tellthebeees 's review for:

The Complicities by Stacey D'Erasmo
3.0
dark reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A fascinating experiment in what literary fiction can do: absolutely beautiful writing- the first fifty pages of this shook me to my core, just stunning and masterful. Then, the "plot" kicks in and it gets bizarre. I understand the whale as metaphor, I do not understand the 100 pages of describing the biology of the whale.
I loved the Lydia parts, I think D'Erasmo shined when it came to characterizing her and describing her circumstances. The Sylvia chapters were nonsensical and the book really careened off course in the last third.
I think definitely read this if you appreciate lovely writing and can handle plotless books. Otherwise, not sure I would rec.