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bluedilly's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I said that I too sometimes did not understand what I saw in galleries, or read in books. Though I understood the pressure of feeling like you had to have a view or opinion, especially one that you could articulate clearly, which usually only came with a certain education. This, I said, allowed you to speak of history and context, and was in many ways like a foreign language. For a long time, I had believed in this language, and I had done my best to become fluent in it. But I said that sometimes, increasingly often in fact, I was beginning to feel like this response too was false, a performance, and not the one I had been looking for. Sometimes, I looked at a painting, and felt completely nothing. Or if I had a feeling, it was only intuitive, a reaction, nothing that could be expressed in words. It was all right, I said, to simply say if that was so. The main thing was to be open, to listen, to know when and when not to speak.
A soothing, sensory experience. Like reading through a stranger's (gorgeously written) travel journal. I'd almost classify this as "cosy fiction". I've never even been to Japan, but everything else about this book felt strikingly familiar—a variation on some of my own core life memories. It's a reminder that I should seek out more Australian fiction. I usually love this tangental, character-focused style of writing, but I'm not sure if it works as well for me in a novella-length story. I can appreciate the individual snapshots, but there's not enough there to create a bigger picture. Au is incredibly gifted at using words to awaken sensorial memories, and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I wanted to walk in the woods and among the trees. I wanted not to speak to anyone, only to see and hear, to feel lonely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Pregnancy, Classism, Alcohol, and Abandonment
kay_louise's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
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