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gracer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.25
For the most part, I really liked this book. I got sucked in pretty quickly (although, for the sake of clarity, I did start it in the vacuum of a transatlantic flight) and then had a hard time putting it down. I would have finished it sooner, but I got nervous about finishing it without having something else going, so started some other books in the meantime.
The downsides to this book are basically the MFA-writing and the dramatic last 15% or so. The MFA-writing was mostly beareable, aside from the overuse of the word slick:
"the world spun in slow, dark, slick circuits." (p. 20)
"There was something slick in the water" (p. 29)
"some inner surface goes slick and hot" (p. 84)
"he peels back [the apple slices'] slick skins" (p.173)
"slick with sweat" (acceptable. p. 259)
"the slick, cool countertop" (p. 291)
"slick with sweat" (p. 298)
"the smooth, slick concrete stairs" (p. 316)
There's only 8 mentions in the whole book but wow I found it distracting. Mr Taylor, please, retire this word from your vocabulary.
Sorry to dwell on that. I really had to get that off my chest.
More importantly: this is a book about a weekend when everything and nothing happens. It is about a very strong internal life and feeling completely ostracized and alone. It's also about racism and homophobia. (side note: as a white person... damn. This is why we need to read more books by Black authors.) The writing (aside from the previously mentioned) was really engaging; scenes were strong and visual as well as atmospheric. There were almost too many characters, but the way they were introduced, mostly as groups in scene-like situations, made it work - I was only confused a couple times, and only about minor characters (and then the kindle x-ray feature solved any lingering questions).
Gotta love that the token racist, homphobic, manipulative, coddled b**** is a Pacific Northwesterner.
This book was full of really reflective and interesting musings on the nature of being in grad school, how consuming it can be and how hard it is to be part of the "real world" when you are consumed by the world of grad school.
But be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of intense stuff that happens at the end, and a lot of characters unpacking lots of issues throughout. A fast read, but not at all a light one.
The downsides to this book are basically the MFA-writing and the dramatic last 15% or so. The MFA-writing was mostly beareable, aside from the overuse of the word slick:
"the world spun in slow, dark, slick circuits." (p. 20)
"There was something slick in the water" (p. 29)
"some inner surface goes slick and hot" (p. 84)
"he peels back [the apple slices'] slick skins" (p.173)
"slick with sweat" (acceptable. p. 259)
"the slick, cool countertop" (p. 291)
"slick with sweat" (p. 298)
"the smooth, slick concrete stairs" (p. 316)
There's only 8 mentions in the whole book but wow I found it distracting. Mr Taylor, please, retire this word from your vocabulary.
Sorry to dwell on that. I really had to get that off my chest.
More importantly: this is a book about a weekend when everything and nothing happens. It is about a very strong internal life and feeling completely ostracized and alone. It's also about racism and homophobia. (side note: as a white person... damn. This is why we need to read more books by Black authors.) The writing (aside from the previously mentioned) was really engaging; scenes were strong and visual as well as atmospheric. There were almost too many characters, but the way they were introduced, mostly as groups in scene-like situations, made it work - I was only confused a couple times, and only about minor characters (and then the kindle x-ray feature solved any lingering questions).
Gotta love that the token racist, homphobic, manipulative, coddled b**** is a Pacific Northwesterner.
This book was full of really reflective and interesting musings on the nature of being in grad school, how consuming it can be and how hard it is to be part of the "real world" when you are consumed by the world of grad school.
