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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Interesting and beautiful at times, but also irritating. Unlikable characters, aggressively brainy structure, overly vague poetic-isms. The book may be well-written, but I didn't enjoy reading it.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting
This is the first Ali Smith that I’ve read and it is a very interesting book. The narrative switches, primarily, between the voices of four family members, husband, wife, teenage son and 12 year old daughter. Each voice is very clearly distinct and believable, although as has been mentioned in other reviews the voice of Astrid the 12 year old girl is particularly finely drawn. The protagonists are, at the start of the story, caught up in their own little worlds, giving very little thought to other family members and communicating with them sparsely and with difficulty.
This enables, Amber, a mysterious outsider to infiltrate the family holiday with everyone initially assuming that she was there at the behest of someone else. Having found that they all enjoy her company she serves to highlight and accentuate the divisions between the family members. Amber offers each of the family something that they need and there is a slight whiff of magical realism about this outsider, whose background and motives are ambiguous. The style veers from standard narrative to experimental use of poetry and layout to accentuate the themes and the plot. I personally struggle with this a little, but that may well be a deficiency on my part as a reader. The aftermath of Amber’s intervention in the family dynamic are wide ranging and largely convincing, other than perhaps in the case of the Mother (Eve), in particular towards the end of the novel.
There are some laugh out loud moments, some wonderful imagery, and some lovely musings on everything from everyday life to the meaning of life. My only real reservation was about the end of the novel which just stretched my ability to go along for the ride. I think the temptation for authors to wrap things up neatly is generally best avoided and always risks the risking credulity.
Having said that, this is a fine book that is definitely worth reading and I will look out some more Ali Smith in the future.
This enables, Amber, a mysterious outsider to infiltrate the family holiday with everyone initially assuming that she was there at the behest of someone else. Having found that they all enjoy her company she serves to highlight and accentuate the divisions between the family members. Amber offers each of the family something that they need and there is a slight whiff of magical realism about this outsider, whose background and motives are ambiguous. The style veers from standard narrative to experimental use of poetry and layout to accentuate the themes and the plot. I personally struggle with this a little, but that may well be a deficiency on my part as a reader. The aftermath of Amber’s intervention in the family dynamic are wide ranging and largely convincing, other than perhaps in the case of the Mother (Eve), in particular towards the end of the novel.
There are some laugh out loud moments, some wonderful imagery, and some lovely musings on everything from everyday life to the meaning of life. My only real reservation was about the end of the novel which just stretched my ability to go along for the ride. I think the temptation for authors to wrap things up neatly is generally best avoided and always risks the risking credulity.
Having said that, this is a fine book that is definitely worth reading and I will look out some more Ali Smith in the future.
Hardcover, though there is also a paperback copy of this in our home. A lot to like about this.
Holy shit, this was good. I get why people don't like it - it's experimental and weird. Yet I couldn't put it down. I'm in love with the writing style. it's SO SO so incredibly clever, but not in a pretentious way. It's everything currently happening in the world, everything that has happened, and everything that will happen, packaged neatly into a book. If you enjoy poetry then you'll love this. It's honestly a delight. I Will be reading more of Smith's work bc oh my goodness.
Turns out the thirty year old Eggleston photo on the cover was my favorite thing about this book. Smith can certainly turn out some lovely prose, and couple it with unique approaches to fictional perspective, maybe along the lines of Virginia Woolf's flowery poeticism and narrative experiments. And there are plenty of interesting pieces of the puzzle here (I feel OK using this cliché since one of the book's characters is obsessed with the idea of clichéd language), but they never congeal into anything very satisfying, and the resolutions reached by her characters don't really feel earned. To use another cliché: this book's whole is less than the sum of its parts. Or something. It's a very showy kind of book, but I couldn't help feeling, upon finishing it, that all of its eloquence was a little shallow. Still, it earns an extra star in the rating because it can be a very pretty read.
A book that sticks with you - that is funny and sad and beguiling all at once. The writing in some of this was so clever, it took my breath away. But I find that you either love Ali Smith or hate her, so readers beware. I happen to be in the former camp and can't wait until my copy of Hotel World arrives.
Lots of wonderfully playful imagery and language in this book. The narrative has a disjointed feel presumably to mimic the kind of sharp "jump cuts" one might achieve with film since that medium plays such a central role in this odd tale. Smith so seamlessly weaves intricate layers and references into the narrative that I'm sure I missed half of them and didn't suffer the least for it. I'm not sure if it was the odd surface story itself (strange woman interjects herself into warped family's vacation and sort of saves them and ruins them at the same time) or the narrative jumps, but I found myself scrambling to catch up in several parts (like being left behind in a guided tour). Still, the language and voice... [sighs in awe; eyelids aflutter; color me infatuated]
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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
- Liked the notion of 21st century youth life not being verifiable, almost not happening, without a witness (usually a phone or video camera)
- Wonderfully captured the experience of a phone conversation with a poor connection: "... voice coming and goin and breaking up. It's (something) news. Wonderful news. Thank God. We (blank) faith in you. (blank) the school is being very sensible. Now you can put this all (something) and get on with your life. With your real life. With working (something) exams. It's (blank) this coming year (blank) repercussions (something) rest of your life." (It's such a little thing, but just the use of "something" and "blank" to differentiate when someone cuts out entirely or is simply muffled/garbled tickled me. And it's an important conversation in the book that is largely without so many words. "(something) rest of your life." Priceless.
- Smith's humor just connects with me: "You have such a great accent, the woman said. Thanks, Eve said. It's so classic, the woman said. it sounds like--it sounds like--I can't say what exactly it sounds like-- Is it the BBC? Eve said. Yes. The BBC, the woman said."
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WORDS I LEARNED WHILE READING THIS BOOK
tesserae | transpaseal | graupels
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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
- Liked the notion of 21st century youth life not being verifiable, almost not happening, without a witness (usually a phone or video camera)
- Wonderfully captured the experience of a phone conversation with a poor connection: "... voice coming and goin and breaking up. It's (something) news. Wonderful news. Thank God. We (blank) faith in you. (blank) the school is being very sensible. Now you can put this all (something) and get on with your life. With your real life. With working (something) exams. It's (blank) this coming year (blank) repercussions (something) rest of your life." (It's such a little thing, but just the use of "something" and "blank" to differentiate when someone cuts out entirely or is simply muffled/garbled tickled me. And it's an important conversation in the book that is largely without so many words. "(something) rest of your life." Priceless.
- Smith's humor just connects with me: "You have such a great accent, the woman said. Thanks, Eve said. It's so classic, the woman said. it sounds like--it sounds like--I can't say what exactly it sounds like-- Is it the BBC? Eve said. Yes. The BBC, the woman said."
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WORDS I LEARNED WHILE READING THIS BOOK
tesserae | transpaseal | graupels
I would have loved this book when I was in college, but it doesn't work for me. I would not have finished it if it weren't for the Super Rooster. I have loved many of Smith's other novels, but this did not work for me. Perhaps I'll give it another try in the future.