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c3rem0nials's reviews
27 reviews
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Sometimes i find myself at a loss with how to describe Palestinian literature. The ‘fiction’ we read mirrors so closely to their reality. This was short, sharp, and unfortunately insightful. I have no words.
There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
i really wanted to like this book - it came highly recommended, and it has its nice parts. its relatable, especially when you're an early 20s job seeker in any capacity. i resonate with the desperation, the numbness that comes with finding a job. however the book remained at only one tone throughout, and i don't know if it's a translation or pacing issue. every time something exciting was gonna happen it just fell right back down. too many characters is also an issue, but i guess it comes with constantly meeting new people at different jobs/environments.
Tremor by Teju Cole
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Very beautiful book that meanders between multiple perspectives. The writing is beautiful and affective, but the lack of structure also made me hope there was a bit more of it as I kept dipping in and out of attention with the way the writing wasn’t going anywhere. But maybe that’s the point and I just didn’t get it.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
a really beautiful book that pop culture deeply misunderstood. especially if you read charlie as autistic. i really love the earnest, in betweenness, where youre not doing that bad but also not doing well. youre just trying. it is sadly a product of its time, the 90s heyday of teen drama ala heathers. i do think its very beautifully written, i enjoyed it a lot because i found charlie's narrative voice to be oddly soothing. he's truly a teenager fully coming into himself. i think coming of age is a silly phrase but i think this novel captures it perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
who fucking cares at the end of the day. bad writing!
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
i wish my debut novel was also an excuse to write smut. balli won the publishing lottery. confused by the sudden murder mystery thing that was introduced quite late?? but all the same these are brown families so i kind of believe it as well. a bit slow paced, wish it focused more on its initial theme of sexuality and empowerment, though i do kind of cackle a little because i didnt realise smut was that effective in real peoples sex lives??
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
this book was hyped so much as like the pinnacle of lgbt fiction. and listen, the writing was fast paced enough and exciting for me to keep reading. like a vacation book, no thoughts, just my innately human desire to watch relationships in front of me fail. but my god... the "queer" aspect was probably one of the worst things in this book. u cant convince me a lesbian woman in the 60s would actually be mad at someone trying to keep them safe. the biphobia was PAINFUL, and lesbian being used only in negative contexts was genuinely so irritating regardless of the contextual use?? this feels like a cishet woman saw queer characters and thought - " i could do that." just overall tacky representation that i cant even accept as messy representation. race was also handled so poorly. i refuse to believe for a second that evelyn could easily have just dyed her hair and was suddenly white passing?? her cuban heritage means absolutely nothing to her which begs the question of why write a cuban woman when it could have just been a marilyn monroe or elizabeth taylor situation. i could not bring myself to care about celia st james. monique is supposed to be our narrator, but does not function like a character of any sorts because of the fact that evelyn's voice is the thing that dominates this book. just so much irritating tokenism, and blah blah. not worth the hype.