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jcschlotfelt2313's review against another edition
4.0
Musical Pairing(s): Jean-Michele Blais - II; Sun Ra Arkestra - Strange Strings; Julianna Barwick - Will
I think the last time my notions of 'good writing' were so thoroughly challenged was Ulysses. That is one of the few things those books have in common.
Troyan's poetry is devastatingly beautiful, raw, and brutal. I have been grasping for days, as I've neared the end of this book, for words to describe this book without sounding trite, missing significant thematic elements, or dismissing my own relationship with the book. I have, inevitably come up short but feel compelled to attempt to collect my thoughts...
I purchased Kill Manual because it sounded so far afield from both my normal (but still fairly broad) reading palette and from my own experience as a person. It is most assuredly both of those things.
Troyan's exploration of BDSM through excerpts of Instant Messenger conversations, personal ads, poetry (often featuring very hard enjambment, creative spacing of both lines and words, and some wonderful experiments with sound), and a narrative or series of narratives paint a picture that most would see as horrific. Troyan finds the beauty in this world of slaves and dominatrixes, blood and orgasms, pain and pleasure. She doesn't apologize (nor should she) for who she is or, rather; the narrator(s) make no apologies for who they are.
The pieces seem to be in conversation with one another. A series of poems all entitled 'Re:' follow and seem to dance around and play with the language of personal ads. The narratives or prose poems provide a richly detailed counterpoint to the sometimes disconnected Instant Messenger conversations. The book is fabulously designed with each thread getting its own font and layout scheme. It looks jarring and at times reads as such, but taken as a whole, it is deeply complex and complete without ever spelling anything out.
This is as far as I can comfortably wade out on this book.
I think the last time my notions of 'good writing' were so thoroughly challenged was Ulysses. That is one of the few things those books have in common.
Troyan's poetry is devastatingly beautiful, raw, and brutal. I have been grasping for days, as I've neared the end of this book, for words to describe this book without sounding trite, missing significant thematic elements, or dismissing my own relationship with the book. I have, inevitably come up short but feel compelled to attempt to collect my thoughts...
I purchased Kill Manual because it sounded so far afield from both my normal (but still fairly broad) reading palette and from my own experience as a person. It is most assuredly both of those things.
Troyan's exploration of BDSM through excerpts of Instant Messenger conversations, personal ads, poetry (often featuring very hard enjambment, creative spacing of both lines and words, and some wonderful experiments with sound), and a narrative or series of narratives paint a picture that most would see as horrific. Troyan finds the beauty in this world of slaves and dominatrixes, blood and orgasms, pain and pleasure. She doesn't apologize (nor should she) for who she is or, rather; the narrator(s) make no apologies for who they are.
The pieces seem to be in conversation with one another. A series of poems all entitled 'Re:' follow and seem to dance around and play with the language of personal ads. The narratives or prose poems provide a richly detailed counterpoint to the sometimes disconnected Instant Messenger conversations. The book is fabulously designed with each thread getting its own font and layout scheme. It looks jarring and at times reads as such, but taken as a whole, it is deeply complex and complete without ever spelling anything out.
This is as far as I can comfortably wade out on this book.
jessicah95's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 stars. Purely a cover buy. In retrospect I was never going to enjoy this, definitely not my thing!
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