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megansmith's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
First, the writing in this book is really stellar. I don't know how much of it I'd chalk up to my 25+ years of living in the Midwest but, I felt transported to Iowa City throughout the length of this book. Taylor is a wonderful author and even in snippets I couldn't quite relate to the characters themselves, I could empathize with their feelings and get truly into their experiences through Taylor's writing. He grapples deep themes in a way that honors these character ages and life experiences. I especially appreciate his respect to the struggle characters face as they reckon with the world at large, while also holding on to where they grew up and how they got to where they are now. It's a constant struggle as a student that I think he wraps up nicely as you enter the last chapter. He's a masterful writer and you can tell he wrote from the heart in this book.
Outside of the themes and respect for the age and time in these character's lives, I struggled with the plot. And maybe for good reason but.. I'm not sure. Maybe it's in how the book is marketed? I feel like the cover of the book misled me to think maybe the characters would show a variety of the town, but, the majority of chapters felt like such a small circle of people, specifically this very tight knit group of queer men running into each other through distant connections. On it's own, I think that could have been it's own book! I found it really fascinating, even if I did not have the same exact experience when I was in college, I could find snippets of what I witnessed in college, seeing friends and mutual connections overlap over time without intending to. I think that's a really honest, interesting book premise and I would've been fine if the book was just that. However, adding in the last two chapters changed this in this book and honestly, it did a disservice to both sides of the book. It almost split this book in half. The only two female characters in this book didn't seem to see a single spot of happiness, either. All the characters have a struggle but, at least in the first few chapters, those male characters have small snippets of lightheartedness or connection through relationships, vs the two women in this book struggle in their past and present continually and only fall deeper into struggle as their brief chapters go on. Fatima maybe got it in the last page but,
All in all - I do think this is a really smart, masterful look into a specific town and how the people within it are more connected than they all realize. Equally, I think this book falls flat on it's first promise on the cover, and I think it's what hurts this book from being touted more as a more all-encompassing expose. I wanted more from this but I still gleaned a lot from this book as valuable and important to read. So read at your own risk and also know I have my own biases and opinions that might be blinding me to important points in this book! I definitely want to read more about the book itself and try to understand why Brandon Taylor made certain choices here.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Terminal illness, Stalking, and Racism
steph_ramos's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I will say this is hardly a novel; it is much more reminiscent of his short stories “Filthy Animals” where the characters and stories are only loosely connected. That is what stopped me from connecting to this more. But the writing is beautiful and honest and challenging.
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
bowtiesandbookmarks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
michblue52's review
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual assault
ukponge's review
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
tree_branch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Abortion
lauren_werts's review
- 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? Yes
2.0
I was interested in this because I saw a review that said it switched from solo to group perspectives to tell an interesting story. And while it does shift perspectives it did not seem to be in a worthwhile way. Like the last chapter is from a completely new perspective and gave me zero closure for the other characters I was invested in.
I also think to call this a novel is a stretch. It’s more like a collection of short stories that just happen to involve related people and happen somewhat chronologically. But there’s no build up to something bigger, no reason to hear snippets of different perspectives.
I also felt the author was trying to hard to make a statement on too many different topics so instead of leaving me thinking about one topic I just felt like he was as pretentious and performative as the poets in Seamus’s workshop that he was criticizing.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
bookmaddie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Abortion, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Kidnapping
theinkdarksea's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
ghostboy1996's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Minor: Abortion