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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
i must have missed the main point of this story but I’m still wondering what makes this a queer book? :( the story has a lot of potential though
hm. I was sold on this from the nyt review (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/24/books/people-collide-isle-mcelroy.html) and their highlight in the end of the year podcast. And the premise sounded fine - a cis het couple switch bodies. But the book didn't live up to the premise for me. Why was this book set in Bulgaria (although, reading this in parallel with [b:Baba Yaga Laid an Egg|6011268|Baba Yaga Laid an Egg (Myths)|Dubravka Ugrešić|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327967979l/6011268._SY75_.jpg|6186457] meant that I was reading books set in this area together for perhaps the first time in my reading experience), and why did the action move to Paris? I guess there was some interesting parent/in-law exploration with the body switch, but I never really understood Eli's mom and his background (which felt told and not shown a lot), whereas I had more exposure to Elizabeth's parents than I wanted, to the degree that I wondered how much they became main characters. I've heard the sex scene highlighted in multiple reviews and it was... fine, if more phallocentric than I might have hoped or anticipated. I thought this premise had a lot of promise, and to me, the book didn't really live up to it.
The writing was fine, the plot was a slight re-hash, but every. single. character. in. this. book. was insufferable. And irredeemable. I gave nary a damn about how this Running Up That Hill couple were going to resolve the many conflicts thrown at them. The book was about a third too long for the concepts our author was trying to introduce, and while I'm certain the message(s) here are going to be claimed by other readers as "life-changing," it was absolutely not for me.
a well written book about two of the most insufferable people you could imagine.
enjoyed the read but god did I pity them both and couldn’t wait to be rid of elizabeth for good.
still unsure as to why it was recommended as “queer”- because two cis people swapped bodies?
enjoyed the read but god did I pity them both and couldn’t wait to be rid of elizabeth for good.
still unsure as to why it was recommended as “queer”- because two cis people swapped bodies?
emotional
reflective
medium-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
Wow. This was fantastic, beginning to end. I'm not sure how this was recommended to me, but I'm so glad it was. The themes of gender, relationships, marriage, depression, and human connection all converged into a perfect novel. Loved every page.
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
People Collide is a quiet book that manages to balance being reflective, calm and urgent all at the same time.
It follows a young married couple who wake up in each others bodies miles apart from each other, and follows how their lives are effected by the switch. With no understanding as to what has happened or why, the couple are forced to get to know each other and themselves in ways they never had the chance to before.
Compelling and intriguing, but with a gentle and reflective tone, this was both a quick read and one that will stay on my mind for a while.
It follows a young married couple who wake up in each others bodies miles apart from each other, and follows how their lives are effected by the switch. With no understanding as to what has happened or why, the couple are forced to get to know each other and themselves in ways they never had the chance to before.
Compelling and intriguing, but with a gentle and reflective tone, this was both a quick read and one that will stay on my mind for a while.
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, I was torn. I liked the writing, although not every metaphor landed. The plot was a bit weird, and I wasn't convinced the choices there worked.
There was a lot of potential here but where's the rest of the book??
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
WOW. Finished in a day - really, really gripping. I wish more could have been explored, but this was really affecting and I'll think about it for a while.