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lbrex's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this funny off-kilter detective story describing an east coast journalist's bizarre journey through the California desert in the days before and after Trump's inauguration. The events of the book border on the hallucinatory at times, but the sense of humor and of this bizarre locality make the novel worthwhile. There are people who imagine themselves as rabbits and bears, Korean doomsday preppers, Leonard Cohen fangirls, and bizarre sex scenes in trailers. If you enjoy California literature and want something a little bit lighter than some of the more recent dystopian fare, this is worth a look.
P.S. It's my first Jonathan Latham book, and I'll certainly seek out more novels by him. I'm really not sure why this has such low ratings on Goodreads.
P.S. It's my first Jonathan Latham book, and I'll certainly seek out more novels by him. I'm really not sure why this has such low ratings on Goodreads.
jimhart3000's review
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
3.0
emilyinherhead's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Eh. A search for someone in the desert leads to A Whole Thing™️ with two rival survivalist groups and all of it is A Metaphor™️ for politics and gender stuff I guess? But honestly, three years after publication it already feels really dated. Too much Trump stuff. I don’t care to re-live those days.
ladymcclellan's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
vulturetime's review
1.0
I picked this up mostly because it was on my tbr for some reason and it didn't sound like a book that I'd enjoy. I was right about that. Still have no idea why it was on my tbr though.
nadinekc's review against another edition
3.0
While it doesn't rival the brilliant Motherless Brooklyn, it's still a fun book, and Lethem's wit and terrific writing are on full display. Phoebe Sigler doesn't have the alt-charisma of Lionel Essrog, but she's still entertaining - she'd fit right in with the Sex and the City gang, being a kind of self-deprecating Samantha:
I felt the onset of my own preemptive daftness. I'd been in his bed the night before. Behaving idiotically, I might disguise how idiotic I felt.
For the most part she kept me entertained, and when she went a bit over the top in her yuck-yuck style flirtation with Charles Heist, I remembered her 'pre-emptive daftness' and bent toward forgiving her. (Smooth move, Lethem.) She and Charles are perfect foils for each other. As Phoebe puts it:
We had different styles. I made myself candid in fickle bursts, he reciprocated with marathon ruminations or silence.
She also throws out clever gender commentary from time to time. For example, when Charles wants to pursue a lead in the desert and leave her behind: Fine, go do your man shit. Jessie and I will be waiting in the menstrual lounge area. (Jessie is a dog.)
As always, Lethem effortlessly tosses off incredible descriptions with a handful of words - for example: I spotted my first Joshua tree, then hundreds of those knobby agonized forms, half Bosch, half Seuss.
The book takes place during Trump's inauguration, and while Phoebe's occasional political asides might blow past future readers, they worked great for me: My disenchantment felt familiar, like learning that Chuck Schumer was gym budies with Jeff Sessions....
What made this a 3 star for me was the second half of the book, where the plot started careening a little too wildly into crazy town. But the careening is so fast it's easy to go along with it - Lethem doesn't give the reader time to complain.
I felt the onset of my own preemptive daftness. I'd been in his bed the night before. Behaving idiotically, I might disguise how idiotic I felt.
For the most part she kept me entertained, and when she went a bit over the top in her yuck-yuck style flirtation with Charles Heist, I remembered her 'pre-emptive daftness' and bent toward forgiving her. (Smooth move, Lethem.) She and Charles are perfect foils for each other. As Phoebe puts it:
We had different styles. I made myself candid in fickle bursts, he reciprocated with marathon ruminations or silence.
She also throws out clever gender commentary from time to time. For example, when Charles wants to pursue a lead in the desert and leave her behind: Fine, go do your man shit. Jessie and I will be waiting in the menstrual lounge area. (Jessie is a dog.)
As always, Lethem effortlessly tosses off incredible descriptions with a handful of words - for example: I spotted my first Joshua tree, then hundreds of those knobby agonized forms, half Bosch, half Seuss.
The book takes place during Trump's inauguration, and while Phoebe's occasional political asides might blow past future readers, they worked great for me: My disenchantment felt familiar, like learning that Chuck Schumer was gym budies with Jeff Sessions....
What made this a 3 star for me was the second half of the book, where the plot started careening a little too wildly into crazy town. But the careening is so fast it's easy to go along with it - Lethem doesn't give the reader time to complain.
drewsof's review against another edition
4.0
Rounding up.
