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A review by notagreatreader
Real Life by Brandon Taylor
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow, this book messed with my head. I feel like I should preface this by saying that this book should be accompanied by content warnings for: child sexual assault, adult sexual assault, disordered eating behavior, dissociation, anxiety, depression, passive suicidal thoughts. The latter three, among other things, are also in the context of a graduate student experience, which is the part that initially messed with my head, before all the other issues were explored.
What saves this book from feeling gratuitous in its portrayal of a miserable experience is the fact that it feels authentic. Which makes sense, since it's an ownvoices novel.Unlike another book about a miserable queer man with Life in the title. And I can appreciate it for that alone.
Also, a note here from a PhD student who studied in a similar field to Wallace's (which is Biochemistry): The portrayal of how it feels to be a graduate student working in a lab - the grind, the frustration, the desperation of those in their final year(s) who want to just graduate already, dealing with difficult colleagues and supervisors, and the accompanying feelings of anxiety, depression and a certain kind of numbness and resignation. It all was just so brilliantly captured, it took me straight back to the worst times during my own PhD.
However, it's also expertly written - in terms of creating narrative, sharp imagery, feeling and connecting it all in a cohesive whole. From the fact that the book takes place over one weekend and Wallace's work involving careful observation of nematodes under a microscope to the painfully exact description of what Wallace thinks and feels when experiencing a particular instance of racist microaggression and what he feels and how he dissociates when he's assaulted. It all comes together in a microscopic exploration of Wallace's experience, of what it feels like to feel alien, especially in a place where you thought you would belong, in a place that was supposed to save you and where you hoped people would get you.
What saves this book from feeling gratuitous in its portrayal of a miserable experience is the fact that it feels authentic. Which makes sense, since it's an ownvoices novel.
Also, a note here from a PhD student who studied in a similar field to Wallace's (which is Biochemistry): The portrayal of how it feels to be a graduate student working in a lab - the grind, the frustration, the desperation of those in their final year(s) who want to just graduate already, dealing with difficult colleagues and supervisors, and the accompanying feelings of anxiety, depression and a certain kind of numbness and resignation. It all was just so brilliantly captured, it took me straight back to the worst times during my own PhD.
However, it's also expertly written - in terms of creating narrative, sharp imagery, feeling and connecting it all in a cohesive whole. From the fact that the book takes place over one weekend and Wallace's work involving careful observation of nematodes under a microscope to the painfully exact description of what Wallace thinks and feels when experiencing a particular instance of racist microaggression and what he feels and how he dissociates when he's assaulted. It all comes together in a microscopic exploration of Wallace's experience, of what it feels like to feel alien, especially in a place where you thought you would belong, in a place that was supposed to save you and where you hoped people would get you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Eating disorder and Racial slurs
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts