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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
i read this because i saw it recommended as a book to read during the post-holiday winter months and i must say i agree. a collection of 17 short stories, some as short as 3 pages long, dealing with themes of love (duh), loss, infidelity, and more. my favorite ones were the titular story (what we talk about when we talk about love), why don’t you dance?, and so much water so close to home.
these stories are like if you were dropped in the middle of a scene and then promptly picked up and moved to the next. this, i think, contributed to the way carver’s writing felt almost sparse, with the most important things left unsaid. like they were said before or after you left each scene.
these stories are like if you were dropped in the middle of a scene and then promptly picked up and moved to the next. this, i think, contributed to the way carver’s writing felt almost sparse, with the most important things left unsaid. like they were said before or after you left each scene.
i don’t think I was the target audience for this book at all. simply didn’t get it at all. it had been on my TBR list for a while and I’m glad I read it but I’m sorry nope I don’t see any hype - 2
Well! This is a book that encapsulates that feeling you get being the last one to leave the cinema long after the credits have rolled. I don't know if I Loved it, because it's a book that seems to reject love - it's extremely depressing and has obviously not heard of the phrase 'happy ending' (or, potentially, 'ending') but at the same time the quickfire conversation and sparse prose makes it inherently human. I don't know. It's relatable, but in a way you wouldn't want it to be relatable. It's cheap gin and lonely nights. It's incomplete and leaves you dangling off the edge of a cliff but you're also glad to be dangling. It's weird! It's human.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i keep coming back to this collection. every story in this feels like a rorschach test, you see what you want and what you can, according to your own biases. it’s as if Carver picks you up and places you right into the awkward and weird bits of life we often skip over in fiction and in our memories. reading this always leaves me with more questions than answers, so i’ll probably keep re-reading this one forever
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes