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A review by shimauchiha
A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch
4.0
Read this if you like:
-Women who self-sabotage, stalk and write.
- Complicated female dynamics.
- Book-within-book meta-narratives.
Do not read this if:
- You're triggered by
- You can't like unlikable characters.
- You only like stalkers in thrillers or mysteries.
- You'd be disappointed in a build-up with no confrontation.
My thoughts:
This book is kind of like [b:My Year of Rest and Relaxation|44279110|My Year of Rest and Relaxation|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597676656l/44279110._SY75_.jpg|55508660] meets [b:You|36430011|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549463282l/36430011._SY75_.jpg|39913517]. Where instead of sleeping for a year, this time the rich white female protagonist decides to fill the void by stalking her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it.
There are some issues. At the beginning, the narrator's obsession goes from 0 to 100 so suddenly and she expresses no consideration of the consequences of her actions that she comes across as psychopathic, whereas the rest of the book mostly takes the position that she is just a run-of-the-mill stalker.
Reflecting that, the tone of the book also shifts from a more thriller-esque beginning to a more contemporary-introspective-character study towards the end. So depending on your personal tastes, you might find yourself enjoying one half more than the other.
The other issue with the inconsistency is that the beginning sets you up to expect a thriller-style conclusion with a huge confrontation, but the actual ending is the quieter type that suits the second half of the book, but might feel disappointing for the first half.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this. To me, this felt like a version of the voice-y angsty female narrators that have become popular with the likes of [a:Ottessa Moshfegh|3276202|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1568839250p2/3276202.jpg] and [a:Salley Rooney|19172475|Salley Rooney|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], but less sophisticated and with more influence from faster-paced, plot-driven genres, which made it an easier read.
Besides, I will always have a soft spot for books with writer characters.
-Women who self-sabotage, stalk and write.
- Complicated female dynamics.
- Book-within-book meta-narratives.
Do not read this if:
- You're triggered by
Spoiler
rape or infertility- You can't like unlikable characters.
- You only like stalkers in thrillers or mysteries.
- You'd be disappointed in a build-up with no confrontation.
My thoughts:
This book is kind of like [b:My Year of Rest and Relaxation|44279110|My Year of Rest and Relaxation|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597676656l/44279110._SY75_.jpg|55508660] meets [b:You|36430011|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549463282l/36430011._SY75_.jpg|39913517]. Where instead of sleeping for a year, this time the rich white female protagonist decides to fill the void by stalking her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it.
There are some issues. At the beginning, the narrator's obsession goes from 0 to 100 so suddenly and she expresses no consideration of the consequences of her actions that she comes across as psychopathic, whereas the rest of the book mostly takes the position that she is just a run-of-the-mill stalker.
Reflecting that, the tone of the book also shifts from a more thriller-esque beginning to a more contemporary-introspective-character study towards the end. So depending on your personal tastes, you might find yourself enjoying one half more than the other.
The other issue with the inconsistency is that the beginning sets you up to expect a thriller-style conclusion with a huge confrontation, but the actual ending is the quieter type that suits the second half of the book, but might feel disappointing for the first half.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this. To me, this felt like a version of the voice-y angsty female narrators that have become popular with the likes of [a:Ottessa Moshfegh|3276202|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1568839250p2/3276202.jpg] and [a:Salley Rooney|19172475|Salley Rooney|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], but less sophisticated and with more influence from faster-paced, plot-driven genres, which made it an easier read.
Besides, I will always have a soft spot for books with writer characters.