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A review by yeats_motel
Ego Homini Lupus by Gretchen Felker-Martin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This that really got under my skin in the best way. I admit there were a few times where I found myself a little lost, but i think part of it was because I read on digital, which is more difficult for me than print, and because I plowed through it in one sitting. Regardless, the writing is so vivid and engrossing, I was content to get lost in it.
The writing is definitely one of the chief strengths of this book. Ms. Felker-Martin’s prose is super evocative, full of rich sensory detail and as beautiful as it is horrifying. Ego Homini Lupus touches on a lot of deeply disturbing subjects (trigger warning: literally everything) that I don’t think a writer with a lesser sensitivity to language could have pulled off in a way that didn’t seem puerile.
At the core, I think it’s the sensitivity that impressed me so much about the novel, not just for language, but for the characters too. It’s easy for a writer or reader to create empathy for a character who is good, or flawed but with a secret heart of gold, but the characters in this story are deeply wounded, capable of immense cruelty; that Ms. Felker-Martin manages to create a sense of empathy in the reader for these people most would be inclined to condemn outright is a feat. The book is extremely bleak, but the compassion and tenderness the characters were written with left me feeling strangely comforted.
The writing is definitely one of the chief strengths of this book. Ms. Felker-Martin’s prose is super evocative, full of rich sensory detail and as beautiful as it is horrifying. Ego Homini Lupus touches on a lot of deeply disturbing subjects (trigger warning: literally everything) that I don’t think a writer with a lesser sensitivity to language could have pulled off in a way that didn’t seem puerile.
At the core, I think it’s the sensitivity that impressed me so much about the novel, not just for language, but for the characters too. It’s easy for a writer or reader to create empathy for a character who is good, or flawed but with a secret heart of gold, but the characters in this story are deeply wounded, capable of immense cruelty; that Ms. Felker-Martin manages to create a sense of empathy in the reader for these people most would be inclined to condemn outright is a feat. The book is extremely bleak, but the compassion and tenderness the characters were written with left me feeling strangely comforted.