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A review by laurel00
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
dark
emotional
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Fascinating", I think is the best word to use to describe this novel. Other than tabbing, I really don't annotate my books all that much. But this pulled me in so deeply from the very start, I instantly had to whip out a pencil. I wrote entire mini-essays in the margins of this book. I analyzed every single breath the characters took, and read into metaphors and allegories than may not have even been there. I was so enthralled by the story, I couldn't help but devour every word of it.
This might sound a bit off, especially considering that the novel is about two young men losing themselves in their anger and violence, but I really connected with the main character. Nemerever perfectly encapsulated my own feelings about the book in his author's note when he wrote, "I was terrified of my own anger and of where it might lead me, perhaps without my even realizing it." Hey? I was not prepared to spiral down a crisis about my teenage anger, years after effectively no longer being a teen? It brought up some very hard truths to stomach about the queer experience, and how the isolation and the pain can make you wish for or think about some truly terrible things. The double-edge "monstrosity" of a young queer person who grows up hearing the world call queer people unnatural abominations, and then "proving" them right by dreaming of horrendous things: Nemerever did an amazing job of exploring this very specific and very complex experience, and I was obsessed with every second of it.
Another thing I loved is the way that Nemerever made you feel things that you knew, objectively speaking, you shouldn't be feeling. I know this couple was not made for each other, the entire novel is about how toxic they are and how dangerous their obsession with one another can become. And yet, I spent the entire story rooting for them. I shouldn't have, and if they were real-life people, I would not have hesitated to tell them to break up and never speak to each other again. And yet, because of the amazing writing in this book, I became as obsessed with them as they were with one another. There were certain parts of the story where I should've felt relived, when instead I felt nervous or angry. Scenes that should have been horrifying to me, that I instead found quite romantic. Moments that gave me an intense sense of longing and yearning, that were in fact deeply psychologically disturbing. As I said, "fascinating" is the perfect way to describe my experience with this book.
One of the things I had written down while reading was, "Would I be rooting for them as much as I am if they weren't a queer couple?" And while I had originally said this as a joke, I think it's another interesting thing to point out: this story would not be the same if it centered a straight couple. The book is so inherently queer and so deeply Jewish as well. The characters and their specific life experiences are so central to the plot itself, this book would simply not exist if they had been anyone or anything else.
I've had my copy on my shelf for exactly two years, and I only picked it up now because a friend of mine wanted us to read it together. I'm beating myself up for not having picked it up as soon as I bought it back in 2021. The fact that I waited around so long to read this masterpiece is shameful, but I'm very grateful that I finally did get around to it. It is a stellar novel, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
This might sound a bit off, especially considering that the novel is about two young men losing themselves in their anger and violence, but I really connected with the main character. Nemerever perfectly encapsulated my own feelings about the book in his author's note when he wrote, "I was terrified of my own anger and of where it might lead me, perhaps without my even realizing it." Hey? I was not prepared to spiral down a crisis about my teenage anger, years after effectively no longer being a teen? It brought up some very hard truths to stomach about the queer experience, and how the isolation and the pain can make you wish for or think about some truly terrible things. The double-edge "monstrosity" of a young queer person who grows up hearing the world call queer people unnatural abominations, and then "proving" them right by dreaming of horrendous things: Nemerever did an amazing job of exploring this very specific and very complex experience, and I was obsessed with every second of it.
Another thing I loved is the way that Nemerever made you feel things that you knew, objectively speaking, you shouldn't be feeling. I know this couple was not made for each other, the entire novel is about how toxic they are and how dangerous their obsession with one another can become. And yet, I spent the entire story rooting for them. I shouldn't have, and if they were real-life people, I would not have hesitated to tell them to break up and never speak to each other again. And yet, because of the amazing writing in this book, I became as obsessed with them as they were with one another. There were certain parts of the story where I should've felt relived, when instead I felt nervous or angry. Scenes that should have been horrifying to me, that I instead found quite romantic. Moments that gave me an intense sense of longing and yearning, that were in fact deeply psychologically disturbing. As I said, "fascinating" is the perfect way to describe my experience with this book.
One of the things I had written down while reading was, "Would I be rooting for them as much as I am if they weren't a queer couple?" And while I had originally said this as a joke, I think it's another interesting thing to point out: this story would not be the same if it centered a straight couple. The book is so inherently queer and so deeply Jewish as well. The characters and their specific life experiences are so central to the plot itself, this book would simply not exist if they had been anyone or anything else.
I've had my copy on my shelf for exactly two years, and I only picked it up now because a friend of mine wanted us to read it together. I'm beating myself up for not having picked it up as soon as I bought it back in 2021. The fact that I waited around so long to read this masterpiece is shameful, but I'm very grateful that I finally did get around to it. It is a stellar novel, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.