But be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of intense stuff that happens at the end, and a lot of characters unpacking lots of issues throughout. A fast read, but not at all a light one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Abandonment
annreadsabook's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
real life is an introspective, melancholically realistic read that's startlingly sublime and nuanced, and i quite liked it up until towards the end where my enjoyment unfortunately wanes for a few reasons.
this book masterfully captures the bone-deep exhaustion of a queer black man navigating adulthood who's been through - is still going through - a lot of shit, and flays open the world's bullshit for all to see. taylor offers a deep, skeptical exploration of the world of academia - and by extension the main character wallace's escape of his source of trauma - and asks: is this real life, a life spent in labs, cocooned from the outside world? is staying in one's comfort zone truly better than taking one's chances in harsh reality?
i enjoy the illustration of subtle maneuvering and socializing as well, how a person - specifically someone deemed a minority or different - has to be sacrified for the comfort of the greater group around both the literal and proverbial table. the microaggressions and sometimes overt racism endured by wallace are scream-inducing and infuriating, once again shedding light on the reality of black folks and how white ppl gonna white ppl, even the supposedly 'good' ones. most of the characters are also nuanced and multidimensional.
however, i find the writing to be a lil stiff at times esp in the beginning. the long soliloquys on birds and the like - even though i kinda get their symbolic significance - also annoy me, as they sometimes seem too out-of-the-blue and affect the pacing.
nevertheless, my personal dislike of the lack of character growth is what most affects the book's overall rating towards the end. i respect the author's decision and am aware that it'd be unrealistic for wallace to significantly develop or change in some way w/in the period of one friggin weekend. what bothers me actually isnt the lack of character development but the character's unwillingness to change - maybe even overt avoidance or active decision to self-destruct - despite being aware of his own faults, though to be fair it's perhaps a result of his trauma and family conditioning. still, too much has happened for there to not be any change, yet awareness might be the first step towards it.
overall, this is a novel that subtly yet powerfully explores its themes, main character, and the world around him, esp in regards to racism and mental illness, though i personally would've liked more subtle interspersing of symbolism and more character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer, Vomit, and Abandonment
marjoleinvanderspoel's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolute new fave. I'm here for societal critque and especially if it includes acedemia. And what a painful but beautiful book this was. Filled with rage, hurt, fear and indecision, it's nuanced and unapologetic and real. Immediately adding Taylor's other work to my tbr.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Blood, and Dysphoria
thatnewgroove's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
isobel's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Vomit
rinku's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I still struggle with writing reviews for books I love, and it’s the same with Real Life. Something about this book resonated deeply with me and while I often find contemporary literature kinda boring, I was here eager to read every page of this book.
Real Life only takes place at one weekend but shows how significant such a short period can have in one’s life. The greatest strength of this book is that everything just feels so real: the university setting, the characters, their constellations, and emotions.
The university environment was so interesting to see, and I liked the focus on biochemistry – one of those research fields that always intrigued me. The dynamic of this place was interesting to see as well and shocking/sad when looking at the unfair way Wallace was treated. He is everyone’s punching bag there and has to suffer all those microaggressions.
Coming to the characters, they were described so vividly that they also felt like real people, especially Wallace’s friends. Everyone had their own struggles and the relationships they had to each other felt realistic as well.
Wallace as the main character is obviously the best written character of this novel. He as well felt like a real person with his own interests and an amazing depiction of this emotions. His life is so depressing, and it truly feels that he has no one in this world. I probably couldn’t have read this book at a better point in time, because many things Wallace was reflecting on – his job and if he’s even enjoying it, what it means to have friends and what it means when you try to please everybody – were things I was thinking about as well.
Of course, this book dominantly reflects on other aspects, like what it means to be queer or how it feels to be black when everyone around you is white. Again, it’s so well described that you can feel every little emotion Wallace feels as well. My only critique are probably the long chapters that seem to be common in contemporary books, but I never like them. Nevertheless, Real Life is an amazing character study.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol
nickoliver's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
After reading "Slay" by Brittney Morris, I was still extremely in the mood for a book written by a Black author. I wasn't quite picky about the genre or the age group, so I just picked the one I had the most interest in. Which happened to be this one.
I am not entirely sure what to think of it. I had no idea what to expect from it, because going into it, the only thing I knew was that the main character was a queer Black guy. I did read the synopsis before starting it, but even then, it didn’t tell me all too much, except that the main character had a friend group were some guys were straight, some guys were gay, and some guys were presumably straight but not really. And not knowing what exactly was coming my way definitely made me a bit nervous.
