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A review by maxgardner
Blackouts by Justin Torres
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was my second read of Blackouts this year, this time for a book club, and damn, I cannot stop THINKING about this book. Justin Torres is doing some really intriguing, daring stuff playing with autofiction and metafiction and blending it all together into this honestly polarizing story that doesn't give a shit about being accessible or even enjoyable to read. I left my last read convinced that Juan and Nene are the same person, but after finishing this second readthrough, I am certain that is not the case. And yet, it also is—Juan and Nene share an intrinsic understanding of the queer experience and perspective, and Juan is a glimpse into Nene's future while Nene is a ghost of Juan's younger self. Is the Palace, where Nene has tracked Juan down, the place Juan has gone to die of some unnamed disease, even a real place? Yes, but also maybe no. Is the entire story just a metaphor? Possibly.
There are so many moments in this book that I love—the allegory of the animals at the watering hole as men at an underground gay bar, the story of Jan Gay, the films that Nene and Juan create for each other. But as a whole, I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book; the pacing is all over the place, the central story meandering and barely threaded together in the vignettes and glimpses we get into it. I don't even think Torres has fully pulled off what he's going for, but I don't care because the fact that he even attempted it is really cool and I think a lot of it does work. As I finished the book for a second time, I found myself no closer to any answers—honestly, I just had more questions. But that's what makes this book so compelling to reflect on and discuss with people. If you're the type of person that enjoys analyzing a work and writing an essay on it, this may awaken that itch in you.
There are so many moments in this book that I love—the allegory of the animals at the watering hole as men at an underground gay bar, the story of Jan Gay, the films that Nene and Juan create for each other. But as a whole, I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book; the pacing is all over the place, the central story meandering and barely threaded together in the vignettes and glimpses we get into it. I don't even think Torres has fully pulled off what he's going for, but I don't care because the fact that he even attempted it is really cool and I think a lot of it does work. As I finished the book for a second time, I found myself no closer to any answers—honestly, I just had more questions. But that's what makes this book so compelling to reflect on and discuss with people. If you're the type of person that enjoys analyzing a work and writing an essay on it, this may awaken that itch in you.