A review by lcr16
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

challenging dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 Never has a book been able to completely creep me out, and the next line make me chuckle from the blunt British humor that was characteristically so out of touch. Boy Parts is a very dark lampooning of rape culture that is grimly uncomfortable. Irina has a history of being a victim of sexual violence from men in power dynamics, whether it is her teacher or a guy at a party whom gave her drugs and alcohol to the point she was barely conscious. This as resulted in her trying to mirror the violence and do the exact same thing to men in her own fetish art by using the power dynamics of the artist/model. However, it becomes very clear she can not independently perpetrate the same violence as patriarchy. Her relationship with Eddie, the checkout boy from Tesco, is made more complex because she is unable to acknowledge that him being a low-income, man of color, that has also experienced male violence, changes their power dynamic completely. Irina's distorted, violent perspective prevents her from seeing compassion and power dynamics beyond men and women. She seems to spiral further and further, and truly becomes the most unlikeable main character I've ever read. Lastly, I mainly docked points because this was not the most enjoyable read because of how graphic it was and the sexual violence. It did grow on me once I finished and thought about it more. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the book! 
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