The entire book was only set over a weekend. It didn't let you forget that, but it still sometimes didn’t feel like that, because so much stuff happened (while at the same time, nothing at all). It started out on Friday, when Wallace, the main character, met his friends in a park (I think?), and ended on Sunday, or possibly Monday. At the beginning of the book, Wallace started hooking up with one of his presumably straight friends, Miller. Their relationship wasn’t the main plot, but it was pretty central.
What I didn’t expect was how relatable everything was going to be. A lot of the things Wallace said or thought were things that could’ve come from my mind, which made the book a lot more personal than I had anticipated. The book made me emotional and also kind of uncomfortable, because it made me confront certain things I wasn’t ready to confront (a lot of things about my life, especially my line of work).
The funny thing about the relatability was that it made me kind of give Wallace my own personality, so every time he acted in a way I didn’t expect, I was the Pikachu meme. It did made it a bit hard sometimes because I got infuriated with Wallace - for example, when he was a bit of a jerk, or when he didn’t defend himself -, but the latter made sense if I switched my privilege off for a second, and the former was probably my own fault for assuming I knew his entire personality after a short amount of pages.
I was reminded again that sometimes, looking up trigger warnings beforehand would do me good. Because just like in "Ninth House" by Leigh Bardugo last year, I got blindsided again by a child being sexually abused. And it was pretty fucked up. It went into detail and also insinuated that the parents were kind of okay with that or at least expected it? There was also religious trauma, because his parents were the religious, bigoted type (and overall abusive as all hell). And Taylor showed how it messed Wallace up; how he seemed to have gotten used to sex hurting and being used for pleasure. It hurt to read that.
I really liked the way Taylor talked about Wallace’s Blackness and the way it made people treat him differently at work (and generally). For example, the way he had to work twice as hard to get even half the recognition his white colleagues got, and the way he had to deal with slurs and mistreatment without anyone sticking up for him. That’s what got to me the most: that no one ever defended him. For example, at certain times, one of his friends would be really mad at him for something and chew him out over it, even if it was completely inappropriate and they were in the wrong, and no one would stand up for him? Sometimes, they’d come up to him later and apologise for not saying anything earlier, but honestly, that just made them shittier people. If you don’t speak up when something hateful is being said or done, you’re part of the problem. Reading this story made me feel angry a lot, especially in a numb, powerless kind of way, but that felt deliberate.
While I was sometimes angry at Wallace for not defending himself, I did understand why he didn’t. It was easy for me to be frustrated, because I was never in that situation. I never had someone see me as inferior solely because of my skin colour, so I had to acknowledge my privilege there. In any way, it made sense that Wallace was too tired to keep defending himself, because it either never led anywhere anyways, or it made things even worse for him. So he just let people treat him like shit, because he couldn’t imagine an alternative where he could’ve successfully stood up for himself. I got infuriated a lot, and honestly, all I wanted to do was give Wallace a hug and take a piece of the burden off his shoulders.
I was a huge fan of the Taylor’s writing. I have no idea why, exactly - I can’t pinpoint it -, but it scratched an itch for me in a way that was extremely satisfying. I’d definitely read something else by Taylor for that alone.
The only thing I didn’t particularly like was the ending. It was very open-ended and didn’t really wrap up any of the plot points. In a way it made sense, because the story read more like a “slice of life” story than anything else, and again, it was only set over a weekend. But I still would’ve liked to see at least some of the threads wrapped up. This way, it was a bit too unsatisfying to me.
I am not entirely sure what to think of it. I had no idea what to expect from it, because going into it, the only thing I knew was that the main character was a queer Black guy. I did read the synopsis before starting it, but even then, it didn’t tell me all too much, except that the main character had a friend group were some guys were straight, some guys were gay, and some guys were presumably straight but not really. And not knowing what exactly was coming my way definitely made me a bit nervous.
