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aywebster's reviews
22 reviews
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
My official rating of this book would be 2 1/2 stars out of 5 because I did not actively hate or dislike reading it, but I also did not find myself actually enjoying it until around the last 100 pages. While I haven’t read or watched a lot of reviews for the book (to avoid what was a terribly predictable spoiler that I’d guessed upon starting it); I can totally understand why readers would deem the “payoff” unworthy of persevering through the boredom and un-like-ability of the main character.
Would I recommend this? I guess so, if you don’t mind an unlikeable, unreliable, almost Patrick Bateman-type of main character (without the murder and with the satire level turned way down). Around the two-thirds mark, I had a realization which I had to stop and say to myself- this is very similar to the movie Donnie Darko! If you like that movie, read this book and get back to me about my loose comparison.
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This brings me to my next point- I knew this would be a 9/11 book from the moment I read that it takes place in 2000-2001. I pointed it out to my husband every time the World Trade Center was mentioned and every time, I was met with “that’s just a red herring- the author can’t be that lazy.” To be clear, I don’t believe this was a completely lazy direction to take- but I can’t help but think about Remember Me’s twist 9/11 ending. I will say that I wasn’t completely correct in my predictions, though- I assumed Trevor would die too, MC would lose all hope and die the same way her mother did.
I guess I’m glad that I didn’t give up on this book because I always like to see even the least sympathetic characters find redemption, though it was in the most rich, white, fictional way possible. I’m still unsure of whether I believe that was satirical or not.
I’m just glad I got to see what all the hype/hate was about. I’ve seen this on a list of “red flag books” and I’ve yet to figure out why it’s a red flag- there’s nothing terribly shocking or gut wrenching- to me it’s mostly boring rich white people stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Self harm, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content
Flamer by Mike Curato
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I think this book is perfectly fine for middle and high school-level adolescents. It is an honest depiction of the way a young person can struggle with their identity when they are treated differently for it. I appreciate the introspective tone and the hopeful message that prevailed in the end. Fuck the fascists, read Flamer!
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
3.0
The Other Black Girl was an enjoyable and timely read. I like that this book switches perspectives every couple of chapters to break up the main plotline a little, and then how each of these perspectives slowly come together towards the end of the story. However, (and if you've read it, I think you'll understand) I can't help but feel like the character development that the book often dives so deeply into goes to waste in the end.
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SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT:
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My biggest problem with this book was that I didn't like how Nella succumbed to Hazel and the hair grease. I kind of hate that Nella did not strengthen her involvement with KP's alliance against Hazel and instead, she just became another Hazel. This is especially because of the sci-fi-type twist that the book takes when the hair grease is revealed to be a tool used and passed down by Diana. I appreciate that this makes for a sort of a real-life call to action for readers to fight against the code-switching and assimilation that is expected of POC in the workplace; but it doesn't seem to mesh well with the fictional element of the hair grease.
This is why I feel that Nella's 300 pages of character development and flashbacks went down the drain at the end- because she ends up being just another OBG instead of having an interesting fight against it. The time I spent learning about the protagonist feels like such a waste in the end when she so easily gives up and joins Hazel...it feels like it could've been presented much better, maybe even with the same outcome. This is being compared to "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Get Out," but at least the protagonists in those films put up a fight (and actually won in the end).
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SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT:
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My biggest problem with this book was that I didn't like how Nella succumbed to Hazel and the hair grease. I kind of hate that Nella did not strengthen her involvement with KP's alliance against Hazel and instead, she just became another Hazel. This is especially because of the sci-fi-type twist that the book takes when the hair grease is revealed to be a tool used and passed down by Diana. I appreciate that this makes for a sort of a real-life call to action for readers to fight against the code-switching and assimilation that is expected of POC in the workplace; but it doesn't seem to mesh well with the fictional element of the hair grease.
This is why I feel that Nella's 300 pages of character development and flashbacks went down the drain at the end- because she ends up being just another OBG instead of having an interesting fight against it. The time I spent learning about the protagonist feels like such a waste in the end when she so easily gives up and joins Hazel...it feels like it could've been presented much better, maybe even with the same outcome. This is being compared to "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Get Out," but at least the protagonists in those films put up a fight (and actually won in the end).
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
4.0
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Who doesn't love a story that makes you realize you're just another cog in the machine and there's ultimately nothing you can do about it?
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
5.0
As a lover of celebrity memoirs, I totally recommend this one. It was an especially interesting read since I grew up watching Jennette on screen with absolutely no clue what was happening behind the scenes until I became an adult. I watched/listened to every podcast appearance and interview Jennette did before the release or even official announcement of the book, so I expected not to read much that I didn’t already know. However, the majority of the book was comprised of stories I didn’t hear elsewhere. These vignettes from McCurdy’s life, while heartbreaking, were crafted perfectly so as to not emotionally exhaust readers and the funny moments between the painful ones made the book an easier read all around.
Liarmouth by John Waters
5.0
If you’ve seen a John Waters movie, you will definitely be able to envision the contents of this book as you read it like it’s already a film (which I hear the film adaptation is already in production- exciting to see him back behind the camera). Waters is truly a wordsmith, finding the most creative ways to write the crudest sentences you’ve ever read. He is one of my favorite writers and people in general for the way he crafts his sentences and finds ways to tell convoluted stories about (purposefully) terrible characters, but still manages to keep viewers and readers hooked. I will not tell you anything about this book besides it is crude, unserious, and unapologetic- and I 100% recommend it!