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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So perfect that I am tempted to go back and change all of my other 5* reviews to something lower to leave space for this perfection.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher W.W. Norton & Company for the ARC of this novel. One's Company is released on June 14th, 2022
Before getting into the brunt of the novel, there is a slew of content and trigger warnings that should be followed up prior to reading, because at the core of the novel, this book is disturbing. Not in the fact of horror or a thriller, but the decent into mental health and what money can do to yourself when having a combing of factors, especially when it is not properly treated in a timely manor.
I loved this book, and I could not for the life of me put it down. I resonated deeply to the main core theme of escapism and how it was the main character's only escape so they could not deal with their own reality.
Overall, I loved this book. I loved the core context of the novel and especially then ending. This book is about pain, suffering, struggle, but most importantly the things you hold dear when you are in a crisis, and how one uses something (which could be anything to running to a popular 1970s TV show) to get away from it all.
Before getting into the brunt of the novel, there is a slew of content and trigger warnings that should be followed up prior to reading, because at the core of the novel, this book is disturbing. Not in the fact of horror or a thriller, but the decent into mental health and what money can do to yourself when having a combing of factors, especially when it is not properly treated in a timely manor.
I loved this book, and I could not for the life of me put it down. I resonated deeply to the main core theme of escapism and how it was the main character's only escape so they could not deal with their own reality.
Spoiler
To me, not only did the escapism of the main character resonate, but the throws of transness that encompasses them. Throughout the novel, our main character is deeply depressed, unhappy, so much so she becomes these characters to the T. However when they reach the character of Jack, it's like a whole new world had been opened up to them, and explaining the gender euphoria they had when eventually becoming both the male characters, and not to mention the queer relationship they had with the only other character that accepted their way of life automatically. Bonnie's mental health improved significantly when they were Jack or Mr. Roper and as soon as she switched to live their life as the other female character, her mental health immediately declined. There is a concept of trying to find one's gender identity, by placing yourself in a box - void of any people and to understand who you really are. The main character did this almost literally, switching through genders (Hyper masculine, Hyper feminine, female, and male, and so on) to find what works best for them.Overall, I loved this book. I loved the core context of the novel and especially then ending. This book is about pain, suffering, struggle, but most importantly the things you hold dear when you are in a crisis, and how one uses something (which could be anything to running to a popular 1970s TV show) to get away from it all.
When Bonnie Lincoln wins the lottery, she decides to finally enact her dream life. Is it moving across the country, away from her hometown? Living in the lap of luxury? Traveling? No. Bonnie Lincoln's ultimate dream is to recreate, down to the very last detail, the entire set of the 1970s TV show, Three's Company. Not only does Bonnie want the set recreated, but she wants the period specific costumes, the precise plants in the apartments, the food packaging, and literature that came from the time the show was on air. That means nothing from the outside world in her fantasy, except for on her "off days" when she plans to restock her food, and make sure maintenance is kept up on her sprawling, private mountainside property. And she has the money to do all of this now. Billions of dollars to hire an attorney for her interests, a huge staff of developers, and an architect. All so Bonnie can live and immerse herself in the world and time of Three's Company. All so that she can lose the person she was to the lives of Janet, Chrissy, and Jack and the other side characters of the show. Through Bonnie's point of view, the reader slowly learns the whys and the reasons for Bonnie's unstable behavior. One's Comapny is a truly dark comedy that explores, in the most absurd way possible, how people can bury their trauma, sometimes with their own hobbies.
My opinion: This novel was kind of cathartic for me in a way. I think everyone, to some extent, can appreciate Bonnie's obsession with Three's Company, because I think we've all had an obsession like this, whether it's a TV show or a book series, or a video game, we all have a comfort entertainment in which we wish to escape. I think when experiencing trauma/anxiety/PTSD, it is tempting to delve into, and want to stay in, another world, a world that can't hurt or maim us, a world that forever stays the same, instead of focusing on or healing from a traumatic experience. In this way, I think this novel will resonate with a multitude of people. If you're familiar with or even enjoy (like me) watching Three's Company, I think you'll also enjoy this one. You really do feel like you're living Three's Company with Bonnie. In some ways, it was just as tempting for me as it was for Bonnie to stay in this make-believe 1970s paradise. And I think that's also why this novel was enlightening to me. Aren't we all a little mad sometimes? That's why it's easy to empathize with Bonnie. We're all just an experience away from giving into the madness. And I think Bonnie's catharsis comes when she delves a little too deep into her madness to the point where she's too alone with herself. It's a novel of realizing that we as humans need others even if when we think it's better to live in a dream of our own making.
My opinion: This novel was kind of cathartic for me in a way. I think everyone, to some extent, can appreciate Bonnie's obsession with Three's Company, because I think we've all had an obsession like this, whether it's a TV show or a book series, or a video game, we all have a comfort entertainment in which we wish to escape. I think when experiencing trauma/anxiety/PTSD, it is tempting to delve into, and want to stay in, another world, a world that can't hurt or maim us, a world that forever stays the same, instead of focusing on or healing from a traumatic experience. In this way, I think this novel will resonate with a multitude of people. If you're familiar with or even enjoy (like me) watching Three's Company, I think you'll also enjoy this one. You really do feel like you're living Three's Company with Bonnie. In some ways, it was just as tempting for me as it was for Bonnie to stay in this make-believe 1970s paradise. And I think that's also why this novel was enlightening to me. Aren't we all a little mad sometimes? That's why it's easy to empathize with Bonnie. We're all just an experience away from giving into the madness. And I think Bonnie's catharsis comes when she delves a little too deep into her madness to the point where she's too alone with herself. It's a novel of realizing that we as humans need others even if when we think it's better to live in a dream of our own making.
not a perfect book but I really enjoyed it conceptually and it’s depiction of the long term impacts of avoidance with grief/trauma; particularly the compare/contrast between people who are able to process the related distressing/upsetting feelings and those who aren’t yet ready. personally, bonnie was irritating but by the end I think it was necessary and important
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes