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pipsqueaky 's review for:
The Default World
by Naomi Kanakia
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I hated the main character so, so, SO MUCH. She’s terrible. She’s a literal sociopath. She’s an incel in the body of a trans woman.
She hates herself, hates other people more, and relies on manipulation and guilt to get what she wants. Not once in this book does she ever show another person genuine kindness, and she resents the other characters because … they’re not attracted to her? She repeatedly plays the “you hate me because I’m trans / brown / ugly / poor” card when she knows it isn’t true. She has the most pessimistic view of the world, and she’s angry at her “friends” for not making sacrifices to help her but bish YOU AIN’T THEIR FRIEND, you’re literally only there to ruin their lives and scam them, you said so yourself, you can’t expect other people to help you when you’ve literally never helped them in any way. She calls herself a leech in a self-deprecating way, and it’s the truest thing she ever says.
And listen, *all* of the characters in this book sucked, absolutely none of them have any redeeming qualities, and I think I would have been fine with it if I felt that we were *supposed* to think that Jhanvi was a sociopath. But the book … plays it straight? As though we should sympathize with her? I … how? In what universe?
Wow, I hated this. Also the ending is extremely weird - we’re just about to get closure on literally the MAIN plot point and then the book just. Stops. Like the author ran out of pen ink and said “eff it”.
She hates herself, hates other people more, and relies on manipulation and guilt to get what she wants. Not once in this book does she ever show another person genuine kindness, and she resents the other characters because … they’re not attracted to her? She repeatedly plays the “you hate me because I’m trans / brown / ugly / poor” card when she knows it isn’t true. She has the most pessimistic view of the world, and she’s angry at her “friends” for not making sacrifices to help her but bish YOU AIN’T THEIR FRIEND, you’re literally only there to ruin their lives and scam them, you said so yourself, you can’t expect other people to help you when you’ve literally never helped them in any way. She calls herself a leech in a self-deprecating way, and it’s the truest thing she ever says.
And listen, *all* of the characters in this book sucked, absolutely none of them have any redeeming qualities, and I think I would have been fine with it if I felt that we were *supposed* to think that Jhanvi was a sociopath. But the book … plays it straight? As though we should sympathize with her? I … how? In what universe?
Wow, I hated this. Also the ending is extremely weird - we’re just about to get closure on literally the MAIN plot point and then the book just. Stops. Like the author ran out of pen ink and said “eff it”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Sexual assault, Classism
Minor: Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia