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sarahb919's review
Difficult to read due to block text and no chapter headings stating which character is narrating. Book rotates between multiple characters but doesn’t inform you of this or which character is narrating that chapter.
Book also jumps quickly between scenes without indication.
Overall, the obstacles to reading outweigh the actual content.
Book also jumps quickly between scenes without indication.
Overall, the obstacles to reading outweigh the actual content.
mayaxmaya's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
skullcaptincture's review
3.0
“The life of the washer lizard is inextricably tied to the washing machine.”
This is a 3.5/5 for me. An experimental novella where all the narrators blur together, just as workers do under capitalism. It oscillates between palpable existential dread and apathetic dejectedness.
This is a 3.5/5 for me. An experimental novella where all the narrators blur together, just as workers do under capitalism. It oscillates between palpable existential dread and apathetic dejectedness.
nanc_282's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jdquiambao's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
dreareads_'s review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
For a book where nothing really happens, it will stick with me. It is the kind of book where the author trusts you to create your own meaning with the story.
TW:
TW:
commas's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I was really intrigued by the promise of a surreal critique of the work experience and perhaps capitalism as a whole, and the mystery being built up did grab me in the first half of the book. However, the lack of answers about almost every single one of these mysteries did leave me feeling disappointed in the end, despite the fact that I would understand why someone would interpret that to be the point of this story. As I reached the last few pages of the book, I started to realize nothing was going to become clear.
I would have appreciated some more insight into why the factory hired all of the three main characters a few years older than people typically join the workforce, what Goto’s whole deal was, and how much time is passing. I definitely had thoughts about these questions in my head as I read; representing the capitalist machine as the middle manager who won’t give a straight answer to the simplest question and is omnipresent as the highest ranking worker we ever meet raises interesting ideas. I understand that the confusion totally adds to the mystery which is the point, but I would have preferred to not have to draw every conclusion myself to learn a little bit more about the author’s thoughts and make her criticism a bit more clear.
Another thought I had was: the characters’ inner dialogue was often so negative, mostly in the case of the proofreader and to a lesser extent the document shredder. The proofreader was kind of impossible to root for from the beginning, resenting his girlfriend who got him the job but also constantly disparaging his coworkers. The document shredder has several moments where she has a conversation and her inner dialogue about it is basically “why would [the other person] say that???” I didn’t know if this was meant to be commentary about being so miserable at work that you start to inwardly hate and resent your coworkers, or just meant to be cryptic and add to the puzzle unfolding, because it sometimes felt like a opportunity to get more information about the weird things going on at the factory and it would just be a dead end instead of them asking.
Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Work sucks, I know that’s right.
I would have appreciated some more insight into why the factory hired all of the three main characters a few years older than people typically join the workforce, what Goto’s whole deal was, and how much time is passing. I definitely had thoughts about these questions in my head as I read; representing the capitalist machine as the middle manager who won’t give a straight answer to the simplest question and is omnipresent as the highest ranking worker we ever meet raises interesting ideas. I understand that the confusion totally adds to the mystery which is the point, but I would have preferred to not have to draw every conclusion myself to learn a little bit more about the author’s thoughts and make her criticism a bit more clear.
Another thought I had was: the characters’ inner dialogue was often so negative, mostly in the case of the proofreader and to a lesser extent the document shredder. The proofreader was kind of impossible to root for from the beginning, resenting his girlfriend who got him the job but also constantly disparaging his coworkers. The document shredder has several moments where she has a conversation and her inner dialogue about it is basically “why would [the other person] say that???” I didn’t know if this was meant to be commentary about being so miserable at work that you start to inwardly hate and resent your coworkers, or just meant to be cryptic and add to the puzzle unfolding, because it sometimes felt like a opportunity to get more information about the weird things going on at the factory and it would just be a dead end instead of them asking.
Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Work sucks, I know that’s right.
kyliep333's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75