A review by martinag14
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Amazing book. A messy love story (pardon the phrase, please don’t picture something cheesy) in which the main character has about 0 certainties in life, and whose job provokes compelling reflections. There were so many sentences I wanted to underline - and did underline - because I loved both content and form, and sometimes because they felt so. f*cking. relatable too. I appreciated the cast of characters being diverse not only in terms of sexual orientation but also of country of origin, because it offered snippets of information about several cultures.  
 
The chapters are only a few pages long, so it’s quite fast-paced. Therefore, this is probably a good book to get you out of a reading slump if you’re ever in one. 
 
On the back cover, a review compares Dolan to Rooney. I can see that, in terms of the straight-forward writing style, brilliant sense of humor, how it incorporates feminism, Marxism and references to the climate crisis, as well as ability to portray young people credibly. Which is why I just wanted to say - Ireland, thank you baby. Can’t wait to read more from her. 
 
If you need any further convincing, here’s an extract: 
“ ‘Everyone does that, Ava’ she said. ‘You keep describing yourself as this uniquely damaged person, when a lot of it is completely normal. I think you want to feel special -which is fair, who doesn’t- but you won’t allow yourself to feel special in a good way, so you tell yourself you’re especially bad.’ “
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