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A review by monkeelino
Breaking and Entering by Don Gillmor
4.0
I read this because it was longlisted for the US/Canada 2023 Republic of Consciousness Prize. Perhaps because a few of my GR friends were a bit underwhelmed, I likely went in with lowered expectations.
I tend to expect a bit more in terms of experimentation or novelty when it comes to this prize (although I'm quickly learning that the original UK prize's mission seems much more focused on the experimental side of things in comparison). The only things sort of novel about this novel were: a male author writing a female main character; an older female character; and the premise, which is more quirky than avant-garde (main character deals with midlife crisis by breaking into people's houses). Setting aside expectations, I found this a rather entertaining read with a charming voice (sort of less snarkish Dorothy Parker feel---definite disdain for common humanity, but not quite mean in its delivery).
Gillmor convincingly pulls off the female character and does an interesting job of exploring aging and marriage. Fifty-year old Bea seems to be going through middle class mid-life crisis. She reflects on where she's been, bristles at the kind of dullness her relationship has sunk into, and stumbles upon lock-picking as a hobby. Her age and race cast a non-threatening presence (if not entirely unnoticeable), affording her the opportunity to test her new found skills on actual homes. These transgressions become a burst of fresh air compared to the suffocating everydayness of her life.
It's a book that asks how we live in today's world and how we react to disappointment and apathy. I enjoyed the strong voice and poignant scenes, but it didn't really seem to challenge or expand me as a reader in any way.
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STUFF I MIGHT HAVE LOOKED UP (OR SHOULD HAVE... )
Cotard’s Delusion | vernissages | avuncular | proterandrousness | crassulaceous
I tend to expect a bit more in terms of experimentation or novelty when it comes to this prize (although I'm quickly learning that the original UK prize's mission seems much more focused on the experimental side of things in comparison). The only things sort of novel about this novel were: a male author writing a female main character; an older female character; and the premise, which is more quirky than avant-garde (main character deals with midlife crisis by breaking into people's houses). Setting aside expectations, I found this a rather entertaining read with a charming voice (sort of less snarkish Dorothy Parker feel---definite disdain for common humanity, but not quite mean in its delivery).
"Everyone had trouble sleeping, another silent epidemic, like pornography or debt. But there was an even quieter epidemic, an epic numbing, everyone whittled by time and technology and unhappy commutes and weather that evoked an Old Testament God with too much time on His hands.
Gillmor convincingly pulls off the female character and does an interesting job of exploring aging and marriage. Fifty-year old Bea seems to be going through middle class mid-life crisis. She reflects on where she's been, bristles at the kind of dullness her relationship has sunk into, and stumbles upon lock-picking as a hobby. Her age and race cast a non-threatening presence (if not entirely unnoticeable), affording her the opportunity to test her new found skills on actual homes. These transgressions become a burst of fresh air compared to the suffocating everydayness of her life.
It's a book that asks how we live in today's world and how we react to disappointment and apathy. I enjoyed the strong voice and poignant scenes, but it didn't really seem to challenge or expand me as a reader in any way.
-------------------------------------
STUFF I MIGHT HAVE LOOKED UP (OR SHOULD HAVE... )
Cotard’s Delusion | vernissages | avuncular | proterandrousness | crassulaceous