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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I love a hybrid text! And I will definitely be rereading this in print because the blackouts and images were not easy to see on Kindle. Still, it's a haunting story, seemingly simple but really beautifully layered and complicated, and the writing is stunning.
Great book. Follows the relationship of a young gay man and his older mentor. It is a meta-story in some ways, in that readers are invited into the act of making the story. Or at least given hints throughout to show how the story is being composed. More thoughtful review to follow. Great literary read, but certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. Not a conventional novel in any sense
I read a chapter of Patricia Gherovici's book on Puerto Rican syndrome, for a class on politics and psychoanalysis, but I never understood it until Juan's description of it.
It's a pity I got the Kindle version from the library, which is usually the fastest way to get popular new books. The erasure pages are impossible to read.
It's a pity I got the Kindle version from the library, which is usually the fastest way to get popular new books. The erasure pages are impossible to read.
fast-paced
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 1/2 stars! If only Goodreads would allow it.
Torres intimately brings us into stories/narratives that have, historically, not been told. I found all of the Puerto Rican history elements to be devastating, but incredibly well told.
The physical copy of this book is also stunning.
Torres intimately brings us into stories/narratives that have, historically, not been told. I found all of the Puerto Rican history elements to be devastating, but incredibly well told.
The physical copy of this book is also stunning.
“Slow down, I must savor it” I said over and over. What a densely creative piece, one that asks the readers to work a little bit to get the most out of things. Part true history and part fantasy, this book gives the queer audience a weird sense of comfort but also heartbreak. It’s hard to describe but you might google to understand Justin Torres’s process. Don’t miss this one.
Reminiscent of Kiss of The Spider Woman, of course. My favorite parts were the stories Juan and "Nene" tell each other framed as movies, which were also my favorite parts of Kiss of The...
I had a hard time with the footnotes on the study of homosexuality as a disease throughout KOTSW because they were mostly information I already knew and I didn't think they tied well with the overall narrative. Blackouts is almost the inverse, where the narrative of Juan and "nene" takes a backseat to the history of the study of homosexuality, but I felt like the two threads came together much better.
I especially like the way that certain, seemingly disconnected tales are used to frame a larger point about queer culture. The story about the jungle animals rescuing the boy and the boy then adopting the "hyena laugh" as a signifier that he was safe and still belonged with the animals was an interesting way to address the "gay voice". The inclusion of lesbian women and their own history was also a plus.
The ending felt abrupt. I get that the entire book was essentially building up to Juan's death and that in real life death is not announced, but I think the scene could have been expanded a little more.
I had a hard time with the footnotes on the study of homosexuality as a disease throughout KOTSW because they were mostly information I already knew and I didn't think they tied well with the overall narrative. Blackouts is almost the inverse, where the narrative of Juan and "nene" takes a backseat to the history of the study of homosexuality, but I felt like the two threads came together much better.
I especially like the way that certain, seemingly disconnected tales are used to frame a larger point about queer culture. The story about the jungle animals rescuing the boy and the boy then adopting the "hyena laugh" as a signifier that he was safe and still belonged with the animals was an interesting way to address the "gay voice". The inclusion of lesbian women and their own history was also a plus.
The ending felt abrupt. I get that the entire book was essentially building up to
this book was super unique in its integration of photographs and spectacular blackout poems, but unfortunately the poetic-style prose wasn’t really up my alley