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documentno_is's Reviews (1.28k)
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I agree with a lot of the things he said in terms of creative process.
The more ‘woo woo’ elements were a little lost on me, although the gong was kind of funny. The part about not getting a potentially necessary surgery was well… in line with me disagreeing with him in that the artist does have some ideological responsibility for their work, theme is essential although I do agree that trying to force a story to work around a theme that’s not clicking is problematic.
Bringing in some psychology principles like A/B testing was helpful, I also liked what he had to say about work vs. creative life, the artists job is never finished and that you hold responsibility to live creatively for yourself even when it’s inconvenient. I loved what he had to say about sincerity as goal, that’s it’s rarely effective to start super sincere without some sort of filter between yourself and feeling. The idea that the creative process is a thing outside yourself that you can tap into is super effective, I love the idea that art is deeper than your ideas or thoughts. The idea that the artist is simply a conduit. That preemptively critiquing the work can stifle it- but is ultimately necessary to remove what’s unneeded and to demonstrate taste (to be the editor).
I think this book could be very helpful to anybody trying to build a creative process, and learning to tap into creative flow, artistic decision making, ruthless editing, and many other process he goes through in this book- for those who already have a artistic practice in place it can always be helpful to re-examine and take stock of your own approach.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Incredibly impactful in it's dystopian realism- nothing felt outside of today's societal trajectory and that's what made reading this so painful. The horror of watching Sara go through this horrific system time and time again felt harrowing and inevitable. My only complaint is structural- it felt like the narrative concluded a little too abruptly and wrapped up too neatly but I did feel like the overall thematic intent was incredibly effective. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year.
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed the writing style of this fairy tale, I enjoyed the aesthetics that were terrifying, bleak, and gory. I think ultimately the theme wasn't necessarily strong enough or tied enough to the actual story but the ride was enjoyable nonetheless.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Vestiges of a dying empire
Acker tends to speak of empire in a disjointed anti-American pro nothing sort of vagueness that I can’t stand. She explicitly defines that she thinks humans are evil and then dooms them to their evil fates- no hope for salvation, god is just a tool of capitalism. It’s all a little too pessimistic for me, somebody who has viewed anarchy as a form of hope.
Her writing is equal parts pain and wordplay, and while I commend the experimentation I’m left with a sort of empty feeling in its wake. Sometimes Acker reverts to a childlike word association, nauseous ad nauseam, every time she approaches poignancy she almost immediately devolves back into edgy nonsense. Rebellion seemingly for rebellions sake, or in pursuit of healing pain? She’ll reference psychology and principles of German philosophy only to unravel the same presumptions in the same sentence. She so boldly presents us with the ultimate of depravity, the worst humanity has to offer and then cheapens its by her stylistic choice to use cunt in every sentence. I wanted to like Acker so badly, and she certainly piques my interest- I also have to admit I found this more easily accessible than Blood and Guts in High School ( white girls in Native American headdresses type beat, she attempts some kind of vague attempt to address racial discrimination but doesn’t have the knowledge to do it appropriately.) I suppose I’ll never be able to fully get behind Ackers transgressive shock value style, mainly because it doesn’t try hard enough to amount to some greater answer for its violence- suffering because life is suffering, but why does she feel the need to rub my nose in it ? I suspect that her attempt is to speak to what was going on in this era, but wonder if this target ever reached the ears of anybody who needed to hear it.
One of my favorite things about Empire of the Senseless is the weaving in and out of the modern day- one second we are in a pirate fantasy and the next moment we are on the streets of Detroit, contending with an American reality. The more fantasy elements of this book weave together to create an almost Mad Max Fury Road story of deprivation, violence, and desperation and it clearly seeks to expose the depths of human depravity. There is violent ideology, peppered with actual violence (mostly towards women) and then finally even the language itself is violent- she chooses the most jarring and uncomfortable words in every use case.
There are passages from this novel that were so affecting- like when she brought up the MK Ultra experiment and I had to contend with the fact that I hadn’t even known the aspect of the CIA buying brothels in Paris. I can’t help feeling, especially with the very end, that a lot of the attempt is a little misguided. Acker was of course writing down her beliefs, many of which were unpopular in American society and it’s easy to sympathize with her viewpoint in this regard, she clearly has an eye for style and structure and a distaste for the rules of the system of writing- all of which is admirable in its own right. That said, the digressive quality especially when it comes to leaving her point for a particular character journey, only to devolve back into nonsense makes the experience of reading this very unpleasant. Furthermore, I don’t really need a white novelist parroting the n-word at me to be able to wrap my head around the concept of discrimination (reminded me a lot of her mentor Burroughs actually.) I’m not sure how much she was adding to the conversation, agreeing with others in a more uncomfortable lens, but I’m equally sure she wouldn’t give a fuck about what anybody thought she could or couldn’t say- transgressive, taboo, anti-novelist be damned. I just didn’t like reading it, even if I respect a lot of it.
