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A review by dliterate
Edinburgh by Alexander Chee
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
To say that the content in this book is dark is an understatement. TWs upfront for: child abuse and sexual assault, self harm, suicidal ideation and suicide, depression, drug and alcohol use and abuse, and there's likely some things I've missed, to boot.
If I were to try and say that the book isn't weighed down by these topics, I'd be lying. That it is is kind of the point; the book is as weighed down by the ongoing trauma of the impacts of child sexual abuse as many of its characters are. Relief is fleeting, and not necessarily achieved via healthy means.
I don't know if 'enjoyable' would be the right word to use for this reading experience (I ate four orange and poppy seed muffins to make myself feel better when I finished it), but it's definitely worth reading.
That said, I have a couple of issues (the first of which is a pet peeve): the penchant in contemporary literature for doing away with proper punctuation, as if it's cool, is not; and the inclusion of chapters from another character's perspective threw me off just as I'd gotten used to the poetic flow of the writing. I didn't find the change necessary.
If I were to try and say that the book isn't weighed down by these topics, I'd be lying. That it is is kind of the point; the book is as weighed down by the ongoing trauma of the impacts of child sexual abuse as many of its characters are. Relief is fleeting, and not necessarily achieved via healthy means.
I don't know if 'enjoyable' would be the right word to use for this reading experience (I ate four orange and poppy seed muffins to make myself feel better when I finished it), but it's definitely worth reading.
That said, I have a couple of issues (the first of which is a pet peeve): the penchant in contemporary literature for doing away with proper punctuation, as if it's cool, is not; and the inclusion of chapters from another character's perspective threw me off just as I'd gotten used to the poetic flow of the writing. I didn't find the change necessary.