A review by rmnedder
Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin

dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I can absolutely see why Notes of a Crocodile is a queer cult classic. It's deeply introspective, cutting and emotional and surprisingly funny at times. Miaojin's prose is so interesting in its construction, though I do feel like the translation made things feel a bit clunkier than they were intended to be. All of her characters feel so real; they remind me of the real, strange, traumatized queer kids I knew (and was) in college. The crocodile metaphor is also such a striking through-line in the story. 
There were moments where I felt a little confused--I was unsure what exactly was happening, or who was speaking, or when we were--but I didn't hate it; this book has nailed the disorientation that comes with self-discovery and interrogating your own queerness, so I was okay with being confused a bit.

This book was bittersweet from cover to cover. It left me feeling like a raw nerve. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings