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A review by icarusandthesun
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
the delulu is strong with this one♥
lemme tell you what i think—tori spring is insufferable.
i guess i'm just too old for these books, i really believe that. because 12-year-old me would've eaten this up for sure. melodrama and excruciating self-pity, and "i'm so different", and "everyone else is stupid and immature but not me."
i shared these thoughts with tori once, and maybe that's why i hate her so much. because i used to be insufferable, too. the only difference is, i was insufferable at 12, she's still insufferable at sweet 16.
seriously, if i were this advice-resistent and on top of that incredibly rude to my parents (ignoring their questions for no reason other than being an absolute asshole) they would straight-up disown me for sure. at one point, tori's dad sighs and mutters "teenagers" under his breath and she goes on that tangent that her being a teenager doesn't explain everything about her, ... but it really does though.
i literally chuckled at her dad's remark because man, that's what i was thinking for the whole 390 pages this book sports.
i believe this behavior comes from a place of deep narcissism and lack of empathy. tori is incredibly close-minded and i understand that depression can do that to someone. it makes you selfish and self-centred and short-sighted. but the older you get the more you're able to put it into perspective. you realize that you're in fact not the only person who suffers, and you realize that the people you called "stupid" or immature for liking "basic" things have a complex internal life just like you do. they're simply not being as insufferable as you.
i also really don't understand why the characters in this book kept trying to become friends with tori. she's boring, she's no one, she's got no personality at all. she's not passionate about anything, and again, i understand depression can do that to you, but worse, everything her friends suggest or ask her about, it's always just "i hate it." i hate this, i hate myself, blah blah blah.
what's interesting about a person who hates everything, who keeps running away, who keeps shutting everybody out, who keeps venting without permission, who keeps seeking pity from herself and everyone around her?
this whole book was just so excruciatingly boring. literally a bad fanfiction. the diary of a thoughtless, selfish teenage girl. the ending felt like a fever dream and was more than unrealistic (it was literally "and then everybody clapped"). so many bad choices. remarks on depression and suicidal thoughts were thrown around like they mean nothing. pretentious ahh quotes.
i feel no pity towards tori, i'm really sorry. i can't muster up any pity for someone who desperately tries not to get better, who's an inactive, inanimate charity case, who can't say a single smart thing, instead pulling the whole "i hate myself, i want to die so bad, i'm nothing, i'm horrible" spiel on the reader over and over and over again. she's so delusional, it hurts.
i agree, she does need to seek professional help, and not only because of her depression.
maybe look into sociopathy, too.
lemme tell you what i think—tori spring is insufferable.
i guess i'm just too old for these books, i really believe that. because 12-year-old me would've eaten this up for sure. melodrama and excruciating self-pity, and "i'm so different", and "everyone else is stupid and immature but not me."
i shared these thoughts with tori once, and maybe that's why i hate her so much. because i used to be insufferable, too. the only difference is, i was insufferable at 12, she's still insufferable at sweet 16.
seriously, if i were this advice-resistent and on top of that incredibly rude to my parents (ignoring their questions for no reason other than being an absolute asshole) they would straight-up disown me for sure. at one point, tori's dad sighs and mutters "teenagers" under his breath and she goes on that tangent that her being a teenager doesn't explain everything about her, ... but it really does though.
i literally chuckled at her dad's remark because man, that's what i was thinking for the whole 390 pages this book sports.
i believe this behavior comes from a place of deep narcissism and lack of empathy. tori is incredibly close-minded and i understand that depression can do that to someone. it makes you selfish and self-centred and short-sighted. but the older you get the more you're able to put it into perspective. you realize that you're in fact not the only person who suffers, and you realize that the people you called "stupid" or immature for liking "basic" things have a complex internal life just like you do. they're simply not being as insufferable as you.
i also really don't understand why the characters in this book kept trying to become friends with tori. she's boring, she's no one, she's got no personality at all. she's not passionate about anything, and again, i understand depression can do that to you, but worse, everything her friends suggest or ask her about, it's always just "i hate it." i hate this, i hate myself, blah blah blah.
what's interesting about a person who hates everything, who keeps running away, who keeps shutting everybody out, who keeps venting without permission, who keeps seeking pity from herself and everyone around her?
this whole book was just so excruciatingly boring. literally a bad fanfiction. the diary of a thoughtless, selfish teenage girl. the ending felt like a fever dream and was more than unrealistic (it was literally "and then everybody clapped"). so many bad choices. remarks on depression and suicidal thoughts were thrown around like they mean nothing. pretentious ahh quotes.
i feel no pity towards tori, i'm really sorry. i can't muster up any pity for someone who desperately tries not to get better, who's an inactive, inanimate charity case, who can't say a single smart thing, instead pulling the whole "i hate myself, i want to die so bad, i'm nothing, i'm horrible" spiel on the reader over and over and over again. she's so delusional, it hurts.
i agree, she does need to seek professional help, and not only because of her depression.
maybe look into sociopathy, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Eating disorder, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Self harm, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail