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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
medium-paced
What a unique and odd book. I flew through this. What was real? What did she hallucinate?
emotional
funny
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
“The world was so haphazard and frightening, why not arrange it the way I wanted it? Why not?”
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“i took a throw pillow into my arms and wept into its rough fabric, curling myself up into a fetal position, grateful to die inside my own womb”.
this book was really beautifully written! there were a lot lines that really stuck with me. i was a bit disappointed by the lack of emotion though, especially given bonnie’s traumatic past. i understand that the whole book centers on the repression of her trauma, but i wish that the ending had delved into it a bit more.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The problem with reviewing this book is that I have to spoil something that isn't actually a spoiler for the book, and I have no idea how common the knowledge already is. I have no idea how much I can allude to this piece of information without making it obvious. My official recommendation is to go read this book with as little information as possible, not necessarily about the premise or plot of One's Company but about the rest of the world, about sitcoms generally.
I wasn't exactly recommended this book—the friend who told me about it hated it—but the premise sounded interesting. While I do like things that are good, I also genuinely enjoy things that are bad, so I figured even if this did end up not being good, I would have a fun time and we could complain about it together. When I looked it up to put a hold on it at the library, the blurb reminded me of I Saw the TV Glow; I expected themes of fandom, identity and identity-building, and seeking connection through drastic change. While I was definitely primed to read this through a transgender lens, and specifically in conversation with TV Glow, I don't think this lens is ill-fitting for the book. Bonnie's explicit discomfort and distaste with herself—body, identity, the expectations placed on her from the "real world"—build a character who is at least ambivalent towards her own femininity. I don't think transition alone would fix Bonnie, since she definitely has other problems, but her embodiment of pre-existing characters and roles, progressing through characters who are increasingly different from herself does read as a form of transition.
What I have to spoil is that Three's Company was a real show. All the descriptions of characters, episodes, and scenes are descriptions of actual plots from a show that you can go watch. Hutson is apparently a big fan of Three's Company in real life, too. I did not know it was a real show until after I finished reading One's Company; to me, Three's Company existed only on the other side of Bonnie's screen. I enjoyed piecing together the shape of this "fictional" show through the snippets the book provided. After learning the show is real, it recontextualized all those scenes in a way that I really enjoyed. I think I'd like to reread it at some point in the future with the added context surrounding the show, but having this first reading without it definitely added to the experience for me. I did go on to watch the first season of Three's Company and no offense to Hutson or Bonnie but it really is not that good. I would not have done all that for this show.
Overall I think my expectations and hopes for this book were well aligned with what it actually is, and that definitely helped me enjoy reading it a lot.
I wasn't exactly recommended this book—the friend who told me about it hated it—but the premise sounded interesting. While I do like things that are good, I also genuinely enjoy things that are bad, so I figured even if this did end up not being good, I would have a fun time and we could complain about it together. When I looked it up to put a hold on it at the library, the blurb reminded me of I Saw the TV Glow; I expected themes of fandom, identity and identity-building, and seeking connection through drastic change. While I was definitely primed to read this through a transgender lens, and specifically in conversation with TV Glow, I don't think this lens is ill-fitting for the book. Bonnie's explicit discomfort and distaste with herself—body, identity, the expectations placed on her from the "real world"—build a character who is at least ambivalent towards her own femininity. I don't think transition alone would fix Bonnie, since she definitely has other problems, but her embodiment of pre-existing characters and roles, progressing through characters who are increasingly different from herself does read as a form of transition.
What I have to spoil is that Three's Company was a real show. All the descriptions of characters, episodes, and scenes are descriptions of actual plots from a show that you can go watch. Hutson is apparently a big fan of Three's Company in real life, too. I did not know it was a real show until after I finished reading One's Company; to me, Three's Company existed only on the other side of Bonnie's screen. I enjoyed piecing together the shape of this "fictional" show through the snippets the book provided. After learning the show is real, it recontextualized all those scenes in a way that I really enjoyed. I think I'd like to reread it at some point in the future with the added context surrounding the show, but having this first reading without it definitely added to the experience for me. I did go on to watch the first season of Three's Company and no offense to Hutson or Bonnie but it really is not that good. I would not have done all that for this show.
Overall I think my expectations and hopes for this book were well aligned with what it actually is, and that definitely helped me enjoy reading it a lot.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated