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A review by pharmadelica
Leave Society by Tao Lin
4.0
as a reading experience:
extremely cozy and tao's characterization in this is better than anything he's ever done. i feel so much sympathy for every member of his family (even mike) and the degree of personality he manages to give dudu is hilarious.
there's also more emotional range, which is deeply perceptible but also kept flat by the single tone tao sticks with through the whole thing. it's almost like a literary depiction of what "mindfulness" is supposed to be like.
as a piece of rhetoric:
eh. it's kind of like a less convincing Trip, which was not very convincing itself. i do agree that a lot of what we consume and take for granted now is probably not very good for us. that said, there aren't many tips here on how people who aren't tao lin should be living their lives. (purchase property in hawaii to airbnb so you can have the income to "leave society" lol)
makes for a funny alternative reading experience if you imagine Li as an ignatius j reilly type character.
overall:
like not much i've read before, and something i really enjoyed. better than all of lin's past stuff for sure. very interested to see where he goes next.
extremely cozy and tao's characterization in this is better than anything he's ever done. i feel so much sympathy for every member of his family (even mike) and the degree of personality he manages to give dudu is hilarious.
there's also more emotional range, which is deeply perceptible but also kept flat by the single tone tao sticks with through the whole thing. it's almost like a literary depiction of what "mindfulness" is supposed to be like.
as a piece of rhetoric:
eh. it's kind of like a less convincing Trip, which was not very convincing itself. i do agree that a lot of what we consume and take for granted now is probably not very good for us. that said, there aren't many tips here on how people who aren't tao lin should be living their lives. (purchase property in hawaii to airbnb so you can have the income to "leave society" lol)
makes for a funny alternative reading experience if you imagine Li as an ignatius j reilly type character.
overall:
like not much i've read before, and something i really enjoyed. better than all of lin's past stuff for sure. very interested to see where he goes next.