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dashdashdashdash's Reviews (7)
Sometimes sweet and profound and mind-warping. Often a bit repetitive. I found it kept landing on afterlives where the joy of being alive was human connection and fucking. I agree, but I do wish there was some stuff about art in there. Humans making ambitious and pointless pursuits. This was a nice read. Quick. It is rare to find a book about the afterlife and existentialism that also feels humble. The author didn’t feel like a wanker. There were a handful of eye rolls and there were a handful of really special moments. At times I would’ve liked a little more expansion on certain concepts - but who am I to complain! This is not my book! For some reason I found the hell afterlives quite confronting. I got angry with the book whenever a story ended with “and then they realised that the afterlife was hell!” I think it felt the same way that a bad “would you rather” does - I feel trapped and uncomfortable, imagining a world where I have to choose between eating a shoe or killing my own father.
It was interesting to reflect on. I love darkness. I really enjoy horror. I am not usually affected by these things so much. I think I must’ve been more sensitive to the darkness because - like a would you rather - I was imagining these afterlives as hypotheticals for my own life. I was affected because I was in there.
Thank you for the read, David! Hoping we get the afterlife where dumb aliens ask us questions and pretend to understand what we’re saying!
It was interesting to reflect on. I love darkness. I really enjoy horror. I am not usually affected by these things so much. I think I must’ve been more sensitive to the darkness because - like a would you rather - I was imagining these afterlives as hypotheticals for my own life. I was affected because I was in there.
Thank you for the read, David! Hoping we get the afterlife where dumb aliens ask us questions and pretend to understand what we’re saying!
I have too many feelings and not enough thoughts about this book. It took over my life while I was reading it. I read it a fair bit in public, on trains and in cafes. I publicly laughed and I publicly cried. I kept thinking that it was really advertising for the book. I was travelling through Queensland. I thought it was so funny, imagining a conservative Sunshine Coast boomer picking up the book in a store because they saw me crying over it in the cafe and finding long terrible sexually depraved rants inside it.
It was just awesome. I loved its weirdness. I loved its love. It started in a place of uncomfortable oddity and slowly revealed itself to be a deeply human tale. I don’t want to spoil what the book ends up being about, but it is a topic that is on my mind a lot at this age and close to my heart and my gut. I have a lot of fear and a lot of longing for this thing and the book soothed me and warmed me.
I unexpectedly identified with many of the ways in which the main character is weird. Thinks weird. I think it’s powerful fucking writing, to be able to build a character that is so off putting and messy and offensive and simultaneously so easy to identify with. Something something, the human condition.
Thank you, Laura. This book really made my week. I will probably think back on it for a long, long while.
It was just awesome. I loved its weirdness. I loved its love. It started in a place of uncomfortable oddity and slowly revealed itself to be a deeply human tale. I don’t want to spoil what the book ends up being about, but it is a topic that is on my mind a lot at this age and close to my heart and my gut. I have a lot of fear and a lot of longing for this thing and the book soothed me and warmed me.
I unexpectedly identified with many of the ways in which the main character is weird. Thinks weird. I think it’s powerful fucking writing, to be able to build a character that is so off putting and messy and offensive and simultaneously so easy to identify with. Something something, the human condition.
Thank you, Laura. This book really made my week. I will probably think back on it for a long, long while.
I liked it. My interest peaked and waned throughout the book. All the stories were entertaining. Some moved me more than others. I loved the magic realism. At points, it felt like it had children’s book logic, which tickled me. I liked the horror a lot. I think I enjoy dark and grubby. Poo and failed, grey romance. Nothing especially blew me away. I am glad that I will keep this book because I’d like to pull it out one day and read a spooky stories to a guest.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Wow! This was a powerful book. Machado’s writing style is delicious. She transformed ordinary thoughts into magical wonderlands using really clever and expressive language and metaphors.
The story was heartbreaking and scary. Harrowing. The story was harrowing. It was a harrowing story.
I fell in love with her as a character a bit. She shared a lot of her personality. Often in memoirs, writers descriptions of their foibles and anxieties can feel forced or like they lack self-awareness. But I did NOT get that impression from Machado.
I loved the format. I enjoy a bite sized chapter. I love the way Machado fucks around with style. All power to you b. You wanna write a little essay? Do it!
There were a few little essays that blew my fucking mind. There was one about evidence in the social world being vibes. Another one about nonstalgia.
The chapter about her conservative uncle giving her a hug made me cry unexpectedly.
Yes. Lots of good things. Very few bad things. Excellent book. Thank you, Carmen Maria Machado.
The story was heartbreaking and scary. Harrowing. The story was harrowing. It was a harrowing story.
I fell in love with her as a character a bit. She shared a lot of her personality. Often in memoirs, writers descriptions of their foibles and anxieties can feel forced or like they lack self-awareness. But I did NOT get that impression from Machado.
I loved the format. I enjoy a bite sized chapter. I love the way Machado fucks around with style. All power to you b. You wanna write a little essay? Do it!
There were a few little essays that blew my fucking mind. There was one about evidence in the social world being vibes. Another one about nonstalgia.
The chapter about her conservative uncle giving her a hug made me cry unexpectedly.
Yes. Lots of good things. Very few bad things. Excellent book. Thank you, Carmen Maria Machado.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
I enjoyed this. David Sedaris is a funny guy! All Sedaris books are kind of the same to me. I like his stories best when they have emotional juice. I love the ones about his family. I felt this book was less emotionally juicy than his other ones. Also it was a bit racist.
Not about non-binary people.
Russell Brand wrote the introduction. Then I saw it was written in 2000 and I decided that it was no longer relevant and that I wasn’t intrigued enough to keep reading. HMU with something up-to-date, Ron Ronson.
Russell Brand wrote the introduction. Then I saw it was written in 2000 and I decided that it was no longer relevant and that I wasn’t intrigued enough to keep reading. HMU with something up-to-date, Ron Ronson.
Too many descriptions of nature. Stick to your strengths Robbie - high quality Aussie biscuits.
Love, Dashiel.
Love, Dashiel.