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A review by gingerneko
Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee
2.0
This was a book I very much wanted to like. However, I felt it was a little too clever for itself. The characterization was weak and left the reader unable to really sympathize with the characters; I sincerely found myself not liking any of the adult characters at all.
I had the feeling the author set out to write a book about late-stage capitalism, and decided to make it artsy along the way. The story conceit about the selling and stealing of literal sleeping-at-night dreams is a little too nail-on-the-head for my tastes, but without the intrusion of the author's writing style, it could have made for a solid story if paired with more well-defined characters.
The writing style, however, kept pointing to itself and dancing on the pages, and while I think that stylistically, I can appreciate the skill and effort that went into this, in terms of actual engaging story, it fails on many levels.
I had the feeling the author set out to write a book about late-stage capitalism, and decided to make it artsy along the way. The story conceit about the selling and stealing of literal sleeping-at-night dreams is a little too nail-on-the-head for my tastes, but without the intrusion of the author's writing style, it could have made for a solid story if paired with more well-defined characters.
The writing style, however, kept pointing to itself and dancing on the pages, and while I think that stylistically, I can appreciate the skill and effort that went into this, in terms of actual engaging story, it fails on many levels.