You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
Beautiful writing. Just not my style. Too strange for me. I couldn't finish.
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story is all over the place, the characters are interesting but not grounded enough to perceive them. The constant jumpy narrative made me start drafting notes just to keep track. Language is beautiful and thoughts and meaningful but this definitely not a read for pleasure book.
Yeah I finished the book and it didn't get better! It just rambles on and on without a point and she tried so many different angles and nothing really goes anywhere. The characters are almost good then they aren't and that makes me rate it so much lower than just bad writing it's good writing trapped with dead end ideas.
Yeah I finished the book and it didn't get better! It just rambles on and on without a point and she tried so many different angles and nothing really goes anywhere. The characters are almost good then they aren't and that makes me rate it so much lower than just bad writing it's good writing trapped with dead end ideas.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm oscillating between a 3 and a 4 on this one. This feels like a fractured fairy tale mixed with a soap opera flipped upside down that doesn't fully come together in the end. I truly love Oyeyemi's beautiful language, narrative experimentation, exploration of various themes including race, gender, family, class, emigration, but something here doesn't fully gel. The result is a book that is a bit off-kilter, but still engaging (especially if off-kilter is your thing, as it is mine). The more time I spent with it, the more I felt myself engrossed in what was happening, even if I didn't entirely understand what was going on. The more time you give to Oyeyemi, the more you get out of her writing, so I'll probably give this a re-read in the future to further untangle some of the more sticky elements.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Language for language’s sake. It’s surrealist, but poignant, especially when dealing with themes of loneliness, belonging, saviourism, autonomy.
It’s a difficult read, it’s meant to make you uncomfortable and disorients you. But that’s also what leads to the beautiful pages of prose.
It’s a difficult read, it’s meant to make you uncomfortable and disorients you. But that’s also what leads to the beautiful pages of prose.
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
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
This was a Book Club selection and I really wanted to like it. But after several attempts (audio and hardcover) I was never able to get comfortable with the narrative or characters. In the end, I have no idea what this book is about.
Some of the language is quite lovely but I'm probably too linear to enjoy or appreciate this meandering story.
Some of the language is quite lovely but I'm probably too linear to enjoy or appreciate this meandering story.
I really hated the writing style and seemed to have zero plot