The entire book was only set over a weekend. It didn't let you forget that, but it still sometimes didn’t feel like that, because so much stuff happened (while at the same time, nothing at all). It started out on Friday, when Wallace, the main character, met his friends in a park (I think?), and ended on Sunday, or possibly Monday. At the beginning of the book, Wallace started hooking up with one of his presumably straight friends, Miller. Their relationship wasn’t the main plot, but it was pretty central.
What I didn’t expect was how relatable everything was going to be. A lot of the things Wallace said or thought were things that could’ve come from my mind, which made the book a lot more personal than I had anticipated. The book made me emotional and also kind of uncomfortable, because it made me confront certain things I wasn’t ready to confront (a lot of things about my life, especially my line of work).
The funny thing about the relatability was that it made me kind of give Wallace my own personality, so every time he acted in a way I didn’t expect, I was the Pikachu meme. It did made it a bit hard sometimes because I got infuriated with Wallace - for example, when he was a bit of a jerk, or when he didn’t defend himself -, but the latter made sense if I switched my privilege off for a second, and the former was probably my own fault for assuming I knew his entire personality after a short amount of pages.
I was reminded again that sometimes, looking up trigger warnings beforehand would do me good. Because just like in "Ninth House" by Leigh Bardugo last year, I got blindsided again by a child being sexually abused. And it was pretty fucked up. It went into detail and also insinuated that the parents were kind of okay with that or at least expected it? There was also religious trauma, because his parents were the religious, bigoted type (and overall abusive as all hell). And Taylor showed how it messed Wallace up; how he seemed to have gotten used to sex hurting and being used for pleasure. It hurt to read that.
I really liked the way Taylor talked about Wallace’s Blackness and the way it made people treat him differently at work (and generally). For example, the way he had to work twice as hard to get even half the recognition his white colleagues got, and the way he had to deal with slurs and mistreatment without anyone sticking up for him. That’s what got to me the most: that no one ever defended him. For example, at certain times, one of his friends would be really mad at him for something and chew him out over it, even if it was completely inappropriate and they were in the wrong, and no one would stand up for him? Sometimes, they’d come up to him later and apologise for not saying anything earlier, but honestly, that just made them shittier people. If you don’t speak up when something hateful is being said or done, you’re part of the problem. Reading this story made me feel angry a lot, especially in a numb, powerless kind of way, but that felt deliberate.
While I was sometimes angry at Wallace for not defending himself, I did understand why he didn’t. It was easy for me to be frustrated, because I was never in that situation. I never had someone see me as inferior solely because of my skin colour, so I had to acknowledge my privilege there. In any way, it made sense that Wallace was too tired to keep defending himself, because it either never led anywhere anyways, or it made things even worse for him. So he just let people treat him like shit, because he couldn’t imagine an alternative where he could’ve successfully stood up for himself. I got infuriated a lot, and honestly, all I wanted to do was give Wallace a hug and take a piece of the burden off his shoulders.
I was a huge fan of the Taylor’s writing. I have no idea why, exactly - I can’t pinpoint it -, but it scratched an itch for me in a way that was extremely satisfying. I’d definitely read something else by Taylor for that alone.
The only thing I didn’t particularly like was the ending. It was very open-ended and didn’t really wrap up any of the plot points. In a way it made sense, because the story read more like a “slice of life” story than anything else, and again, it was only set over a weekend. But I still would’ve liked to see at least some of the threads wrapped up. This way, it was a bit too unsatisfying to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia and Racial slurs
samarakroeger's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Christopher Isherwood meets Transcendent Kingdom meets Bryan Washington (???) -- I'm doing that thing again where I end up picking up books that are pretty different on the surface but end up covering very similar themes/topics or have similar tones. Real Life takes place over a very short time period and deals with queerness, otherness, and grief like A Single Man, and the coldness of the tone is almost dissociative, like Isherwood. It also has a similar setting to Transcendent Kingdom (Black grad student from Alabama studying STEM at a PWI) and for some reason I can't quite place Brandon Taylor's writing reminds me of Bryan Washington. Both Memorial and Real Life fail to show a single healthy relationship and both have "unsatisfying" endings (which I personally appreciate). If you liked any of these elements in other books, you might really like Real Life.
