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A review by veingloria
The List by Tara Ison
5.0
4.5 rounded up.
I can kind of see why this book has such a low rating—its prose and story structure are unconventional and some odd things occur with the “protagonists’” characterization at times—but I thought it was brilliant. Ison’s prose is beautiful and unique, often poetic, and it follows its own rhythm irrespective of convention. Given the core subject matter, I thought the constant shift from past to present, from reality to fantasy, was appropriate. We’re seeing a relationship in its dying throes and the attendant terminal lucidity before the two main characters leap back into cycles of self-destruction.
I’ve been in a similarly dysfunctional relationship, so perhaps this story resonated with me in ways that it wouldn’t for others. The hot-cold nature of it, the breaking up and getting back together. It’s a singular type of exhaustion and the epitome of “better the devil you know.” After a while, the toxicity becomes comfortable, familiar—seductive, even. And equally seductive are the genuine moments of tenderness and triumph in an otherwise bleak dynamic. Ison captured all of these messy nuances with a masterful touch.
My only qualms that prevented this from getting a solid 5 were that the dialogue was unrealistic in several scenes, which is a pet peeve of mine, and there were certain sections that went a little too hard with the navelgazing, thereby adversely impacting the pacing. They didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment too much, but they were salient.
This is easily one of my favorite books I’ve read in quite some time, and I’d encourage anyone reading to give it a go. It’s disheartening that truly awful books can net 4+ star averages while hidden gems like this remain sorely underrated.
I can kind of see why this book has such a low rating—its prose and story structure are unconventional and some odd things occur with the “protagonists’” characterization at times—but I thought it was brilliant. Ison’s prose is beautiful and unique, often poetic, and it follows its own rhythm irrespective of convention. Given the core subject matter, I thought the constant shift from past to present, from reality to fantasy, was appropriate. We’re seeing a relationship in its dying throes and the attendant terminal lucidity before the two main characters leap back into cycles of self-destruction.
I’ve been in a similarly dysfunctional relationship, so perhaps this story resonated with me in ways that it wouldn’t for others. The hot-cold nature of it, the breaking up and getting back together. It’s a singular type of exhaustion and the epitome of “better the devil you know.” After a while, the toxicity becomes comfortable, familiar—seductive, even. And equally seductive are the genuine moments of tenderness and triumph in an otherwise bleak dynamic. Ison captured all of these messy nuances with a masterful touch.
My only qualms that prevented this from getting a solid 5 were that the dialogue was unrealistic in several scenes, which is a pet peeve of mine, and there were certain sections that went a little too hard with the navelgazing, thereby adversely impacting the pacing. They didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment too much, but they were salient.
This is easily one of my favorite books I’ve read in quite some time, and I’d encourage anyone reading to give it a go. It’s disheartening that truly awful books can net 4+ star averages while hidden gems like this remain sorely underrated.