cupidcove 's review for:

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

2.0

emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Oh my god what a insufferable, pretentious book! This book is from the early 2010s and it aged like milk. Our protagonist is written like someone only a Tumblr user from that era could love: constantly quoting space facts and famous poets ineffectively and joking about how mentally ill she is. The author clearly attempts to be humorous and relatable (there is an I can has cheeseburger reference in the middle of this book about divorce) but it falls flat and even the attempts at earnest emotional reflection feel contrived and overwritten. The book doesn't seem to give its characters or readers enough credit. The characters barely engage with each other and so seem like props for the protagonist's self pity. This book is all style over substance and the style reads incredibly dated in the current literary fiction landscape.