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nnumber9 's review for:
No One Is Talking About This
by Patricia Lockwood
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Best thing about this book: its deceptively alluring title.
NOT clever or cutting edge. This was a stream of consciousness of gibberish, of total nonsense. How did this book get published and then lauded as some timely witty reflection of the zeitgeist? Seriously?? And yes, I get the point. The book is meta, meant to resemble living in the internet (the portal), being chronically online. It's purposely written as disjointed nonsense, with brief moments of clarity to capture the essence of internet culture. It showcases the absurdity of the internet, but despite this structure that imitates online posts, this was not well-executed or thought-provoking. No one is talking about anything that matters or occurs in real life anymore, got it.
There were occasional excerpts and references that I appreciated. However, nothing can redeem this book for me. Not even the coherent aspect of the story that explores the tragedy and grief of the narrator's sister. This parallel (or perhaps intertwining) plot line calls out the regressive, unjust, and restrictive laws implemented by the US and the system that upholds authoritarian rule. While I agree with the socio-economic and political points that are intermittently touched on, they are not addressed directly or effectively but in a shallow manner that fails to prompt further reflection on these salient topics.
It does not compute how this book was shortlisted for Booker prize. We are truly living in an upside-down world, where mediocre books get elevated and eaten up, meanwhile loads of underrated gems are discarded or remain in obscurity. I was only able to finish this because it was fast-paced and easy to read. Sadly, this was a waste of my time.
NOT clever or cutting edge. This was a stream of consciousness of gibberish, of total nonsense. How did this book get published and then lauded as some timely witty reflection of the zeitgeist? Seriously?? And yes, I get the point. The book is meta, meant to resemble living in the internet (the portal), being chronically online. It's purposely written as disjointed nonsense, with brief moments of clarity to capture the essence of internet culture. It showcases the absurdity of the internet, but despite this structure that imitates online posts, this was not well-executed or thought-provoking. No one is talking about anything that matters or occurs in real life anymore, got it.
There were occasional excerpts and references that I appreciated. However, nothing can redeem this book for me. Not even the coherent aspect of the story that explores the tragedy and grief of the narrator's sister. This parallel (or perhaps intertwining) plot line calls out the regressive, unjust, and restrictive laws implemented by the US and the system that upholds authoritarian rule. While I agree with the socio-economic and political points that are intermittently touched on, they are not addressed directly or effectively but in a shallow manner that fails to prompt further reflection on these salient topics.
It does not compute how this book was shortlisted for Booker prize. We are truly living in an upside-down world, where mediocre books get elevated and eaten up, meanwhile loads of underrated gems are discarded or remain in obscurity. I was only able to finish this because it was fast-paced and easy to read. Sadly, this was a waste of my time.