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A review by lit_laugh_luv
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
5.0
Absolute knockout debut (dare I say lightning in a bottle?). It takes a lot of craft to write a novel that features such unlikeable characters and insufferable relationships without a substantial plot that still grasps your attention so well. While [b:My Year of Rest and Relaxation|44279110|My Year of Rest and Relaxation|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597676656l/44279110._SY75_.jpg|55508660] certainly wasn't the first book in this niche, it is probably the poster child for the emergence of this literary niche and Worry certainly rivals it in execution. It is exactly what I'm hoping to find when I pick up a book about messy Millenials navigating life.
Worry encapsulates sibling rivalry and hot-and-cold relationships perfectly. Poppy and Jules are both bratty and immature, yet their constant conflicts never grew tiring to me. The witty banter and comedic delivery help break up the monotony, and the quips about MLMs and yummy mummies were so on-brand for their characters. There's a subtle evolution to their relationship as the book progresses, but I think the consistency of it highlights the nuance of sibling relationships over the others we have in our lives. It's a constant oscillation of cooperating and dueling that even the closest friendships don't have.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I think it really enhanced the experience for me. Helen Laser does a superb job capturing the indignation and hypocrisy of both Poppy and Jules. Both of them are performative and dramatic, but the minor nuances in their conflict are captured so well via audio that I wonder if I'd have enjoyed this as much physically reading it.
Nonetheless, I adored this from start to finish and was so pleasantly surprised at how well-crafted this was. The ending is a bit weaker than the promising build-up before it, but it still gave me a strong enough sense of finality that I didn't mind.
Worry encapsulates sibling rivalry and hot-and-cold relationships perfectly. Poppy and Jules are both bratty and immature, yet their constant conflicts never grew tiring to me. The witty banter and comedic delivery help break up the monotony, and the quips about MLMs and yummy mummies were so on-brand for their characters. There's a subtle evolution to their relationship as the book progresses, but I think the consistency of it highlights the nuance of sibling relationships over the others we have in our lives. It's a constant oscillation of cooperating and dueling that even the closest friendships don't have.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I think it really enhanced the experience for me. Helen Laser does a superb job capturing the indignation and hypocrisy of both Poppy and Jules. Both of them are performative and dramatic, but the minor nuances in their conflict are captured so well via audio that I wonder if I'd have enjoyed this as much physically reading it.
Nonetheless, I adored this from start to finish and was so pleasantly surprised at how well-crafted this was. The ending is a bit weaker than the promising build-up before it, but it still gave me a strong enough sense of finality that I didn't mind.