Lethem experiments with some different noir trappings than he did the first time around, to middling efficacy. But honestly, this didn’t feel like the point was the mystery or the noir trappings but instead like it was Lethem trying to grapple with the fever dream of the last two years. I enjoyed the hell out of the middle of the novel and the ending is... intriguing, in the same way the end of Casino Royale (the novel) was intriguing.
At the end of the day, though, I’ll take this kind of shaggy soul searching every single time over masturbatory nonsense like LAKE SUCCESS.
Lethem experiments with some different noir trappings than he did the first time around, to middling efficacy. But honestly, this didn’t feel like the point was the mystery or the noir trappings but instead like it was Lethem trying to grapple with the fever dream of the last two years. I enjoyed the hell out of the middle of the novel and the ending is... intriguing, in the same way the end of Casino Royale (the novel) was intriguing.
At the end of the day, though, I’ll take this kind of shaggy soul searching every single time over masturbatory nonsense like LAKE SUCCESS.
1of3bookgirls's review against another edition
4.0
This is ultimately about a girl who is lost, and finds herself while trying to find the daughter of a lost friend. It delves into a world of modern day California desert dwellers that are so strange, it makes me suspect they really exist or are based on people who do. Tribes of free spirited, off the grid former hippies somehow have survived in the dunes for years. I found it a bit of a stretch that our hero found the exact right person with inside knowledge to find her friend out of a sea of private detectives in LA. There were other things about the book I found annoying. The narrator of the audio was tough to get used to. Her voice was non-traditional for voice actors and her range was extremely limited. In the end though, it worked and I was able to really enjoy the lyrical style that felt incongruous at times, considering the subject matter. The beautiful prose is what won me over though. Such profound structure and lyrical quality made my panties a bit wet. Oh, and there were a few pretty hot sex scenes too.
adriannepeterson's review against another edition
2.0
I have this idea of novels I loosely think of as "... stories for men, written by men, that is, male authors who think they are being clever, funny, making a point by thinly disguising it in fiction, or something." Anyhow, if you like those sorts of stories, this might be for you. I'm still stumped why he bothered to write from the point of view of a female character, except to satisfy the "plot."
amyb24's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh.
First, I agree with other reviewers that Phoebe was obviously, distractingly the creation of a man. Whether it was referring to her toiletries as her Dopp kit or her reflections on sex, it was hard to ever get really into the character. Lethem should have written the protagonist as a man.
Second, loved the snarky throwaway line about millenials . . . from a character who is a millenial! If Phoebe was 33 in 2016, she's a millenial. Probably not prone to judging that generation for their grooming habits, ya know?
(Edited to add: If Arabella was 18 in 2016, she's NOT a millenial. So way to go Lethem. You got everyone's generations wrong in your haste to make a cheap millenial joke. Such fact check. So wow.)
Third, the plot was absurd. With a compelling protagonist I could have done it, but with Phoebe as narrator it wasn't like I was going to get lost in her authentic self-reflection and distracted from the bizarre events unfolding.
I have to disagree with other reviewers about the commentary on the 2016 election being refreshing or honest or whatever. Sure, the sentiment was there, but anything driving it remained unexamined. Either unpack why this is so upsetting to Phoebe or stop bringing it up. There was nothing about her story that suggested why she would have an outsize reaction to the election. It was a missed opportunity to flesh out a character who really needed it.
Ugh.
First, I agree with other reviewers that Phoebe was obviously, distractingly the creation of a man. Whether it was referring to her toiletries as her Dopp kit or her reflections on sex, it was hard to ever get really into the character. Lethem should have written the protagonist as a man.
Second, loved the snarky throwaway line about millenials . . . from a character who is a millenial! If Phoebe was 33 in 2016, she's a millenial. Probably not prone to judging that generation for their grooming habits, ya know?
(Edited to add: If Arabella was 18 in 2016, she's NOT a millenial. So way to go Lethem. You got everyone's generations wrong in your haste to make a cheap millenial joke. Such fact check. So wow.)
Third, the plot was absurd. With a compelling protagonist I could have done it, but with Phoebe as narrator it wasn't like I was going to get lost in her authentic self-reflection and distracted from the bizarre events unfolding.
I have to disagree with other reviewers about the commentary on the 2016 election being refreshing or honest or whatever. Sure, the sentiment was there, but anything driving it remained unexamined. Either unpack why this is so upsetting to Phoebe or stop bringing it up. There was nothing about her story that suggested why she would have an outsize reaction to the election. It was a missed opportunity to flesh out a character who really needed it.
Ugh.