Scan barcode
A review by syddey_syd
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Could you make Montreal sound any more depressing?
As a lover of the city, I found it difficult to reconcile the Montreal portrayed in the book with the Montreal I know and love. The amount of times the characters would say they were cold, only for me to scream to myself, “Then buy a warmer coat!!” were too many to count.
Mandel is great at creating atmosphere, but this was a depressing, gloomy, liminal-space-like atmosphere that I hated immersing myself in. I found each of the main characters insufferable for different reasons. Upon finishing the book, I found myself wondering what the POINT of all that was. Perhaps someone smarter or more poetic than me will understand, but I honestly felt like I’d spent a few hours wading through mud.
Lastly, how Mandel portrayed the French-English divide in Montreal bothered me. Perhaps it was a different story a decade or two ago, but I’ve never met someone who insulted an American for not being able to speak French. I think the vibe of the language divide was verging on correct, but Mandel wrote about it in such an exaggerated way that it really put me off.
I rate it 2.5 stars for having some beautiful prose and interesting enough characters, even if they did make me want to shake them.
As a lover of the city, I found it difficult to reconcile the Montreal portrayed in the book with the Montreal I know and love. The amount of times the characters would say they were cold, only for me to scream to myself, “Then buy a warmer coat!!” were too many to count.
Mandel is great at creating atmosphere, but this was a depressing, gloomy, liminal-space-like atmosphere that I hated immersing myself in. I found each of the main characters insufferable for different reasons. Upon finishing the book, I found myself wondering what the POINT of all that was. Perhaps someone smarter or more poetic than me will understand, but I honestly felt like I’d spent a few hours wading through mud.
Lastly, how Mandel portrayed the French-English divide in Montreal bothered me. Perhaps it was a different story a decade or two ago, but I’ve never met someone who insulted an American for not being able to speak French. I think the vibe of the language divide was verging on correct, but Mandel wrote about it in such an exaggerated way that it really put me off.
I rate it 2.5 stars for having some beautiful prose and interesting enough characters, even if they did make me want to shake them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide