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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
I was (obviously) attracted to this by the Bowie reference - then intrigued that it was clever enough to just leave it there - it's (thankfully NOT a book about Glam Rock Aliens!)
Cleverer than that two separate but maybe intersecting novellas that you can read in any order - unless you listen to it like I did, in which case unless you want to mess about fast forward or rewind you listen to it in the ruddy order you are given!
What a great book, either a fabulous evocative 1980s student teacher France with great music, film and Camus / de Beauvoir references. Or a really wicked dystopian satire that's pitch black bleak.
She had horror of rooms she was tired and you can't hide beat...
Cleverer than that two separate but maybe intersecting novellas that you can read in any order - unless you listen to it like I did, in which case unless you want to mess about fast forward or rewind you listen to it in the ruddy order you are given!
What a great book, either a fabulous evocative 1980s student teacher France with great music, film and Camus / de Beauvoir references. Or a really wicked dystopian satire that's pitch black bleak.
She had horror of rooms she was tired and you can't hide beat...
I found the way Lilli's side was written to be too matter of fact to be interesting, and Lyle's side was good, but off-putting because of how plausible it was. I also thought the way the story jumped around in time with no warning to be a bit hard to follow.
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
'Scary Monsters' is certainly an interesting take on the terrifying aspects of both our past and future: racism, misogyny and ageism; and the title is an homage to David Bowie, my all-time favourite arist, so how could I not pick this up? However, as fascinating as these topics are, and as much as I enjoyed the experimental take on the novel structure, there was something missing for me, a level of engagement, commitment to the characters that I just didn't find here.
There are two halves here: Lili and Lyle's. Both non-White Australians. Both facing difficulties in the relationship with their culture and how they are perceived by others there. You could start this book either way you'd like, for me it made sense to read Lili first and then Lyle, they aren't really connected.
Lili is of Sri Lankan heritage, working in France in the 1980s, she finds herself at odds with both other Australians abroad and other people who share her skin tone. North African men admiring White women. Australians in Europe not recognising her as their own. Her best friend, Minna, a creative English woman, can challenge the eye of the beholder with bold clothing and adventurous hairstyles, and be perceived as attractive throughout. Lili wants to model herself after Madonna and Simone de Beauvoir, executing confidence and intelligence, but faces the impossibility of it due to her looks.
Lyle is in a future Melbourne that is disturbingly close to our present, confirmed by the fact that he uses Spotify and Google, among other details. But what makes it disturbing is that we are in a post-pandemic world, the city is facing temperatures of 53 degrees, repatriation if you have at least one grandparent born overseas, and looking towards the past is considered un-Australian. Lyle and his wife Chanel remodel their home every few years. Indigenous people are considered an eye sore because they represent history. Foreign countries, such as the US, questions these policies and behaviours, which hints at the fact that Australia is alone in some of these values.
Lili's part didn't do very much for me. I didn't find either part particularly challenging (though I see a lot of other reviewer's did). I didn't think either of them were particularly emotional or reflective, they didn't offer enough commentary or stop for exploration, they just kept the plot going. And that meant that as a reader I didn't care what was happening, I was just having images of different events fly past me. By all means, there are a lot of fantastic ideas here that have the ability to make an impression especially as far as climate change goes, but they were extremely superficial.
There are two halves here: Lili and Lyle's. Both non-White Australians. Both facing difficulties in the relationship with their culture and how they are perceived by others there. You could start this book either way you'd like, for me it made sense to read Lili first and then Lyle, they aren't really connected.
Lili is of Sri Lankan heritage, working in France in the 1980s, she finds herself at odds with both other Australians abroad and other people who share her skin tone. North African men admiring White women. Australians in Europe not recognising her as their own. Her best friend, Minna, a creative English woman, can challenge the eye of the beholder with bold clothing and adventurous hairstyles, and be perceived as attractive throughout. Lili wants to model herself after Madonna and Simone de Beauvoir, executing confidence and intelligence, but faces the impossibility of it due to her looks.
Lyle is in a future Melbourne that is disturbingly close to our present, confirmed by the fact that he uses Spotify and Google, among other details. But what makes it disturbing is that we are in a post-pandemic world, the city is facing temperatures of 53 degrees, repatriation if you have at least one grandparent born overseas, and looking towards the past is considered un-Australian. Lyle and his wife Chanel remodel their home every few years. Indigenous people are considered an eye sore because they represent history. Foreign countries, such as the US, questions these policies and behaviours, which hints at the fact that Australia is alone in some of these values.
Lili's part didn't do very much for me. I didn't find either part particularly challenging (though I see a lot of other reviewer's did). I didn't think either of them were particularly emotional or reflective, they didn't offer enough commentary or stop for exploration, they just kept the plot going. And that meant that as a reader I didn't care what was happening, I was just having images of different events fly past me. By all means, there are a lot of fantastic ideas here that have the ability to make an impression especially as far as climate change goes, but they were extremely superficial.
mysterious
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:
Yes
I kinda walked away from this feeling like I didn’t really get it. I’m not sure why the novel is set up the way it is divided into two halves that are completely disparate from one another, like I don’t understand how either half informs the other. I found Lili’s story more interesting than Lyle’s but for both I kind of felt like I was waiting for something to happen or for them to go somewhere and they just never did
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Both stories in this novel - one set in the past, another in the near future - lived up strongly to the title. The novel never loses its eerie tone, with Lyle’s narrative in the near future being scarily plausible, and Lili’s narrative in the 1980s scarily (and sadly) true. Both were cleverly written and connected only by a single sentence. I guess it doesn’t matter which story you begin with, but had I began with Lyle’s I’d have been more unnerved and apprehensive.
I am torn! Lyle’s half was so compelling and fun to read. That was a 5-star novella. Lili’s was much harder to follow for me and therefore took more effort to get through.