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A review by julinino19
Delphi by Clare Pollard
2.0
1.5 || You know what? This one's on me. I saw the cover and title, alluding to greek mythology/Ancient Greece, and I caved. I should have read some reviews beforehand, and I definitely should've read the synopsis a bit more closely. Why? Because I wouldn't have read it if I would've known this book is one woman's account of 2020 and 2021 and how much life sucked. I know it sucked, and I have zero interest in revisiting all that in a novel.
In my defense, the synopsis makes it sound like this explores greek myth a lot more than it actually does. The element of referencing greek myth (specifically pertaining to prophecy) was absolutely not enough to make this stand out as more than just a book recounting those two miserable years. It was also not an element that helped our narrator accomplish any sort of arc/breakthrough. And, yeah, maybe that was the whole point—to have a lackluster experience alongside our narrator. Well, I gotta say, not a fan.
I give it the 0.5 and round it up to 2 stars solely for the times that greek myth was explored, even if it was done in a very boring way. Also, I didn't see the ending coming. This doesn't mean I liked the ending, but I like being caught off guard, so you know, credit where it's due.
Now you know why I didn't like it, but you might really love this! If you enjoy autofiction, then you might wanna give this a go. Now, there are many debates on what classifies a novel as autofiction, but if you have enjoyed this subgenre from the likes of Sheila Heti, where autofiction isn't necessarily "autobiographical fiction," but a specific kind of prose—one that feels like you are reading diary entries—then this might be your jam! In fact, I have read Pure Colour by Sheila Heti and I couldn't help but be reminded of my reading experience with that book whilst reading Delphi.
There are similarities in the narrative style and the exploration of the self—introspective thoughts accompanied by an examination of art, culture, and politics.
I actually quite enjoyed Pure Colour, so I wouldn't be opposed to this kind of novel again in the future, just less Covid-y, lol.
And just in case you are like me and you like to know more about niche subgenres that are on a rise, then here is a really sick article that helped me understand autofiction a bit more—its origins, its evolution, its staple authors, etc. ⬇️
https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/how-auto-is-autofiction.html
In my defense, the synopsis makes it sound like this explores greek myth a lot more than it actually does. The element of referencing greek myth (specifically pertaining to prophecy) was absolutely not enough to make this stand out as more than just a book recounting those two miserable years. It was also not an element that helped our narrator accomplish any sort of arc/breakthrough. And, yeah, maybe that was the whole point—to have a lackluster experience alongside our narrator. Well, I gotta say, not a fan.
I give it the 0.5 and round it up to 2 stars solely for the times that greek myth was explored, even if it was done in a very boring way. Also, I didn't see the ending coming. This doesn't mean I liked the ending, but I like being caught off guard, so you know, credit where it's due.
Now you know why I didn't like it, but you might really love this! If you enjoy autofiction, then you might wanna give this a go. Now, there are many debates on what classifies a novel as autofiction, but if you have enjoyed this subgenre from the likes of Sheila Heti, where autofiction isn't necessarily "autobiographical fiction," but a specific kind of prose—one that feels like you are reading diary entries—then this might be your jam! In fact, I have read Pure Colour by Sheila Heti and I couldn't help but be reminded of my reading experience with that book whilst reading Delphi.
There are similarities in the narrative style and the exploration of the self—introspective thoughts accompanied by an examination of art, culture, and politics.
I actually quite enjoyed Pure Colour, so I wouldn't be opposed to this kind of novel again in the future, just less Covid-y, lol.
And just in case you are like me and you like to know more about niche subgenres that are on a rise, then here is a really sick article that helped me understand autofiction a bit more—its origins, its evolution, its staple authors, etc. ⬇️
https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/how-auto-is-autofiction.html