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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
Ambitious and impressive debut novel from an Australian author who says his 'unusual' upbringing was the inspiration for this novel. In 1980's Brisbane, teen brothers Eli and August (my new favourite literary brothers) are growing up in the care of adults who are low-level drug dealers and criminals. It gave me "Goldfinch" vibes (a 5-star rating from me). It doesn't quite get there, but it's a roller coaster ride of a novel with fascinating characters, funny / sad dialogue and memorable scenes. It's also a love story. Brotherly love. Familial love. First romantic love.
"Slim says the mistake all those old English writers and all those matinee movies make is to suggest true love comes easy, that it waits on stars and planets and revolutions around the sun. Waits on fate. Dormant true love, there for everybody, just waiting to be found, erupting when the thread of existence collides with chance and the eyes of two lovers meet. Boom. From what I've seen of it, true love is hard. Real romance has death in it. True love dies if it has to wait for fate. True love like this asks lovers to cast aside what is meant to be and work with what is."
"Slim says the mistake all those old English writers and all those matinee movies make is to suggest true love comes easy, that it waits on stars and planets and revolutions around the sun. Waits on fate. Dormant true love, there for everybody, just waiting to be found, erupting when the thread of existence collides with chance and the eyes of two lovers meet. Boom. From what I've seen of it, true love is hard. Real romance has death in it. True love dies if it has to wait for fate. True love like this asks lovers to cast aside what is meant to be and work with what is."
“Slim says the mistake of all those old English writers and all those matinee movies is to suggest true love comes easy, that it waits on stars and planets and revolutions around the sun. Waits on fate. Dormant true love, there for everybody, just waiting to be found, erupting when the thread of existence collides with chance and the eyes of two lovers meet. Boom. From what I’ve seen of it, true love is hard. Real romance has death in it. It has midnight shakes and flecks of shit across a bedsheet. True love like this dies if it has to wait for fate. True love like this asks lovers to cast aside what is meant to be and work with what is.”
Wow! I was captivated every page of this book. Just wow!
Wow! I was captivated every page of this book. Just wow!
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book was weird. I felt so sorry for poor Eli Bell who really was dealt a shit hand through his life. I thought it really picked up pace at the end. I don’t want to say to much because I think so many things could be spoilers. I am interested to see what kind of conversations it will lead to for our book club. I did have one quote that I just loved: “...but isn’t there a little white lie in all acts of forgiveness?”
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, what a book!
Stunning writing with a unique style. The cover and title of the book match the tone; an explosion of colour and emotion with a hint of mystery, and a fast-paced plot to move it all along.
It goes without saying that the characters were all well-developed and felt very human, and the plot was great.
But for me, it was the recurring motifs and imagery, for example of the red telephone (who was calling Eli?) and the dead blue wren (how did August know?), that added that extra layer of mystery and made the book so compelling. I loved the open-endedness. Throughout the book, there were suggestions that the story of Eli and August was fateful in some way, or held some kind of cosmic significance, but it was never clear to what extent this was constructed in their own minds as a result of their childhood trauma.
Overall, a fantastic book that felt very real, capturing a unique perspective and leaving you with a bit to think about.
Stunning writing with a unique style. The cover and title of the book match the tone; an explosion of colour and emotion with a hint of mystery, and a fast-paced plot to move it all along.
It goes without saying that the characters were all well-developed and felt very human, and the plot was great.
But for me, it was the recurring motifs and imagery, for example of the red telephone (who was calling Eli?) and the dead blue wren (how did August know?), that added that extra layer of mystery and made the book so compelling. I loved the open-endedness. Throughout the book, there were suggestions that the story of Eli and August was fateful in some way, or held some kind of cosmic significance, but it was never clear to what extent this was constructed in their own minds as a result of their childhood trauma.
Overall, a fantastic book that felt very real, capturing a unique perspective and leaving you with a bit to think about.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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:
Complicated
Just plain brilliant. I love this book. The way he describes emotion, everything from sadness, happiness , confusion, love, he does it perfectly. It's hard for me to fully describe and put into words why I loved this book so much, but I really really do. Everything about it. One of my all time favourites
Australians seem to have a very intimate relationship with misery. Said misery colors everything in this novel about unusual brothers.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
I actually really enjoyed this and I’m not entirely sure why. It was super unique but so addictive