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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Scary Monsters is two stories in one and they can be read in either order. I had this on audio and simply listened in the order presented. The first story featured Lili, an Asian-Australian who in the 1980s is teaching in France. She sometimes fears for her safety, has issues with her downstairs neighbour, and is well aware of the killings of young women around the world. She also notes the attitudes towards and treatment of North African migrants in France and connects those to her experiences being Asian in Australia. Lyle is also an Asian migrant to Australia. His story is set in a very believable near future, one where the government is obsessed with “Australian values”, assimilation is crucial for migrants, Islam is banned, and the effects of climate change are clear. We watch Lyle dealing with his feelings of vulnerability in the political and social environment, alongside dealing with issues connected to other members of his family.
I enjoyed each of these stories separately, Lyle’s more so than Lili’s. I loved the title Scary Monsters, especially as the themes of racism, sexism and ageism played out against it. While few readers would have trouble considering the serial killers in Lili’s story to be “scary monsters”, most would struggle applying that title to themselves or those they know, ordinary people who “aren’t really racist/sexist/ageist” but in reality are to at least some degree. Lyle’s story all too clearly highlights what could happen if we don’t deal with those and other “scary monsters” in our midst, and let them gain control. The two stories definitely were definitely in conversation with each other even if together they don’t necessarily conform to traditional expectations regarding a novel. They did deliver a satisfying, thought provoking read and that is what mattered to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Islamophobia
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia
I was unfortunately bored. Struggled to stay engaged with the story.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.
Scary Monsters is a very unique novel. The different parts tell different but related stories, and there are several important lessons to be learned. The "Scary Monsters" to be faced are not literal monsters, but struggles of our modern society that many of us deal with on a daily basis. Well worth the read.
Scary Monsters is a very unique novel. The different parts tell different but related stories, and there are several important lessons to be learned. The "Scary Monsters" to be faced are not literal monsters, but struggles of our modern society that many of us deal with on a daily basis. Well worth the read.
Thank you to libro.fm for providing me with an ALC of this book.
This book is broken into two, vaguely related parts. It's difficult for me to accurately rate this, because I definitely liked the first part more than the second. This is very much a character-driven novel, with two different people living their lives in different parts of the world, and at different times.
Lili's story occurs in the early 1980s, in France, where she is a teacher, having moved from Australia. As a South Asian immigrant, she is very conscious of her skin color and appearance, since they are frequently a source of prejudice and racism. She lives in a dangerous world, full of hate for her ethnicity and her gender - she's constantly afraid of being murdered. I enjoyed her personality a bit more, and found her story to be easy to empathize with.
Lyle's story takes place later on, in Australia. Islam has been outlawed, the environment is being destroyed and they can't talk about it openly, and there's a lot of racism and xenophobia. He is also a South Asian immigrant, under immense pressure to assimilate in society or face devastating consequences. I was horrified by the world that's portrayed, but at the same time, I can easily see it occurring, which is perhaps the scariest part.
Although aspects of the story were interesting, I struggled to stay fully present and absorbed with this story. I often wondered where the narratives were headed, because it never really felt like there was much of a direction, and that only intensified with the end of the story.
This book is broken into two, vaguely related parts. It's difficult for me to accurately rate this, because I definitely liked the first part more than the second. This is very much a character-driven novel, with two different people living their lives in different parts of the world, and at different times.
Lili's story occurs in the early 1980s, in France, where she is a teacher, having moved from Australia. As a South Asian immigrant, she is very conscious of her skin color and appearance, since they are frequently a source of prejudice and racism. She lives in a dangerous world, full of hate for her ethnicity and her gender - she's constantly afraid of being murdered. I enjoyed her personality a bit more, and found her story to be easy to empathize with.
Lyle's story takes place later on, in Australia. Islam has been outlawed, the environment is being destroyed and they can't talk about it openly, and there's a lot of racism and xenophobia. He is also a South Asian immigrant, under immense pressure to assimilate in society or face devastating consequences. I was horrified by the world that's portrayed, but at the same time, I can easily see it occurring, which is perhaps the scariest part.
Although aspects of the story were interesting, I struggled to stay fully present and absorbed with this story. I often wondered where the narratives were headed, because it never really felt like there was much of a direction, and that only intensified with the end of the story.
"he was merely filing away the fact Australia was a garbage bin for humans "
I read the cherry side first and would rate it a 3.5, I read the cherry blossom side next ajd struggled to understand how it all linked. Yes migration, Australia and fitting in link between the two stories, but not the characters, it was more two novels in one
I read the cherry side first and would rate it a 3.5, I read the cherry blossom side next ajd struggled to understand how it all linked. Yes migration, Australia and fitting in link between the two stories, but not the characters, it was more two novels in one
Amazing! The first half is a satire that is much more sad than funny, with an ending that I am pretty sure is devastating (it leaves a minuscule bit of room for hope). The second section is about a young woman who is a language assistant in France, like I am in Spain. Of course it was easy to relate to her. The scary monster from the title seems to be in this section (there is a lot of talk about serial killers), but really it was in the first one. Or at least it was more powerful in the first one. But the second section chronologically precedes the first, so the stronger hope the book ends with is illusory. But it still leaves you feeling hopeful. A great book, some lines that felt exactly like life.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix