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tildahlia's review against another edition
3.0
This book is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I enjoyed it for what it was - great writing, albeit in a very stream of consciousness modern style. (I must admit I probably would have struggled if it was longer.) The main character Kathy is richly crafted and intriguing, and the current affairs references (Trump, Brexit etc) tap into our collective existential dread. An interesting, short read.
gillesdelatoet's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
groovywitch's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
garatandhi's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Very interesting sad and scary to read this in 2024 and see how all the things that were so jarring then are normal now. But also lots of the worst of it didn't happen. I also didn't know Kathy acker was a different person till the end so I don't know if I Got It
stephaniexpink's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
msilkwolfe's review against another edition
3.0
I must be missing something with this one. I generally like strange books that go outside of normal structure, writing style, etc., but this one was really hard for me to keep going! I’m glad I finished it, but I need to read up on it before being able to give a full review.
livburness's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bluelilyblue's review against another edition
3.0
No clue what to rate this it could be a 5 but it could just as well be a 1. What if I went through it again and rated it at sentence level? Cover art is so sick though.
madeleinegeorge's review against another edition
4.0
Postmodern love story as it parallels the end of the world-- the self disintegrates at the edge of understanding, linguistic uncoupling foretells the end of days, and so on and so forth. Laing adheres beautifully to the structures of a classic postmodernism while uniting it deftly with the challenges and peculiarities of the digital age.
Why is the self never enough? Why do we love in a dying world? As the unreal becomes manifest, where does the future crack?
Perestroika approaches.
Essentials:
"Kathy was writing everything down in her notebook, and had become abruptly anxious that she might exhaust the present and find herself out at the front, alone on the crest of time."
"He was the cleverest nicest most lovable man she'd met but she was like a feral animal, she had no idea what to do with love, she experienced it as an invasion, as the prelude to loss and pain, she really didn't have a clue. [...] Why couldn't she be calm like water?"
"She'd liked it that way, she'd liked being by herself, kept company by her old pals hankering and craving."
"This was the thing with people, they went at each other and missed, or just as bad collided and stuck. The wreckage was awful."
"This is how it is, then, walking backwards into disaster, braying all the way."
"Grief saturates her words, she can't stop it, she writes about rotten meat and rape, raw sewage, she writes about mothers and fathers and little girls, she writes I'm banging my head my head into a wall."
Why is the self never enough? Why do we love in a dying world? As the unreal becomes manifest, where does the future crack?
Perestroika approaches.
Essentials:
"Kathy was writing everything down in her notebook, and had become abruptly anxious that she might exhaust the present and find herself out at the front, alone on the crest of time."
"He was the cleverest nicest most lovable man she'd met but she was like a feral animal, she had no idea what to do with love, she experienced it as an invasion, as the prelude to loss and pain, she really didn't have a clue. [...] Why couldn't she be calm like water?"
"She'd liked it that way, she'd liked being by herself, kept company by her old pals hankering and craving."
"This was the thing with people, they went at each other and missed, or just as bad collided and stuck. The wreckage was awful."
"This is how it is, then, walking backwards into disaster, braying all the way."
"Grief saturates her words, she can't stop it, she writes about rotten meat and rape, raw sewage, she writes about mothers and fathers and little girls, she writes I'm banging my head my head into a wall."