Real Life honestly sometimes felt a little too real, certainly very raw and almost dejected. I'm glad I didn't read this while I was struggling to slog through my STEM degree and frequently felt like I didn't belong there. The Imposter Syndrome vibes are very very strong and honestly is a bit of a trigger warning if that would hit too close to home at the moment. If you're feeling very lonely and lost in the world, proceed with caution. I felt it perfectly captured the Midwestern microaggression flavor and casual racism/sexism/homophobia in a place that is "proud of being woke and liberal" but is still overwhelmingly white. Also, the frustration of advisor favoritism.
The writing style veered a little too close to purple prose for me at times. However, given that Taylor wrote this in a matter of weeks (!!!), I think its solid foundation could have benefitted from just a bit more editing.
I liked all the hints that it was set at UW Madison without ever mentioning it by name, which felt like a fun little easter egg hunt for Midwesterners. I feel like I have to be right because UW Madison is Taylor's alma mater and Real Life seems pretty heavily autobiographical.
All in all, I can see how this book would be divisive for people. There's nothing uplifting about this, there's no healthy relationships, there's no real conclusion or lesson to take away from it. It could be deeply triggering for some people, or verge on not being relatable enough to others. Personally, I liked it a lot, but I can't say I'd recommend this across the board.
Real Life honestly sometimes felt a little too real, certainly very raw and almost dejected. I'm glad I didn't read this while I was struggling to slog through my STEM degree and frequently felt like I didn't belong there. The Imposter Syndrome vibes are very very strong and honestly is a bit of a trigger warning if that would hit too close to home at the moment. If you're feeling very lonely and lost in the world, proceed with caution. I felt it perfectly captured the Midwestern microaggression flavor and casual racism/sexism/homophobia in a place that is "proud of being woke and liberal" but is still overwhelmingly white. Also, the frustration of advisor favoritism.
The writing style veered a little too close to purple prose for me at times. However, given that Taylor wrote this in a matter of weeks (!!!), I think its solid foundation could have benefitted from just a bit more editing.
I liked all the hints that it was set at UW Madison without ever mentioning it by name, which felt like a fun little easter egg hunt for Midwesterners. I feel like I have to be right because UW Madison is Taylor's alma mater and Real Life seems pretty heavily autobiographical.
All in all, I can see how this book would be divisive for people. There's nothing uplifting about this, there's no healthy relationships, there's no real conclusion or lesson to take away from it. It could be deeply triggering for some people, or verge on not being relatable enough to others. Personally, I liked it a lot, but I can't say I'd recommend this across the board.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Grief
Imposter Syndrome and feeling incredibly lonely and hopeless in the world also prevalent themesseawarrior's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
Real Life is a heavy, honest coming of age story that focuses on graduate student Wallace, as he realizes the depths of his discontent over the course of a weekend. Wallace is the only Black graduate student in his program, an alienating experience which is made worse by acts of sabotage, statements of thinly veiled racism, and silence from his white peers. Taylor pulls no punches while describing how Wallace feels, and unravels why he is compelled to either placate or push away those he calls his friends as the story goes on. This book contains effective but visceral descriptions of trauma and how it pecks its way into people and slumbers within them, poisoning them quietly for a spell before squawking loudly for attention. If you are triggered by descriptions of sexual assault, especially against minors, this is not a book I would ever recommend to you. Yet I never felt like Taylor exploited Wallace's history of surviving assault to elicit shock or pity from the reader. Instead we are led to understand, similarly to Wallace, that his history cannot be escaped, and that his flee to academia has piled on new violations hidden under politeness and guilty apologies while exacerbating his poor self-esteem. Taylor makes it impossible not to empathize with Wallace, and I desperately wished for him to find safety and happiness somewhere in his world. The ending of the book was disappointing to me because Wallace's life did not improve, but I don't regret having read it. Taylor's prose is striking and glittering with insight, so I would still highly recommend this book to those who can stomach the subject matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism