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A review by deedireads
Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Who They Was is autofiction that doesn’t make for an easy read, but it’s nothing if not unique — and effective in what it set out to do.
For you if: You won’t get thrown by reading in dialect, and you’re more interested in craft than plot.
FULL REVIEW:
Wow, okay. I read Who They Was because it was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, which is great because I probably never would have picked it up on my own. It’s autofiction, a fictionalized version of the author’s life on the violent streets of London … while he earned a university degree on the side.
This book is definitely like nothing else I’ve read before. First of all, the prose is wildly impressive. It’s written in the style of language that Krauze and his characters speak every day, a sort of dialect all its own. It’s got incredible momentum, and Krauze is insanely skilled at dropping you right inside his head. The challenge of the book is that it’s almost entirely plotless, shapeless. It’s more of a stream of consciousness and long, somewhat repetitive account of his life than a novel. It’s also, as should be expected, violent and tough to read.
Interestingly, there were several people in book club who said that they liked the book and the writing but also didn’t finish it; they felt like they got what they could out of it in the first half or so. I did finish it, and I’m not sorry that I did, but I also see where they’re coming from. I’d say that this one is definitely worth picking up, but you can’t rush it. You can’t read this one in the three days leading up to book club (as we all learned, lol). It’s too much for that. It’s the kind of book that’s best read a little at a time over the course of a few weeks.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Who They Was is autofiction that doesn’t make for an easy read, but it’s nothing if not unique — and effective in what it set out to do.
For you if: You won’t get thrown by reading in dialect, and you’re more interested in craft than plot.
FULL REVIEW:
Wow, okay. I read Who They Was because it was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, which is great because I probably never would have picked it up on my own. It’s autofiction, a fictionalized version of the author’s life on the violent streets of London … while he earned a university degree on the side.
This book is definitely like nothing else I’ve read before. First of all, the prose is wildly impressive. It’s written in the style of language that Krauze and his characters speak every day, a sort of dialect all its own. It’s got incredible momentum, and Krauze is insanely skilled at dropping you right inside his head. The challenge of the book is that it’s almost entirely plotless, shapeless. It’s more of a stream of consciousness and long, somewhat repetitive account of his life than a novel. It’s also, as should be expected, violent and tough to read.
Interestingly, there were several people in book club who said that they liked the book and the writing but also didn’t finish it; they felt like they got what they could out of it in the first half or so. I did finish it, and I’m not sorry that I did, but I also see where they’re coming from. I’d say that this one is definitely worth picking up, but you can’t rush it. You can’t read this one in the three days leading up to book club (as we all learned, lol). It’s too much for that. It’s the kind of book that’s best read a little at a time over the course of a few weeks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence