A review by winterdevil
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 ...nothing matters, and nothing lasts. Everyone forgets, and everything disappears. ... Would anyone miss you, if you went away? Would anyone look for you? Would anyone listen, or even care, if I hurt you? If I put my hands around your neck and crushed your windpipe and chopped you up, would anyone find you? And if it's a no to any of these, did you even exist in the first place?

This book is not for everyone, but it is definitely for me.

From the first page, we know protagonist Irina is not a good person, but Clark renders her inner dialogue and the responses to people around her so well. We know what they're warning about and responding nervously to, even as we're forced to see it from Irina's perspective. Irina looks down on so many people; she is extremely condescending and resentful, yet the side characters were still sympathetic and well-rounded. We feel for them as we watch Irina take advantage.

I think the comparisons to American Psycho are apt, particularly regarding Irina's personality which feels in conversation with Patrick Bateman. Not a copy, but from an overlooked subject that broadens the discussion to include gender in the performance of power and violence. 
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