cangell's reviews
14 reviews

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

These spooky tales are dark, gruesome, spellbinding, and will stay with you long after (especially when you turn off the lights at night- looking at you, “Adela’s House”). I binge-read the book in two days because it was impossible to put down.

Haunted by the specter of Argentina’s troubled past, these stories are a powerful commentary on state violence, the patriarchy, and the everyday horror of powerlessness. They strike a perfect balance of subtext and storytelling, painting a vivid portrait of social upheaval in South America without being didactic or sacrificing the suspense. The stories are violent and brutal (def not for the faint of heart- see trigger warnings), but not for mere shock value. Horror is having a major renaissance right now and this is an excellent example of the genre at its best.

With any collection, there are hits and misses. I disliked some, like “The Dirty Kid,” because I felt like they portrayed addicts and homeless people in a stigmatizing way, but after reading the entire book, I realize the intention was to highlight the horrors of poverty and society’s indifference to their suffering. The translator did a fantastic job- the language is stunning (though I wish I could read it in its original Spanish because I wonder if the tone of certain things might change). There are so many standouts. The title story is simply spectacular, the crown jewel of the collection. “Under the Dark Water” was another favorite. This is a must read for any fan of literary horror.

Content Warnings

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

There are good books and then there are books that reach outside of the page and grab you by the heart, that change how you view life itself. This, I think, is a hallmark of great literature. I can’t remember the last time a book made me sob so hard.

It took me a long time to finish this one not only because it’s like 800 pages but because it’s so emotionally charged. The length feels justified, as you follow this circle of friends, with the enigmatic Jude at its center, through their entire adult life and witness their growth the way you would your own longtime companions. The first chapter sets it up as yet another coming-of-age story about young professionals trying to make it in New York, but quickly veers into uncharted terrain. The characters are so richly imagined and authentic that you can’t help but think of them as real people.

I don’t think I’ve read another book whose narrative structure so authentically mimics the ebbs and flows of actual life. We search for patterns in a chaos that defies our understanding. The periods of stability and joy are all the more meaningful because there is no promise that they’ll last forever. Disability, too, is cyclical this way. No bs overcoming narrative is forced on Jude. There is no magic cure for his ailments. The only promise of salvation is the tremendous power of love and friendship, the connections we share with one another. For such an unrelentingly bleak story, I think it also a hopeful one. The characters’ unwavering devotion to each other is beautiful and deeply moving, a light that shines through all the darkness.

This book is a journey and it’s certainly not for everyone. Jude’s traumas are horrific and reading about them is upsetting. While the scope of his experiences is unimaginable, his struggles with self harm and PTSD hit painfully close to home. As an abuse survivor and someone who struggles with suicidal depression, some of the passages were immensely triggering. They also made me feel seen. So often, you just want to shake Jude and beg him to accept people’s love and stop self-sabotaging. It gave me a lot of insight into my own relationships and how helpless people on the outside must feel watching someone they love spiral.

I strongly disagree with the “trauma porn” accusations. I can think of many examples of media that exploits trauma for shock value (like the entire mystery/thriller genre, tbh), but I don’t think that’s the case here. The SA flashbacks are harrowing, but they are not graphically detailed. Jude’s traumas are necessary to understanding him as a character. It’s TOTALLY valid to not want to read this kind of material, but to claim that no book should be allowed to tackle these issues head-on or that it’s “unbelievable” for a character to have experienced so much adversity is frankly disgusting. I was more triggered by some of the ableist reviews than I was by the book itself. It affirms why trauma is such an alienating experience and so many people suffer in silence. The internet pays lip service to mental health awareness, yet in reality, most neurotypical people shrink from anything difficult or upsetting or that challenges their sheltered worldview.

This book broke my heart in the best way. It’s going to stay with me for a long time. I imagine it will sit on the shelf with the classics someday.

Content Warnings

Ghost Lover: Stories by Lisa Taddeo

Go to review page

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved “Three Women” and “Animal,” so I was excited to read Lisa Taddeo’s latest delve into the feminine psyche. Her prose is lush, poetic, and unsparing, chronicling the insidious ways the patriarchy erodes women’s self worth. She treads familiar terrain in this story collection, which is reminiscent of Cheever and Updike’s classic tales of upper middle class malaise. The language is as spectacular as ever here, yet where her two previous books were gripping and impossible to put down, I found my attention waning.

Collections are usually thematically linked, but most of these stories are simply too similar to the point of schtick. After the second or third or fourth wealthy, self-absorbed white woman stewing about wealthy, self absorbed white men, I started to lose interest. The Malibu villas and New England country houses started to blend together.

Much of the criticism of Taddeo’s work reeks of the same double standards her characters suffer under. Many readers still seem deeply uncomfortable with complicated, openly sexual female characters who aren’t sufficiently meek or morally pure. Taddeo seems to be speaking to that directly. I love a good unlikable narrator, but even the most hellish characters need to be compelling (Joan in “Animal” is a great example). The pressures and traumas that have undone these women are very real, but many of the stories merely paint a portrait of these issues rather than add something new to the conversation. I kept waiting for some kind of nod to the reader that wasn’t there.

A number of reviews have touched on representation issues. Queer people and people of color are largely invisible, except for occasional appearances as an exotic or threatening other. I assumed these icky moments were a reflection of the narrow worldview of the characters, but they were never commented upon or explored further. The world of the stories is almost defiantly vanilla .

There are a number of standouts in the collection, especially towards the second half of the book. The enduring love between friends in Air Supply and Suburban Weekend is deeply moving. I enjoyed the supernatural turn in Padua, 1966. Taddeo is at her best when she dives beyond the everyday heartaches to examine the much bigger monsters that lurk underneath. I think if I’d read some of them on their own instead of couched between the other stories, I would have appreciated them more.

Taddeo is such a skilled storyteller, it would be nice to see her step beyond her comfort zone. I’ll be eager to see what she comes out with next.

Content Warnings

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There are books that entertaining and then there are books that you know will stay with you for the rest of your life. This is one of those. I’ve meant to read this for years and once I got started, I couldn’t put it down. I was so engrossed in the story and the characters that I was disoriented when I reached the final page and realized it was over.

The book is set in the modern era, but it feels timeless, like the sweeping classics it draws inspiration from. From the endearing Russian/Slavic characters (Boris is such a treasure) to all the musings on fate, the timelessness of art, and the nature of good and evil, the book is filled with homages to the Russian greats like Dostoyevsky. The characters are so deeply complex and alive that I had genuine anxiety over their fates.

Like most great stories, this is not a feel-good read. Theo’s grief and nihilism and appetite for self-destruction resonated deeply with me, but are almost overwhelming at times. I can see why people who prefer more lighthearted, less challenging fare would struggle with this one. Yet at the same time, the ending is uplifting in a genuine way, not in a shallow “all’s well that ends well” way, despite how much we might crave that kind of neat conclusion for both the characters and our own lives. This is a book for the ages.

Content Warnings

Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari

Go to review page

hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

I loved Hari’s book on depression, “Lost Connections” so I was eager to read this one. This might be his best yet. The book is structured in a similar way, with each chapter examining the different forces that are corroding our attention and proposing solutions. He lays out what experts in the field are saying and considers their different viewpoints. It’s informative but also highly accessible and engaging.

The subtitles of his books a bit misleading, as they are not traditional self help books, which tend to frame everything as the problem of the individual and ignore the larger social forces at work in people’s lives. This doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of helpful strategies for individuals in here. He just recognizes that it’s far more complex than doing a phone detox. Big Tech has a vested financial interest in hijacking our attention. The current education model discourages critical thinking and denies children the ability to learn independently and develop their passions. Systemic problems require systematic solutions. Refreshingly, he acknowledges that individual habits have their limitations and direct community action and demanding better living conditions is the only answer (ironically, one of the main things that our collective inability to focus has eroded our ability to do).

This is not another “Technology Bad!” book. He doesn’t oversimplify multifaceted issues. As a person with diagnosed ADHD and executive dysfunction, I was prepared to feel angry and defensive when he questioned the source of ADHD and the spike in diagnoses in recent years. He doesn’t minimize the suffering of people with attention issues or shame them for taking medication, however, he just considers the environmental factors versus an innate biological defect, which is how ADD/ADHD is commonly understood. It made me reflect on how my attention issues coincided with major traumas. Instead of feeling shamed, the book made me more mindful of my own constant task switching and inability to get into the creative flow states I used to be able to access freely. I felt empowered and relieved to know that the problem isn’t just that I’m lazy and lack willpower.

This book is a welcome antidote to the toxic myths of “hustle culture” and the reductive sound bites of internet armchair psychology. A must read for anyone attempting to understand the focus crisis in a nuanced, meaningful way

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg

Go to review page

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.75

A thorough, meticulously researched examination of how antiquated ideas about social class have shaped America from the colonial days to the present. This book is a wake up call for anybody still laboring under the delusion that America has ever been a land of opportunity for all (or was ever intended as such). From Andrew Jackson to Honey Boo Boo, Isenberg draws from history and pop culture to illustrate how the rural poor have alternatively served as scapegoats, spectacles, romantic figures, and prospective voters, depending on the needs of the wealthy at the time.

This book should be required reading in American history. The first edition was published in 2016 prior to the Trump election, yet it feels more eerily relevant than ever. The wealthy have and always will put a lot of work into sowing divisions among the poor to prevent any kind of solidarity that might threaten their power. Even as an avid reader of history, I learned so much that I didn’t know. It’s truly astonishing how unaware most people are of these incredibly significant chapters of our history (such as the American eugenics program).

A book of this scope can’t possibly cover everything. That said, certain chapters were meatier than others and some felt rushed, especially towards the second half. I do think the New Deal warranted more discussion. There wasn’t any mention of working class movements that arose in response to these conditions, such as the coal miners’ strikes in Appalachia, which seemed odd.

This is hardly a beach read, but it’s fairly accessible for a historical book. There are some redundant passages and concepts that didn’t need to be repeatedly explained and kind of bogged the narrative down. When you’re covering this much ground, the writing needs to be as streamlined as possible (Howard Zinn did that exceptionally well). Nevertheless, this is an important book and I’d highly recommend it. Only through examining our past critically can we hope to change the future.

We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective medium-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

3.75

As a graduate of an MFA program, I’ve been living for this recent crop of MFA thrillers/horror stories (Bunny, etc.) skewering dysfunctional academia and the neurosis that only putting a group of high strung, competitive writers together can bring. This is very much a book for and about writers. The descriptive language is gorgeous and there are so many incredible passages about the literary world throughout.

The collective narration is an interesting touch (and seems self-consciously styled after the Virgin Suicides- there are multiple references to it), but ultimately, the “we” creates too much distance from the characters and action. In order for that to work, I think the reader has to have a very strong investment in the collective and I didn’t feel that here. With the exception of maybe Jimmy (who we barely get to know), none of the characters are particularly likable or engaging. So much tension is built up in the first half of the book that the ending feels kind of anticlimactic and disappointing.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Go to review page

challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A bizarre, brilliant, and utterly original novel. On paper, a book with a cast of comically unlikable characters and a narrator who sleeps for a year is a tough sell, but in Moshfegh’s incredibly skilled hands, it works. The narrator’s voice is so engaging and ruthlessly observant that I couldn’t put the book down. It’s like a train wreck you can’t look away from. Yet tucked in the oddball story, there are many powerful insights about the world. I couldn’t help but end up rooting for the characters in their fucked up, navel-gazing glory in spite of myself. The pacing lags a bit in the middle, but it’s worth staying with because it picks up in the second half. I had a hunch about the ending, but that still didn’t diminish its impact. This book definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (and judging by the reviews, it went over a lot of people’s heads), but if you like challenging, weird, deeply smart fiction, this is for you.

Content Warnings

How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America by Kiese Laymon

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

This frank, powerful essay collection explores the complexities of family, love, art, Southern Black identity, and what it means to be a Black artist in America. The book is poignant, heartbreaking, and often deeply funny. Kiese’s unwavering determination to tell his story in the face of staggering obstacles is genuinely inspiring and made me appreciate his words even more. It’s a quick read and my only complaint was that some essays felt too abbreviated and I wanted more! Looking forward to reading more of his work.

Content Warnings

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

3.75

Drawing on nature, literature, and spirituality, this book is a meditation on winter as a season and a metaphor for difficult chapters of our lives. Though it’s not a self-help book, it offers some wisdoms that are genuinely inspiring. The language is beautiful and May’s inclusive approach to sadness is refreshing. As someone who struggles with severe depression and dreads the approach of winter, I left the page with a greater appreciation (or at least acceptance) for the season and the period of quiet and reflection that it embodies.

Winter has a way of sharpening the already glaring inequalities in this world. Access to travel, adequate clothes, free time to pursue hobbies or practice self-care- basically all the coping strategies suggested in the book- are inaccessible to most people. Rest and retreat themselves are the purview of the privileged. I don’t begrudge May her own personal experience, but she primarily draws on the experiences of wealthy white Northern Europeans. I would’ve loved to read more diverse perspectives on surviving winter.

On another note, she alludes to changing winters in her lifetime, but there’s no real mention of climate change, which feels kind of odd considering the subject matter. I understand that not every book is a political project, but these topics are interwoven not only with winter but with human life itself. Nevertheless, I enjoyed May’s writing style and would recommend this book to anyone who struggles to find the beauty in the darker seasons.

More...

cangell's reviews 14 reviews

cangell's reviews
14 reviews