A review by varun_v
Ticknor by Sheila Heti

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

I don’t know why I enjoyed this book but I did. It’s short but extremely dense. Commas everywhere. Heti’s style is very unique and phonological. She dabbles with second person but it’s not directed at the reader, rather it’s Ticknor talking to himself. It’s tight and tense. Ticknor’s self-consciousness and rambling monologues are really good at pulling you into his mind. This is a book about voice more than anything else, and it’s really well done. I will think of Ticknor every time I miss a streetcar.

Some passages I loved:

It will take me a while to get there. You will get there soon enough. Getting somewhere always involves more effort than the effort of getting there is worth. Of course, there is nothing to be done about it. p5

I’m sorry I’m late. So sorry I’m late. You know how long these winding roads take. So sorry I’m late. Has everything already started? p6

I am very adept at talking to one person. p34

My manner of life is, like everyone’s, patchwork. p64