cecilyroseceillam 's review for:

Sex & Rage by Eve Babitz

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Sex and rage was amazing and very quick to read. I loved that it blurred the line between autobiography and fiction, and the beautiful descriptive way she wrote with her sarcasm and humour. I loved how homogeneous the book felt and like a group of people from LA were trapped in this world Eve was creating and in the pages. The settings were draped in nostalgia and I truly felt I was with jacaranda in the beach homes and boiling hot sun, as well as being in the vibrant hustle and madness of New York. I really liked how well Eve characterised and showed the cultural differences between the coast and the middle and the differences between jacaranda from la and everyone else from Hollywood and New York. I loved the colour symbolism that was prevalent throughout and how each different situation would be related to a colour, I also loved the constant overhanging threat of rage in all the prose and the tension that was present. I also loved how Eve left a lot to be read from in between the lines rather then explicitly writing sex which made it more interesting and I also enjoyed the constant descriptions of partying. The prose was fantastic and bluntly sarcastic in a very funny way and I like how it felt so disconnected at the same time in a rose tinted glasses way; which really connected to all the drug taking and alcohol issues going on, along with the dirty glamour and messiness of such elegant wealthy people in a beautiful affluent location. Overall I’d highly recommend esp for anyone who wants a very engaging autobiographical fiction piece and accurate descriptions of the dirty glamour and beauty of 1960s-70s LA and Hollywood.