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sawyerbell's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. An interesting--though not gripping--novella about a woman who is slowly stripped of her identity while on a trip to Morocco. Though I generally dislike 2nd person narration, I enjoyed how the author employed it here. Recommended for anyone who has felt their sense of self slipping away after a trauma.
oedipa_maas's review against another edition
5.0
Oh damn, this was beautiful. How to write a spy novel that's not about spies. A travelogue story that's not about traveling. A fish out of water narrator that doesn't give a fig about how you're supposed to act when you're a fish out of water. Unpredictable. Nuanced. Believable dialogue. Lovely narrative that captures the ways people look at each other in words I've only heard before in my own head.
elspethm's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe I was just like the protagonist of this book and didn't realize I was getting myself into a psychological thriller, but I can't stand books where someone "can't get out of the town" - even if it is somewhat by that person's choice; where people are being gaslit; where someone never stands up for themselves no matter what happens.
I read this book mostly because it was short and I needed a 2nd person book for one of my reading challenges. From the beginning it was odd. The protagonist (which is not necessarily the word to use here since she is not a fighter and seems to shoot herself in the foot more than anyone else does to her - maybe the antagonist is herself?) goes to Morocco, her identity is stolen and then she never really speaks up and just lets things happen as they will. I guess that is just her M.O. in general as we hear more about her life before coming to Morocco.
It just about killed me hearing about her falling out with her sister (and then it got *worse*), and that was when I went from just passively reading the book to getting involved with the story. The ending is also sudden and unclear, which I suppose means the rest of her life will go on in a whirlwind of new identities and situations. I would have been happy with it ending after she left Casablanca, because it gets harder to listen to from there, but ultimately it gets back to a similar point as she was in Casablanca so the ending didn't bother me as much as I thought it might. Not my standard happy ending book but definitely one that makes you think.
I read this book mostly because it was short and I needed a 2nd person book for one of my reading challenges. From the beginning it was odd. The protagonist (which is not necessarily the word to use here since she is not a fighter and seems to shoot herself in the foot more than anyone else does to her - maybe the antagonist is herself?) goes to Morocco, her identity is stolen and then she never really speaks up and just lets things happen as they will. I guess that is just her M.O. in general as we hear more about her life before coming to Morocco.
It just about killed me hearing about her falling out with her sister (and then it got *worse*), and that was when I went from just passively reading the book to getting involved with the story. The ending is also sudden and unclear, which I suppose means the rest of her life will go on in a whirlwind of new identities and situations. I would have been happy with it ending after she left Casablanca, because it gets harder to listen to from there, but ultimately it gets back to a similar point as she was in Casablanca so the ending didn't bother me as much as I thought it might. Not my standard happy ending book but definitely one that makes you think.
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
4.0
I thought the point of view was going to make me crazy, but I ended up really enjoying this quick novel.
cgbrewer's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
snowlilly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
betiana's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful exploration of identity and the need to shed it.
eventerj9's review against another edition
4.0
That was one weird book. I liked it but the protagonist was definitely a strange one.
modknight's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about Morocco. I know some people did not like the second person point of view but I liked it.
volcanic_ash's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Really enjoyable! I absolutely devoured this one. Different from anything I’ve read before, and I truly didn’t know where it was going next.