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This book was GREAT, it sucked me in and painted a totally creepy, disturbing, wild inner life of a California neighborhood. Each character's story wove together just the right amount, and every section they got was fascinating in it's own way.
(4.5 stars rounded to 5)
I had such a visceral reaction to this book. I loved it, but it's evidently an acquired taste. The exposition is overwhelmed by flashbacks and time skips, and while these threads eventually weave together, I had to re-read a few pages to ensure I understood the scene. Taking off half a star because of the murky transition, but not a full star because I really enjoyed being tangled in Tan's web.
Lurkers is an apt title for this novel. Some omniscient novels make the reader feel like an innocent bystander or a benevolent audience member. Here, I often felt like an unknown voyeur, an unwelcome intruder. It's one of many ironic, trouble-in-paradise-type stories set in suburbia, but this one has intrigued me like no other. Each new twist was intoxicating; I took a break for a few months while work got busy, and I felt plagued until I could pick it up again.
I have to disagree with those who saw a romanticization of grooming. Rather, The novel's manipulators are written incredibly well; I was caught in a whirlwind of shock, disgust, and intrigue.
The final chapters had me in a vice grip. Generational strife is a common motif in this novel, coming out in full force towards the end. Tan writes each character so distinctly that I felt like I lived inside their heads. I understood their desperation, apathy, fear, and regret. I especially felt their grief, and when they had none, I felt my own.
Lurkers is a fascinating dissection of innocence, evil, and the morally gray. It's going to stick with me for a long time.
I had such a visceral reaction to this book. I loved it, but it's evidently an acquired taste. The exposition is overwhelmed by flashbacks and time skips, and while these threads eventually weave together, I had to re-read a few pages to ensure I understood the scene. Taking off half a star because of the murky transition, but not a full star because I really enjoyed being tangled in Tan's web.
Lurkers is an apt title for this novel. Some omniscient novels make the reader feel like an innocent bystander or a benevolent audience member. Here, I often felt like an unknown voyeur, an unwelcome intruder. It's one of many ironic, trouble-in-paradise-type stories set in suburbia, but this one has intrigued me like no other. Each new twist was intoxicating; I took a break for a few months while work got busy, and I felt plagued until I could pick it up again.
I have to disagree with those who saw a romanticization of grooming. Rather,
Spoiler
I saw how Rosemary's trauma and desperation make her cling to Mr. Z, and how he toys with her pain to lure her into his trap. In the mind of a grieving yet zealous teenager, the cat-and-mouse game is easily justified. It's all she has.The final chapters had me in a vice grip. Generational strife is a common motif in this novel, coming out in full force towards the end. Tan writes each character so distinctly that I felt like I lived inside their heads. I understood their desperation, apathy, fear, and regret. I especially felt their grief, and when they had none, I felt my own.
Lurkers is a fascinating dissection of innocence, evil, and the morally gray. It's going to stick with me for a long time.
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lovely, dark, moody. i was unable to put it down until i was done! reminded me of "white teeth" by zadie smith.
didn’t stick with me in a meaningful way, but a good interwoven collection of stories.
medium-paced
Basically a waste of time. Kinda like watching someone play Sims. No plot. No point. Strictly navel gazing.
medium-paced
Lowering the rating for wasted potential. At the start I thought it would be a rare 5 star read: the story was flowing, characters were quirky, language was powerful, there was an element of the uncanny. Then the unnecessary and cringy sex scenes appeared, like in the author's previous book, suddenly ruining a perfectly good story. But the final letdown was the ending, where the girl lurkers are glossed over, the Park girls never mourn, and it's unclear who the lurkers were supposed to be in the fiest place and what was the point of the story.
dark
emotional