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A review by squirrelsohno
How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti
4.0
Continuing from last week, where I reviewed the subpar SAD DESK SALAD by Jessica Grose, I’m just now reviewing HOW SHOULD A PERSON BE? by Sheila Heti. It’s in the same vein of book – hipster fiction about twentysomethings who have lost their way in life before their lives have even really begun.
(Note – I don’t really care for Girls. This is just to prove my point that if you like Girls, you will probably enjoy this book, which is basically Girls personified in book form.)
HIPSTERFIC
HOW SHOULD A PERSON BE? is genuinely an interesting book about a young woman, a fictionalized (I think) version of the author Heti herself. Our fictional version of Heti is a struggling writer who is trying to come up with a play that she took on as a commission, all while dealing with a failed marriage at such a young age, the troubles of friendship, and a massive case of writer’s block. She’s egotistical, full of herself, arrogant, and a horrible friend, but I couldn’t help but like Sheila. At the end of the day, she’s just a woman like me, trying to find herself amid the chaos of her twenties.
But at the end of the day, this book is about hipsters – people who ironically enjoy stuff, drink PBR, and would fit in well in Brooklyn if this book didn’t take place in Toronto. They are artists, bohemians, and nobodies, people who are convinced they’re the next great artists and writers only to just be mediocre.
Really, I have no clue why I liked Sheila. Or why I liked this book. This book was made of things that should have angered me, pissed me off, and left me desperate to erase this book from my memory, but what did I go and do? I went and enjoyed it. I enjoyed reading about characters my age having realistic life experiences and not overindulgent romances, characters that have actual problems with themselves and their friendships and romances that can’t be fixed with sex. This is New Adult minus the romance with a hefty dose of reality, with a hint of eyeroll thrown in.
WHY DID I LIKE THIS? NO IDEA
I don’t know why I enjoyed this one as much as I did. It was superficial, inane, and disjointed, filled with random asides about giving BJs and going to Miami for an art show, but I liked it. This is once again a book where I can’t really tell you WHY I liked it. Just that I liked it, and it confounds me. But if you like Girls, check this one out. You’re sure to enjoy.
VERDICT: I don’t know why I liked it, but hey, if you like Lena Dunham, you’ll love this. Probably.
(Note – I don’t really care for Girls. This is just to prove my point that if you like Girls, you will probably enjoy this book, which is basically Girls personified in book form.)
HIPSTERFIC
HOW SHOULD A PERSON BE? is genuinely an interesting book about a young woman, a fictionalized (I think) version of the author Heti herself. Our fictional version of Heti is a struggling writer who is trying to come up with a play that she took on as a commission, all while dealing with a failed marriage at such a young age, the troubles of friendship, and a massive case of writer’s block. She’s egotistical, full of herself, arrogant, and a horrible friend, but I couldn’t help but like Sheila. At the end of the day, she’s just a woman like me, trying to find herself amid the chaos of her twenties.
But at the end of the day, this book is about hipsters – people who ironically enjoy stuff, drink PBR, and would fit in well in Brooklyn if this book didn’t take place in Toronto. They are artists, bohemians, and nobodies, people who are convinced they’re the next great artists and writers only to just be mediocre.
Really, I have no clue why I liked Sheila. Or why I liked this book. This book was made of things that should have angered me, pissed me off, and left me desperate to erase this book from my memory, but what did I go and do? I went and enjoyed it. I enjoyed reading about characters my age having realistic life experiences and not overindulgent romances, characters that have actual problems with themselves and their friendships and romances that can’t be fixed with sex. This is New Adult minus the romance with a hefty dose of reality, with a hint of eyeroll thrown in.
WHY DID I LIKE THIS? NO IDEA
I don’t know why I enjoyed this one as much as I did. It was superficial, inane, and disjointed, filled with random asides about giving BJs and going to Miami for an art show, but I liked it. This is once again a book where I can’t really tell you WHY I liked it. Just that I liked it, and it confounds me. But if you like Girls, check this one out. You’re sure to enjoy.
VERDICT: I don’t know why I liked it, but hey, if you like Lena Dunham, you’ll love this. Probably.