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eeviee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Seldom does a book drive me so far beyond my depth that I struggle to distinguish whether I loved it or I hate it? Forget about the levitating -- it is the MacGuffin of the story. The meat of it centers on these girls and how they struggle with their own identities, with a Buddhist version of Gossip Girl Serena at the center of their orbit. So you see how detestable some, if not all, of these characters can be. Good thing we don't gauge our books based on how insufferable the characters are, don't we?
This was advertised as a dark-academia book along the lines of The Secret History with Otessa Moshfegh's prose. The one thing about dark academia you need to know is that the main character, although the plot is written from their perspective, is almost always secondary to the plot. They serve merely as a lens and exposition to the Real Main Character whom they put on a pedestal to the point of deification. They are a spectator to the plot, so to speak. This True MC must lead a clique, and this clique must be mysterious and glorified enough to be sought after. You have to cultivate the feeling of FOMO and then give equal parts of belonging when they finally feel included. Note on included. Because soon enough you find out, in very few crumbs left by the author, that the mc was never considered an insider but only an obligatory member out of their usefulness, or, let’s say, innate ability to suck up. They rebel against this notion once they finally see the shadows in the cave a la Plato, but it’s a childish attempt. This is the catalyst for every high note in the book. The main character steps in and chooses to no longer be passive, which, I think, is the grip that chokes the collective windpipes of the dark academia community. This is what this book has done well, at least from my perspective.
What's disturbing is the ongoing theme of girls pining over older men twice their age, but I see it so often in women’s literature that it’s becoming neurotic. This is the part that I struggle to overlook in the book, although I do think it was done to point us toward the harm it can cause instead of romanticizing it. At one point the author cites the mother's favorite author "Harm is the norm. Doom should not jam." from Pnin by Nabokov, which we can consider as a nod to the author's famous work, and how that was received.
Overall a love-it-or-hate-it book, but definitely something I enjoyed, and at some point, worth revisiting.
This was advertised as a dark-academia book along the lines of The Secret History with Otessa Moshfegh's prose. The one thing about dark academia you need to know is that the main character, although the plot is written from their perspective, is almost always secondary to the plot. They serve merely as a lens and exposition to the Real Main Character whom they put on a pedestal to the point of deification. They are a spectator to the plot, so to speak. This True MC must lead a clique, and this clique must be mysterious and glorified enough to be sought after. You have to cultivate the feeling of FOMO and then give equal parts of belonging when they finally feel included. Note on included. Because soon enough you find out, in very few crumbs left by the author, that the mc was never considered an insider but only an obligatory member out of their usefulness, or, let’s say, innate ability to suck up. They rebel against this notion once they finally see the shadows in the cave a la Plato, but it’s a childish attempt. This is the catalyst for every high note in the book. The main character steps in and chooses to no longer be passive, which, I think, is the grip that chokes the collective windpipes of the dark academia community. This is what this book has done well, at least from my perspective.
What's disturbing is the ongoing theme of girls pining over older men twice their age, but I see it so often in women’s literature that it’s becoming neurotic. This is the part that I struggle to overlook in the book, although I do think it was done to point us toward the harm it can cause instead of romanticizing it. At one point the author cites the mother's favorite author "Harm is the norm. Doom should not jam." from Pnin by Nabokov, which we can consider as a nod to the author's famous work, and how that was received.
Overall a love-it-or-hate-it book, but definitely something I enjoyed, and at some point, worth revisiting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Eating disorder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Vomit
Minor: Suicide
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