Reviews - People Collide | The StoryGraph

392 reviews for:

People Collide

Isle McElroy

3.69 AVERAGE

alittlebithopeful's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

klevers123's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

I wasn't sure at the end what I found more reflective or compelling of an interpretation - that this book explores the kind of merging of the self when in a partnered relationship where you may feel your physical boundaries are not being respected by you or your partner. Or the interpretation of how one might feel when they are experiencing their body and gender as something that is not theirs because their gender identity does not match the role that society expects because of their physical presentation. Or, the way that gender emerges in a romantic relationship, as kind of this obligation, the kind of trap that the gender role presents for each person, and the main characters in the book switching bodies helps them explore a kind of freedom from that trap. Both romantically and socially. Basically I experience the book on all of these levels and it was interesting to feel that there was this Injustice that I felt on behalf of Eli for being in charge of caring for this body and life that was the thrust upon him without compassion for the lack of consent that he had with the experience. It does remind me about how gender roles are imposed upon a person and in the context of a romantic relationship there are all of these ways that it seemed like he gave up his autonomy and maybe this book comments on romance as a whole. Also it feels like it explores in a romantic relationship there is this blurring of gender if the partners have different genders in kind of response to each other. The ending was interesting because it felt like the way that Eli held his mother's hand, with Elizabeth inside his body, is that there was this solidification in the signature of Eli and Elizabeth because the mother knew that signature handhold. And when the mother can see that signature, it confirms this naturalness or connection, regardless of whose body it is, and it feels like whether it is Eli or Elizabeth on the inside, is less important because the lines are blurred no matter what. Elizabeth's mother does note how after being partnered with her husband for so long, neither of them know which gestures or jokes originated with who, because they belong collectively to them as a couple. This makes me think the author is saying that both gender experiences could belong to the couple as they kind of merge. But also when physical boundaries are violated in the way that Elizabeth does to Eli in the bathroom of the museum, there are certain boundaries that are just physical and cannot be merged, which it feels like the unanswered question of when will Elizabeth's next period be, is important to leave the reader in tension about.