Reviews

Rave by Rainald Goetz

isabellaradley's review

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challenging reflective fast-paced

3.25

_selene_'s review

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1.75

Awful. The voice of this novel is nothing more than a wanker, the type of pretentious wanker who thinks they're so above and cooler than everyone around them, the type of wanker I would definitely avoid at a party. I came in expecting an encapsulation or at least a reflection on the 90s rave and drug scene. The heightened emotions, meeting both the most horrible and the most beautiful people, dancing until your feet bleed, high highs and low lows. The psychological and political reasons why someone would be fuelled towards this euphoric self annihilation. Feeling the sun on your face walking home in the morning passing commuters on their way to work. I found nothing remotely relatable to my own party experiences. The only description this guy can seem to pull out of his ass on anything is either 'cool' or 'dope'. The random analyses of writing culture or whatever were painfully boring and irrelevant, misogyny was rife, and the disjointed narrative and prose was just annoying. No semblance of lucidity and coherence until the last 50 pages. Fuck this guy. 

he_slaughtered's review

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adventurous dark funny inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

mollyharris's review

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

sarrna's review

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adventurous challenging medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nathansnook's review against another edition

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fast-paced

2.75

*read by someone who actually stays out until the first train in the morning. read this during a Boiler Room weekend.

Proof of when experimental fiction gets too carried away to get to its desired purpose. Or to even be enjoyable.

The whole experience is supposed to follow the very movements of club life. Alcohol flowing. Drugs disrupting. Passing people. All of this movement. But also the lulls. The moments where the brain, out of fatigue, dips into the unconscious. Sloppy sex, sloppy words.

But I said 𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦π˜₯ 𝘡𝘰.

Sadly, either in poor translation or Goetz himself, the writing is stiff. It isn't until the last half of the book does the voice carry a momentum with it, a strong sense of self, to carry us to a rather stale end.

I came in expecting 𝘞𝘒𝘷𝘦𝘴 (2019) directed by Trey Edward Shults. I was expecting movement, to be moved. Sure, I was expecting strangers, people I didn't care about, an isolation. But it's all so cold. Boring. It's leaving the club at 12AM when you came in at 11:57 because you could tell the vibes are off.

Saying it here, saying it now, I'm rewriting this book in the context of Korea clubbing culture now (specifically and respectfully set in contemporary Itaewon for its various and varying clubs) after Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor. I came in hoping this would be good research, but all I've learned is what NOT to do!

Thanks Goetz!!!

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lilyaforbes's review

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challenging reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

3.0

grlmomo's review

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adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-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? Yes

3.75

idk what the hell i just read but i had fun with it so for that reason it earns 3 stars & the .75 comes from gay, drugs, dj, oontz oontz yeah super fun super vibey πŸͺ©πŸ’½πŸ’Š

hannahbrennan's review

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challenging funny informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

steve97886's review against another edition

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2.0

At no point in this book did I have any idea what was happening. The un-linear narrative isn't exclusively bad but it wasn't used well here.