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leggierigia20's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- Shortlisted for the Booker International 2024
“What if one half of a pair of twins no longer wants to live? What if the other can’t live without them?”
Told in brief, precise vignettes, the unnamed narrator recounts her relationship with her twin brother and how it shifted over time.
What if one half of a pair of twins no longer wants to live? What if the other can’t live without them? This quote is what lies at the heart of Jente Posthuma’s heartbreakingly simple What I’d Rather Not Think About. The narrator is a twin whose brother has recently taken his own life. She looks back on their childhood, and tells of their adult lives: how her brother tried to find happiness, but lost himself in various men and the Bhagwan movement, though never completely. This is the story of a depressive brother, and the twin sister he leaves behind in the wake of his suicide, from the perspective of this twin sister who loves and resents her twin, and above all, missed him terribly.
This is a deeply moving exploration of grief, wryly funny, and heartbreakingly sad. I read it all in a just a couple hours because I was just so engrossed in the way it accurately captured dark humour through its understated tone. It’s above every other average mourning novel in its utter rawness and authenticity. The strength here is in Posthuma’s minimalist prose— razor sharp and perfect in the most nonchalant ways, and it’s this prose that brings such a grim subject some light. It’s impossible to name everything that is beautiful about this novel.
It’s the simplicity of this that makes it so melancholic, and so immersive that I got fully lost and completely forgot I was reading it.
There are no easy answers, maybe no answers at all, to suicide. But the way Posthuma uses vignettes to capture pieces of the narrator’s memories of her brother are just that: not an answer but a mosaic of a recollection, piecing together the seemingly insignificant days we spend with our loved ones, until we realize that are all we have when they leave.
What if one half of a pair of twins no longer wants to live? What if the other can’t live without them? This quote is what lies at the heart of Jente Posthuma’s heartbreakingly simple What I’d Rather Not Think About. The narrator is a twin whose brother has recently taken his own life. She looks back on their childhood, and tells of their adult lives: how her brother tried to find happiness, but lost himself in various men and the Bhagwan movement, though never completely. This is the story of a depressive brother, and the twin sister he leaves behind in the wake of his suicide, from the perspective of this twin sister who loves and resents her twin, and above all, missed him terribly.
This is a deeply moving exploration of grief, wryly funny, and heartbreakingly sad. I read it all in a just a couple hours because I was just so engrossed in the way it accurately captured dark humour through its understated tone. It’s above every other average mourning novel in its utter rawness and authenticity. The strength here is in Posthuma’s minimalist prose— razor sharp and perfect in the most nonchalant ways, and it’s this prose that brings such a grim subject some light. It’s impossible to name everything that is beautiful about this novel.
It’s the simplicity of this that makes it so melancholic, and so immersive that I got fully lost and completely forgot I was reading it.
There are no easy answers, maybe no answers at all, to suicide. But the way Posthuma uses vignettes to capture pieces of the narrator’s memories of her brother are just that: not an answer but a mosaic of a recollection, piecing together the seemingly insignificant days we spend with our loved ones, until we realize that are all we have when they leave.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Depictions of suicidal ideation; main character struggles with depression and the plot is revolved around his suicide.my_a's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Not what I was expecting- in form or focus. The vignette style was unique and I really enjoyed it, short and sharp, this kept my focus and gave the story a more fluid and emerging narrative.
I feel like the focus of the book is slightly mis-sold by the blurb and quotes etc. It's less about the sister coping post-loss, most of the book is about their lives growing up, then his final few months and only the final section of the book is the years after.
But still, I enjoyed it. The prose was direct but precise and layered in places. The final sentences got me.
I feel like the focus of the book is slightly mis-sold by the blurb and quotes etc. It's less about the sister coping post-loss, most of the book is about their lives growing up, then his final few months and only the final section of the book is the years after.
But still, I enjoyed it. The prose was direct but precise and layered in places. The final sentences got me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Death, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault
sparklynightmare's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault and Bullying
fanni_b22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death
prosiaczekk's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Bullying
readwithchar's review
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, and Genocide
lauren_mansfield0201's review
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault
ninascozydayreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Een specifieke rating voor een interessant boek, waar ik eerlijk gezegd nog niet helemaal over uit ben. Eén van mijn doelen dit jaar was om meer in het Nederlands te lezen, sinds mijn Nederlands ondertussen echt een stuk slechter is dan mijn Engels. Ik kwam dit boek toevallig tegen, en omdat ik nu op een literaire fictie kick ben leek het perfect in mijn straatje te passen. Dat klopte op zich ook wel, ik vond het een heel mooi en interessant boek. Het enige probleem met literaire fictie... Ik weet vaak niet wat ik er nou over moet zeggen. Ik wil het analyseren, de thema's en motieven eruit halen maar dat is misschien iets té diepgaand voor een recensie. Echter, dit boek leent zich er ontzettend goed voor. Wat ik vooral mooi vond was hoe persoonlijk het was; het las weg als een dagboek, en op die manier was het ook heel kwetsbaar en soms pijnlijk. Ik vond het mooi dat het achronologisch was, alsof de verteller zelf nog even moest uitpuzzelen wat er nou precies allemaal gebeurd was, en dan puzzelt de lezer zelf ook mee. Dat vond ik wel fijn. De titel zegt genoeg over het boek: Alles waar je liever niet aan denkt, die pijnlijke momenten die eerst insignificant lijken en toch blijkbaar meer kracht hadden, meer impact.
Ik vond dit vooral een mooi boek, wat veel stof tot nadenken gaf. Bij iedere pagina moest ik bijna wel even stilstaan. Als je een wat diepgaander boek wilt, wat in principe makkelijk wegleest omdat de hoofdstukken kort zijn, maar ook langer duurt omdat het best wel een impact kan hebben door de inhoud, dan zou ik dit boek aanraden.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
annefloor's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death
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