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sarsa_x's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? Yes
3.5
itsmekelly00's review against another edition
1.0
tbh I was confused during the entirety of the book.
lost_traveller's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
readingventures's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
kathedron's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
janadiebeere's review against another edition
1.75
The language was great but it didn’t really connect with me. The ending did make up for a lot of its flaws though. The whole story with the dad getting a rich woman to pay for Egypt while his wife got money and her sending her kids away and then taking care of his kids. Very bizarre but at least they got Egypt in the end and Vivian didn’t take it.
hayleyab's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emilybh's review against another edition
3.0
‘When I awoke the room was dim and full of shadow, as though it were being stealthily colonised by the natural forces of neglect. A long slice of light showed around the edge of the kitchen door. Behind it I could hear voices.’
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In the Fold begins with its narrator, Michael, going home with a friend from university and meeting his unconventional family, who live on a farm. His romantic impression of the Hanburys is challenged when he returns later in his life. As in what I’ve read so far of her work, Cusk’s characters’ relationships are flawed and contradictory. They have abrasive and circuitous conversations about how to raise children, satisfy their partners or manage finances. They are bitter, occasionally well-intentioned but selfish. Despite this, I found the book compelling. Its final scenes, when you feel like someone is going to get hurt, reminded me of JG Ballard. I enjoyed the sharp dialogue and the way that Cusk adds a sense of risk to domestic scenes in what is left unsaid.
.
In the Fold begins with its narrator, Michael, going home with a friend from university and meeting his unconventional family, who live on a farm. His romantic impression of the Hanburys is challenged when he returns later in his life. As in what I’ve read so far of her work, Cusk’s characters’ relationships are flawed and contradictory. They have abrasive and circuitous conversations about how to raise children, satisfy their partners or manage finances. They are bitter, occasionally well-intentioned but selfish. Despite this, I found the book compelling. Its final scenes, when you feel like someone is going to get hurt, reminded me of JG Ballard. I enjoyed the sharp dialogue and the way that Cusk adds a sense of risk to domestic scenes in what is left unsaid.