A review by uncreationmyth
The Idiot by Elif Batuman

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this, to me, is the pinnacle of romance. fellas, is there anything sexier than irregularly & stiltedly exchanging existential screeds with someone who is unavailable, offering glimpses into depths of your psyche you yourself are still learning to navigate & cultivating a false sense of intimacy until you both fall in love with idealized Concepts of one another, all the while knowing that these Concepts don't really exist outside of your virtual correspondences, then choosing to preserve said Concepts over building relationships with the actual humans behind them due to fear of confronting not only your own unavailability but also the seemingly inevitable disappointment that comes with Reality being unable to compete with the fiction of your imagination, and ultimately parting ways unresolved? 

upon further introspection, i am now wondering if my love for this book is related to the possibility that i may perpetually be stuck in my "insufferable, faux-profound & vaguely solipsistic college freshman discovers the word 'sonder'" phase