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krayreads 's review for:
Henry Henry
by Allen Bratton
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
this one has me feeling all types of emotions, most of them not good - but i believe that was the point. to sum up my thoughts in one word, i'd say uncomfortable, and that mirrors what the main character felt like this entire book.
the main character, hal, is uncomfortable in his own skin as a gay catholic (and there is a lot of repressed catholic guilt which i actually found was explored well), around his father (who abused him as a child which resulted in a very complicated relationship into his adulthood), feeling any intimacy with men (especially a childhood friend that, throughout the book, he struggled to open up and let in), his siblings despite their constant attempts to make something out of their relationships with him, and at the end of the day, accepting who he is despite that all.
as a self-deprecating and self-medicating person, hal was a culmination of his trauma and at times it was difficult to be in his head as he does come off as an unlikeable character, but as a reader, for me, it was met with empathy. his truest self is never intentionally harmful nor does he seek out to be a vindictive person. he is simply the result of his upbringing and the environment he was raised in. he tried - really tried - and continues to try to be better than what everyone expects of him, of what he expects of himself, and that's commendable in itself, given what he's gone through.
i did enjoy the writing - the dry humor, the one liners, the lucidity to where it's almost painful, all of it was done well. overall, if you like anything queer, messy, and real, this one's for you!
this one has me feeling all types of emotions, most of them not good - but i believe that was the point. to sum up my thoughts in one word, i'd say uncomfortable, and that mirrors what the main character felt like this entire book.
the main character, hal, is uncomfortable in his own skin as a gay catholic (and there is a lot of repressed catholic guilt which i actually found was explored well), around his father (who abused him as a child which resulted in a very complicated relationship into his adulthood), feeling any intimacy with men (especially a childhood friend that, throughout the book, he struggled to open up and let in), his siblings despite their constant attempts to make something out of their relationships with him, and at the end of the day, accepting who he is despite that all.
as a self-deprecating and self-medicating person, hal was a culmination of his trauma and at times it was difficult to be in his head as he does come off as an unlikeable character, but as a reader, for me, it was met with empathy. his truest self is never intentionally harmful nor does he seek out to be a vindictive person. he is simply the result of his upbringing and the environment he was raised in. he tried - really tried - and continues to try to be better than what everyone expects of him, of what he expects of himself, and that's commendable in itself, given what he's gone through.
i did enjoy the writing - the dry humor, the one liners, the lucidity to where it's almost painful, all of it was done well. overall, if you like anything queer, messy, and real, this one's for you!