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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
If this book were rewritten so that the cause of Sean's accident were named upfront, would there have been enough there for a whole novel?
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Incredibly unique and captivating. A very internal book, drilling down on one character for a brief moment in time, and the way his life overlaps with itself. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job at capturing the voice of the novel
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“You should avoid seeing too much of yourself anywhere: in the outside world, in others, in the imagined worlds that give you shelter.”
Without being mopey or self-pitying this book is about escapism and loneliness. It is the smartest, sharpest parts of the worst moments of your life. It is beautiful and painful and real.
Without being mopey or self-pitying this book is about escapism and loneliness. It is the smartest, sharpest parts of the worst moments of your life. It is beautiful and painful and real.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the writing. The story is great. Twisted, a little heartbreaking, full of small surprises. It's full of cultural touchstones that sync up completely with my childhood - no surprise Darnielle and I are the same age. This is a book I found myself thinking about long after it's over.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strange. I liked it, but don't think it ended well.
This is a story told mostly in reverse, with plenty of out of sequence flashbacks, of a man who shot himself in the head as a boy. He makes a living running a play by mail role playing adventure called Trace Italian. He's a loner who spend a lot of time in reflection on his life and the gunshot that radically altered it. His face was reconstructed, but he remains shockingly hideous and has few interactions outside the letters from his players.
The reasons for his attempted suicide are never quite clear. There is a parallel story of two of his players who take the game tooo seriously and die/injure themselves trying to play it in the real world. The two nest nicely, but the meanings of both are obscure.
This is a story told mostly in reverse, with plenty of out of sequence flashbacks, of a man who shot himself in the head as a boy. He makes a living running a play by mail role playing adventure called Trace Italian. He's a loner who spend a lot of time in reflection on his life and the gunshot that radically altered it. His face was reconstructed, but he remains shockingly hideous and has few interactions outside the letters from his players.
The reasons for his attempted suicide are never quite clear. There is a parallel story of two of his players who take the game tooo seriously and die/injure themselves trying to play it in the real world. The two nest nicely, but the meanings of both are obscure.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ibland är det kul att läsa något som kallas "kult" även om en själv aldrig tyckt något är "kult". Fast visst, det faktum att Darnielle också är låtskrivare kanske var det som gjorde mig intresserad på riktigt?
Och språket är snyggt. Självsäkert.
Det hjälper, när historien känns ... udda. Det händer inte särskilt mycket. Samtidigt är det väldigt påhittigt. Sub-kultigt, om något. Tv-spelsvärlden har jag ju liiite koll på, via maken - men här beskrivs en indieversion långt ifrån hans Playstation-hits. Samma med musikgrupperna som beskrivs.
Jag känner mig lite halvsmart som alls hänger med.
Historien är som sagt egentligen enkel. Och egen.
Ingen stor läsupplevelse som sådan, men en skön palate-cleanser mellan allt annat.
Och språket är snyggt. Självsäkert.
Det hjälper, när historien känns ... udda. Det händer inte särskilt mycket. Samtidigt är det väldigt påhittigt. Sub-kultigt, om något. Tv-spelsvärlden har jag ju liiite koll på, via maken - men här beskrivs en indieversion långt ifrån hans Playstation-hits. Samma med musikgrupperna som beskrivs.
Jag känner mig lite halvsmart som alls hänger med.
Historien är som sagt egentligen enkel. Och egen.
Ingen stor läsupplevelse som sådan, men en skön palate-cleanser mellan allt annat.