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A review by misha_ali
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was a weird one. On the one hand, it's an incredibly easy read. The prose is punchy and flows well so it's hard to stop reading once you get into it, but on the other hand, nothing really happens and the nihilistic perspective may turn readers off.
The main character is unlikeable and unsympathetic. She's floating through her life, bound to her narcissistic and borderline abusive mother and her absentee and vapid father through their financial support of her lifestyle, yet she doesn't enjoy the lifestyle or anything about her life. She's alone but prickly about her sister living with her. She's casually cruel to her sister yet craves the kind of intimacy friends and siblings have.
I think this is mischaracterized as a comedy because there's not much humorous about the book or the characters. It's more a tragic look at modern life and an incredibly dysfunctional Jewish family in which each member is deeply unhappy in their own special ways and comes together for a reluctant ceasefire over holidays and then ends up explosively falling out once again until the next holiday.
I'm of two minds with this book still. This was an easy read, yes, but it wasn't really an enjoyable one for me. I was engaged in bursts by the relationship dynamic between the various family members, but at the end of the day, not much happens and there's no real plot. Make of that what you will.
The main character is unlikeable and unsympathetic. She's floating through her life, bound to her narcissistic and borderline abusive mother and her absentee and vapid father through their financial support of her lifestyle, yet she doesn't enjoy the lifestyle or anything about her life. She's alone but prickly about her sister living with her. She's casually cruel to her sister yet craves the kind of intimacy friends and siblings have.
I think this is mischaracterized as a comedy because there's not much humorous about the book or the characters. It's more a tragic look at modern life and an incredibly dysfunctional Jewish family in which each member is deeply unhappy in their own special ways and comes together for a reluctant ceasefire over holidays and then ends up explosively falling out once again until the next holiday.
I'm of two minds with this book still. This was an easy read, yes, but it wasn't really an enjoyable one for me. I was engaged in bursts by the relationship dynamic between the various family members, but at the end of the day, not much happens and there's no real plot. Make of that what you will.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Antisemitism