitely very clever!
msmoxiemae's review
5.0
Even better the second time around. So dark and appealing. Wouldn't we all love to feel as real as this narrator imagines?
m_henchard's review
2.0
Overlong (but not, I think, overwritten) for an experimental novel of this kind. The narrator is rigid, indifferent and lacking in insight, but these are not character traits playing out so much as the effects of exotic brain damage, and this feature gives the story an air of meaninglessness. I picked up on signs the author is a “French theory” guy ("dehiscence" anyone?), so I'm relieved it was not as irritating as it might have been. I enjoyed some of the descriptions and occasional stabs at dark humor.
papelgren's review
4.0
This is one of the strangest books I have ever read. It might be a masterpiece, but due to the nature of the protagonist's distant and possibly sociopathic nature, its an intellectual exercise that is difficult to penetrate. People interested in experimental or idiosyncratic fiction should pick it up. There aren't many books like it.
subtlesraf's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tealeafbooks's review
3.0
Well, that was weird.
And, if you decide to read it, I actually believe that this is weird in a way you haven't encountered weird in a novel before.
Re-enactors. Liver lady. Pianist. Motorbike enthusiast. Cats on a roof. More re-enacting and re-enactors.
If you want to read a novel with a protagonist who 1) has a name and 2) you care about/like, this is not the novel you want to read. If you want to read a novel with a protagonist you will sometimes laugh at (e.g. coffee moments) and understand/not understand at all (even though you sort of understand the way his twisted mind works) which is also a novel that makes you think about language and the mind in ways you wouldn't otherwise...maybe you want to read this.
This and Disgrace, which I read for the same class and recommend more than I do this novel, both contain one thing that bothers me in any story (book, film, life):
I do think that writers, particularly writers thinking about literary analysis, may appreciate this book more than non-writers. Did I like this book? Enough to give it a 3-star review, yes. Did I like the ending? No. Did the ending feel true to the character? Yes, definitely.
And, if you decide to read it, I actually believe that this is weird in a way you haven't encountered weird in a novel before.
Re-enactors. Liver lady. Pianist. Motorbike enthusiast. Cats on a roof. More re-enacting and re-enactors.
If you want to read a novel with a protagonist who 1) has a name and 2) you care about/like, this is not the novel you want to read. If you want to read a novel with a protagonist you will sometimes laugh at (e.g. coffee moments) and understand/not understand at all (even though you sort of understand the way his twisted mind works) which is also a novel that makes you think about language and the mind in ways you wouldn't otherwise...maybe you want to read this.
This and Disgrace, which I read for the same class and recommend more than I do this novel, both contain one thing that bothers me in any story (book, film, life):
Spoiler
animals die.I do think that writers, particularly writers thinking about literary analysis, may appreciate this book more than non-writers. Did I like this book? Enough to give it a 3-star review, yes. Did I like the ending? No. Did the ending feel true to the character? Yes, definitely.
ericfheiman's review
5.0
It's rare that a novel with such provocative ideas can also transcend them enough to tell a compelling story with characters in which we can invest ourselves. Upon a second reading, this book may warrant a five star rating, but for now I'm going to let it sit in the back of my mind and see if it manages to stay there. It's hard for me to even describe aptly the things of which "Remainder" grapples without ruining it (or not doing it justice) for the unknowing potential reader. Suffice to say, its exploration of memory (and loss thereof), what makes us human (and happy humans) is nothing short of fascinating.
What is additionally amazing is that the intellectual arguments running underneath the whole of the novel manage to make it more of a human, feeling book rather than undermine its potential. The story's endgame is simultaneously humorous and highly disturbing, also no mean feat. If anything, this is a book you want friends to read just so you have someone with whom to discuss it and argue vehemently over.
What is additionally amazing is that the intellectual arguments running underneath the whole of the novel manage to make it more of a human, feeling book rather than undermine its potential. The story's endgame is simultaneously humorous and highly disturbing, also no mean feat. If anything, this is a book you want friends to read just so you have someone with whom to discuss it and argue vehemently over.