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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I really did enjoy this - I had planned to read it anyway this month, but it’s appearance on the women’s prize long list rather hastened my plans to start it. The story follows a young 22 year old Irish girl living in Hong Kong, and the different relationships that she has whilst there. She is a flawed character, and despite the fact that she annoyed me a bit at times, I found her rather fascinating. Reading the book did make me feel old (despite the fact that I am in my early 30s), because there is a certain amount of immaturity in the main character. She is someone still trying to work out who she is and what she wants, is desperate to please and is also bound by her insecurities. But she also has various deep seated issues from her childhood, and her connection to Ireland that repeatedly pop up as you continue through the book.
But predominantly I loved how messy the book is - none of the relationships are simple, they are clogged with a mixture of love and hatred, and it is a fascinating study of power dynamics. The first relationship is with an older man (28) who she eventually moves in with, and their was relationship was so complex as it looked at the issue of wealth disparity, but ultimately I really enjoyed the friendship that they had with each other (and slightly unhealthy co-dependency). Her relationship with Edith though was also fascinating in a different way, and the power dynamic was totally different as the emotional connection was so much stronger, and you had the residual issues of embracing her sexuality and learning how to be in a relationship with someone who cared about you for who you are, and willing to be that vulnerable in front of someone.
Overall this is definitely in my “to be re-read” pile as I
think that there is still so much more to delve into.
But predominantly I loved how messy the book is - none of the relationships are simple, they are clogged with a mixture of love and hatred, and it is a fascinating study of power dynamics. The first relationship is with an older man (28) who she eventually moves in with, and their was relationship was so complex as it looked at the issue of wealth disparity, but ultimately I really enjoyed the friendship that they had with each other (and slightly unhealthy co-dependency). Her relationship with Edith though was also fascinating in a different way, and the power dynamic was totally different as the emotional connection was so much stronger, and you had the residual issues of embracing her sexuality and learning how to be in a relationship with someone who cared about you for who you are, and willing to be that vulnerable in front of someone.
Overall this is definitely in my “to be re-read” pile as I
think that there is still so much more to delve into.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perhaps it shouldn't surprise me that I didn't vibe with this book, as Dolan is exhaustively compared to Sally Rooney, an author that I've tried to like and haven't been able to. I didn't hate Exciting Times - it just felt "meh" (as someone before me aptly reviewed, "The times, in fact, were not exciting").
Because Ava is so indecisive and uncertain about her feelings for Edith and Julian, I found myself not caring about any of them. There was nothing at stake. And while I felt that Dolan was purposefully pretentious and obviously aware of things like class and colonialism, she didn't really grasp how those played within a non-white cultural context like the setting of her book.
I enjoyed the wit and repertoire between Ava and Julian a lot, as well as Ava's reflections (or more like spiraling self-awareness) on her dynamic with him. Being afraid of her feelings for Edith and returning to someone whom she doesn't have to confront those scary feelings of love, vulnerability, and hurt with while being fully conscious of why she's making these decisions - it felt very relatable.
Overall, though, the book was lackluster. I'm an indecisive person, so I want to empathize with Ava but she's incredibly frustrating.
Because Ava is so indecisive and uncertain about her feelings for Edith and Julian, I found myself not caring about any of them. There was nothing at stake. And while I felt that Dolan was purposefully pretentious and obviously aware of things like class and colonialism, she didn't really grasp how those played within a non-white cultural context like the setting of her book.
I enjoyed the wit and repertoire between Ava and Julian a lot, as well as Ava's reflections (or more like spiraling self-awareness) on her dynamic with him. Being afraid of her feelings for Edith and returning to someone whom she doesn't have to confront those scary feelings of love, vulnerability, and hurt with while being fully conscious of why she's making these decisions - it felt very relatable.
Overall, though, the book was lackluster. I'm an indecisive person, so I want to empathize with Ava but she's incredibly frustrating.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not gonna lie I was kinda slogging thru until it became gay . I liked that bit. Vibe is an Interesting introspective journal of the main character, all of these characters are very f*cked up and I appreciate that they know this.
Extremely clever take on self-conscious romance expressed through drily humorous metaphors based on language and grammar.
Honestly, the first 3/4 of this book I don’t recommend. It was so monotonously boring with several uncomfortable tropes. However, as someone who ID’s as queer, there was a familiarity in the latter half of the book around social norms, hiding, conformity, and power. I wouldn’t read it again because I can find those elements in books that I don’t have to wait so long to create complexity. I did like it better than Assistant to the Villain, which isn’t saying much.
This took me an embarrassingly long time to finish. It failed to captivate me every time I picked it up.