The whole world is men’s bloody fantasies.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautiful little novel about the expectations of society and community, and the occasional relief of a simple job. It's clear the protagonist is neurodivergent, especially after we're given the description of the shovel incident , as the reader there is a level of anxiety to see if she will collapse or branch out in violence again. Instead, all of her peculiarities happen to fit the day to day task assortment of the convenience store, causing an endearing little rift when the strange incel "one step above a sex predator" comes into her life to add a sense of normal society- and the reader can see how ineffectual and depressing normal life is. I think a lot of my love of this novel came from how simple it was, yet how it cut straight to the ills of society in a creative new way. When I read earthlings I found it poignant but really alienating, in contrast this felt so deeply human to me. I loved it, no notes.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow! What a pleasant surprise of a novel- I read it in a single sitting I was so captivated by its prose. I'll say if you're put off by the internal ramblings of an unreliable narrator this one may not be for you but for fans of Woolf, Lispector, etc. this will be a perfect addition to the feminist mentally ill cannon. I will say it's not as densely symbolic as Lispector, in a lot of ways that makes it more readable, more enjoyable, to just let it carry you on an erratic journey of love and pain. I loved how perfectly this novel obfuscated what was reality and what was a manic episode, weaving in and out of reality so delicately that the reader becomes convinced along with the narrator that her illness is a blessing keeping her from mundanity and everyone who comes to visit her is dangerously obsessed with snuffing out her flame. The setting and the imagery of 72nd St were also so potent and real, serving as a strong anchor in a fantasy world. The perfect amount of tension and inevitability sustains until the end of the novel until, in my opinion, it might wrap up a little too nicely but not this didn't put me off so much that I won't think of it as one of my favorites for time to come.
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Pynchon using this story as an example of characters dying on the page-
I mean it's an early work but you can see the formation of style, the paranoia and the border between anxieties of scientific achievement and insidious government workings brushing up against the free love movement & it's subsequent drugs and psychedelia. I actually liked some of the characters, plus it's a short story so I'm not expecting to really ~know~ them after I've read it. I like the way Pynchon admits to not really understanding the concept of entropy and still making it the central through-line of his story- a bold move with a high payoff in my opinion.
I mean it's an early work but you can see the formation of style, the paranoia and the border between anxieties of scientific achievement and insidious government workings brushing up against the free love movement & it's subsequent drugs and psychedelia. I actually liked some of the characters, plus it's a short story so I'm not expecting to really ~know~ them after I've read it. I like the way Pynchon admits to not really understanding the concept of entropy and still making it the central through-line of his story- a bold move with a high payoff in my opinion.
Some part of this novel resonated with me more than others- when she speaks on cultivating a loving lifestyle and looking towards community I felt comfortable agreeing. I found myself thinking throughout this novel of older adults that would have really benefitted from being able to hear these words, especially in the way suffering abuse in childhood may close one off to love in the future. She largely lost me when she focused on religion and angels, and specifically on the spirit. The more biblical musings were tangible, and I appreciate the way her trust in divine knowledge might've led her to loving openly- I just unfortunately can't see it applying meaningfully to my own life. I really liked the parts when she focused on the difference between love and romance, and how the constant nurturing of love is essential. I was also somewhat alienated in the more gender essentialist slant to some of her conclusions but I appreciated her honing in on how many of the typical arguments between partners can ultimately devolve into the gender wars, or an inability to understand one another due to socialization.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A deeply emotional tightly woven character drama about love, depression, and family. I can imagine how some felt it difficult to connect with, if they couldn't appreciate the characters, because it really is a complete character study on families and relationships. Meanwhile, I felt each character was vibrant and jumped off the page- every one of their actions made sense for how they were written and that only made it more and more heartbreaking when things ended up as they did (because I expected it.) Each character in this novel is desperately searching for something, some find it in easier and less complicated ways than others, but as the reader I was rooting for everyone to actualize and learn to live among each other again. There is a lot of emotion on these pages, a lot of sadness, and if I'm being completely honest a lot of melodrama- but none of these are negatives for me and I felt the story moved along so smoothly. When I picked this novel up I hardly put it down again until it was finished. If I had any criticisms it was that the prose was a little lacking, leaning too heavily toward trying to be quotable or summarizing rather than trying to capture in some specific scenes. I bawled like an absolute baby for the last two chapters- jesus.
funny
fast-paced