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A review by pangnaolin
Nevada by Imogen Binnie
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Nevada is a really wonderful read about a trans woman named Maria who's stagnant and unhappy in her life working at a bookstore and living in New York City with her girlfriend Steph. You can really feel how Maria shuts down and withdraws from her emotions in the way Binnie writes, and I felt super drawn into her own little world as she explored n almost maladaptively daydreamed her way through life. Also, I'm not going to lie, she definitely inspired me to do some blogging again.
Anyway, I really loved Binnie's style in this piece and how to the point she was. I always love blunt styles, and hers really did not disappoint! It wasn't very flowery, but got some really strong images across, and I could be exactly where Maria was at any moment.
I think modern work, especially with characters of internet age, can shy away from pop culture references and discussion, but Nevada really leaned into it and allowed space for the reader to explore how internet and pop culture has shaped trans experiences in a lot of ways.
I really loved getting to explore a very different point of view of transness when Nevada switched focuses to James, but I was a little disappointed that we didn't get much of Maria's actual trip to Nevada. It felt like that was the point I was waiting for in the novel, and it just kind of skipped over it in a lot of ways.
I know the cutoff ending was intentional, too, but I couldn't help but be disappointed in that, too. Storytelling and life naturally have the disconnect of how resolution occurs, and I didn't mind that they allowed the characters to stay somewhat stagnant and fail at their attempts to change, but the abrupt end with little build up that presumably led them back to their everyday lives just left me feeling unsatisfied. I know that I was supposed to feel that way to an extent, but it did kind of dampen the experience for me.
Anyway, I really loved Nevada as a whole. Binnie has such a biting style and makes every character come alive on the page, and it was such a fairly quick and genuinely enjoyable yet difficult read. Definitely one I'm going to be thinking about for a while!
Anyway, I really loved Binnie's style in this piece and how to the point she was. I always love blunt styles, and hers really did not disappoint! It wasn't very flowery, but got some really strong images across, and I could be exactly where Maria was at any moment.
I think modern work, especially with characters of internet age, can shy away from pop culture references and discussion, but Nevada really leaned into it and allowed space for the reader to explore how internet and pop culture has shaped trans experiences in a lot of ways.
I really loved getting to explore a very different point of view of transness when Nevada switched focuses to James, but I was a little disappointed that we didn't get much of Maria's actual trip to Nevada. It felt like that was the point I was waiting for in the novel, and it just kind of skipped over it in a lot of ways.
I know the cutoff ending was intentional, too, but I couldn't help but be disappointed in that, too. Storytelling and life naturally have the disconnect of how resolution occurs, and I didn't mind that they allowed the characters to stay somewhat stagnant and fail at their attempts to change, but the abrupt end with little build up that presumably led them back to their everyday lives just left me feeling unsatisfied. I know that I was supposed to feel that way to an extent, but it did kind of dampen the experience for me.
Anyway, I really loved Nevada as a whole. Binnie has such a biting style and makes every character come alive on the page, and it was such a fairly quick and genuinely enjoyable yet difficult read. Definitely one I'm going to be thinking about for a while!