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rinimou 's review for:
Modern Lovers
by Emma Straub
It is a difficult feat to capture the minutia of life in such a way that readers will find it interesting to the very end. Most people, I think, dont want to read books about the daily toils of life, because they are living it. But Straub captures the perfect mundanity of her characters' thoughts and minds, along with the stress, the joy, the frustration, and resentment. Each character is both a "type" of person and much more complicated than that; they fall into their own traps, their self-sabotage, and their petty resentments, but they also show deep capacity for forgiveness and strength.
Straub pulls back facades to reveal what we think but never say, or what we think and only say when we've come to the end of our rope.
I often dislike shifting perspectives because it can make a narrative unfocused, but it is well done in Modern Lovers. The varying perspectives overlap just enough that the reader is given a more complete picture of how each character relates to the others, but not enough that the reader feels omniscient. With this writing style, Straub can reveal discrepancies in the way we view ourselves vs. the way other people view us, as well as the lies we tell ourselves and others to preserve dignity. Straub is very artful in her portrayal of the intricacies of daily interactions, of coming of age, and of still figuring out who you are, even at 50. Even if such hyper realism isn't your cup of tea, Modern Lovers is nothing if not relatable.
If you are aging, you will either hate or love this book. If your marriage is falling apart, you will hate or love this book. If you were in a college band that had one hit song before you got married, had a kid, and gave up on a musical career, you will hate or love this book. Some people don't like having their lives reflected or revealed to them, but Straub reflects and reveals nonetheless.
Straub pulls back facades to reveal what we think but never say, or what we think and only say when we've come to the end of our rope.
I often dislike shifting perspectives because it can make a narrative unfocused, but it is well done in Modern Lovers. The varying perspectives overlap just enough that the reader is given a more complete picture of how each character relates to the others, but not enough that the reader feels omniscient. With this writing style, Straub can reveal discrepancies in the way we view ourselves vs. the way other people view us, as well as the lies we tell ourselves and others to preserve dignity. Straub is very artful in her portrayal of the intricacies of daily interactions, of coming of age, and of still figuring out who you are, even at 50. Even if such hyper realism isn't your cup of tea, Modern Lovers is nothing if not relatable.
If you are aging, you will either hate or love this book. If your marriage is falling apart, you will hate or love this book. If you were in a college band that had one hit song before you got married, had a kid, and gave up on a musical career, you will hate or love this book. Some people don't like having their lives reflected or revealed to them, but Straub reflects and reveals nonetheless.