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A review by whatpageareyouon
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
5.0
There were so many parts in here that Elif Batuman could have made sense of Selin / Sonya’s thoughts and feelings by making it juvenile, but instead I empathize with Selin while also realizing she is smart and capable and a lot of other good things that make her such an endearing character. Selin even admits that she doesn’t really know how to function as a human, she ends up seeking studying language as an answer, while navigating (more like bumping) along people she meets in college haphazardly, but with strong emotional attachments.
Everything that happens to Selin seems bound by fate, and Selin believes it too. She doesn’t really go out of her way to make decisions, but not in a spoiled way, but an observant way. But now in the world of email as the new communication tool, it’s hard to depend on fate, when we’re given tools to take charge of our lives. Whether it’s email or pay phone, America or Hungary, or literally even Selin going by two names (Sonya), it’s hard to formulate what makes us “us” as the world evolves and we think we should be, too, and I think Selin feels that sort of existential dread, but she doesn’t necessarily wallow in it, but she’s not exactly peppy.
I think a lot about how Selin and Svetlana talk about being a part of each other’s “narratives of their lives” but they both have the power to give each other space in it, and I think Selin can really learn from that with literally her relationship toward other characters, whether Ivan, her mother, Hannah, anyone.
If you can’t tell I loved this story wow. It’s like Miranda July meets Frances Ha
Everything that happens to Selin seems bound by fate, and Selin believes it too. She doesn’t really go out of her way to make decisions, but not in a spoiled way, but an observant way. But now in the world of email as the new communication tool, it’s hard to depend on fate, when we’re given tools to take charge of our lives. Whether it’s email or pay phone, America or Hungary, or literally even Selin going by two names (Sonya), it’s hard to formulate what makes us “us” as the world evolves and we think we should be, too, and I think Selin feels that sort of existential dread, but she doesn’t necessarily wallow in it, but she’s not exactly peppy.
I think a lot about how Selin and Svetlana talk about being a part of each other’s “narratives of their lives” but they both have the power to give each other space in it, and I think Selin can really learn from that with literally her relationship toward other characters, whether Ivan, her mother, Hannah, anyone.
If you can’t tell I loved this story wow. It’s like Miranda July meets Frances Ha