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documentno_is's Reviews (1.28k)

Lightlark

Alex Aster

3.25

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

It is interesting this is classified as young adult, I would think the physicality of the relationships in the narrative would make it more suitable to an adult audience.
This was a good fantasy with a canned character structure- every twist is expected from the moment you begin and it all sort of works out to nothing. Each character is an archetype of their genre, and a lot of them fell flat to me, the character stories reminded me a little of Leigh Bardugo or something similar. Still, the world building was really fun and interesting and I loved the way Aster built out each realm. On the opposite, I didn't love how sometimes there was a wavering line between whether the story was set in a historical or modern setting, the descriptions of modern pajamas felt bizarre in this context.

The Fortress of Solitude

Jonathan Lethem

3.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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: Yes

I love how much of an imperfect hero we are given in Dylan, if occasionally a bit on the nose-- like maybe he could've had some more adept conclusions on his relationship and knowledge of racial injustice in America, but I guess the book largely points out his own specific circumstances sought to keep him from that.
I loved the magical realism elements, breezing between comic reality and the gritty present in magical lyricism. I'm obsessed with how Lethem writes, his line level craft and sentences are intriguing and wonderful. That said, at times he can get a bit verbose, a tad repetitive, and maybe this book could've benefited from a more economical editor.
Honestly, I wish we had encountered more of Dylan at Camden, those were some of the most poignant chapters, a sort of fucked up redemption after his formative years of being a punching bag.
Regardless, this isn't a perfect novel of course, the subject matter has a tendency to veer of into gratuitous and aggrandized info dumping about music. In the same breath, there is a lot of heart and pain here and much of speaks to a beautiful window of human experience that only the specificity of growing up in a certain place can give you sometimes. There is so much America here, it is heartbreaking.

Midnight's Children

Salman Rushdie

3.0

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

it was insanely long
it was an interesting way to get a crash course in the history of indian independence
I liked the magical realism elements but didn’t like how expository the narrative voice was at times
At one point I think he literally says “ don’t trust every thing I say in telling this story “ I’m like dude… let me figure that out yeah?

Also could do without the incest subplot

Damascus

Joshua Mohr

3.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense 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

This book was equal parts moving and annoying- I grew frustrated with the characters actions but that was sort of inherent in the intention. I loved that the narrative surrounded the cast of a seedy SF bar. I loved the different stories of pain, fear, and love. Still- some of the specific writing choices and the way the author handled certain character stories bothered me.

Interior Chinatown

Charles Yu

3.0

After starting the show and being somewhat disappointed at it's pacing I thought I'd give the novel a try and found it to be more successful in that regard. This novel is quite short, and thus it only ever really stays at the surface- not entirely ineffective since it is clearly more concerned with archetypes and roles that individual unique characterization. A rather successful endeavor in painting with broad strokes, being vague in the correct places and specific and heartfelt in others.

The Book Swap

Tessa Bickers

3.0

adventurous reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Consistent story with good pacing, although too many unlikable characters for this genre.

Inherent Vice

Thomas Pynchon

DID NOT FINISH: 9%

Overall, a little two scene for scene after already seeing the movie. Can't put the time into this one when the movie is sitting right there, being fantastic.

Wild Love

Elsie Silver

DID NOT FINISH: 48%

"I knew he would ride into battle for me." Ah yes, the battle of.. being his business advisor and breaking up with your mild mannered ex boyfriend?

Honestly the most insane part of this novel was the idea that this man is a supposed billionaire from.. a small town recording studio? What the fuck is Elsie Silver smoking? Or if that's a continuation of his family money how is that impressive at all?

Genuinely this was so poorly written I'm not convinced it's not parody.

From Rockaway

Jill Eisenstadt

3.0

adventurous challenging dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book was interesting, the pacing was chaotic and the style was minimal. The topic of a bunch of teenagers hanging out in Rockaway was nice enough as a coming of age story, add in the restless aimlessness of post high school blue collar class struggles and voila- interesting book. The main cast of characters jumped off the page but there were a tad too many side ones. Mainly the novel’s style becomes confusing at times and it seems a little all over the place.