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thejeffreyhv 's review for:
Just by Looking at Him
by Ryan O'Connell
Ryan O’Connell is a talented writer. I got through my 20s by finding quasi wisdom in his articles on Thought Catalog (is that website still a thing?) and appreciate his jaded POV of the world.
I enjoyed the fresh narrative found in this novel, which felt like a “novel” in the same way The Bell Jar is a “novel.”
But for me, much of the humor felt coerced, especially when the narrator was interacting with his dad and with his boss. And O’Connell loves absolutely nothing if not his non-sequiturs (especially the pop culture-laden ones), which, while sometimes enjoyed, after a while I found myself skipping to the end of the paragraph.
The ending was beautiful, though a little too neatly wrapped up in a pretty little bow. But I did read the ending while on a bidet and somehow it felt profound.
Hovering between a 3 and a 4. 3.5 rounded up.
I enjoyed the fresh narrative found in this novel, which felt like a “novel” in the same way The Bell Jar is a “novel.”
But for me, much of the humor felt coerced, especially when the narrator was interacting with his dad and with his boss. And O’Connell loves absolutely nothing if not his non-sequiturs (especially the pop culture-laden ones), which, while sometimes enjoyed, after a while I found myself skipping to the end of the paragraph.
The ending was beautiful, though a little too neatly wrapped up in a pretty little bow. But I did read the ending while on a bidet and somehow it felt profound.
Hovering between a 3 and a 4. 3.5 rounded up.