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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
3.5 stars — Hypnotic and skillfully written, with meditative descriptions of landscapes, anatomies, chores, isolation, and travel. As gorgeously written as this novel is, I do wish the story added up to more than just a random string of events that harden a lonely boy into a lonely man. I appreciate that chaos and solitude are core to the theme, but I personally struggled to attach myself to any set of characters, knowing they’d be inevitably whisked away after a chapter or two. All told, life just sort of whips our protagonist one way and then another, either for weeks or years. Thankfully, even while the specific events blur together, the protagonist stands out and the stellar prose kept me invested and entranced for the journey.
holy FUCK. i did not know i had the ability to like a book with no explicit queerness but boy oh boy did this change my mind. so beautiful. hernan diaz you are a genius!
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There’s good stuff here. Diaz makes a rather simple tale quite compelling. But by the end it was extremely unclear to me what it was all for
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
I don’t know how I feel about the ending. I loved the book but I didn’t feel fully satisfied by Hakan resigning himself to a life of loneliness like that. I know that was the point but the cadence of the story kind of fell flat at the end because of it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Incredible, heartbreaking story of loneliness on the American Frontier. Not for the faint of heart.
This was the perfect antidote to the Cormac McCarthy-esque westerns I’ve grown so tired of. “Mesmerizing” is the word that most comes to mind, but at the same time, I think this might be one of the saddest books I’ve read this year. The whole novel is brimming with a low key depression (for lack of better word) and it expertly captures inner desolation, which is so clearly mirrored in the setting (just look at the book cover…). This book deserves more recognition.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
medium-paced