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documentno_is's Reviews (1.28k)
A book of essays that casts a bit too wide of a lens- as I felt some of the topics lived in an in between state after one has an introduction but before you dive into anything specific or actionable. I felt the strongest argument was the one surrounding book banning, and then closely followed by the one that regards Palestine (although I agree you might need to be somewhat familiar with the Israel/Palestine conflict to engage in the final essay.) Still, Coates' writing is imbued with passion and meaning and I find he has a fantastic way of conveying ideas so that they are neither overly technical or overly emotional- a perfection of argumentative craft. I'll continue to seek out Coates' writing, I'm always better for having read it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Sometimes I wonder if Hazelwood purposely chooses the ugliest book covers imaginable. This was pretty good, did what it set out to, don't go looking for anything far past surface level this one is middle of the road for her. The friendship dynamics with Penn were interesting, if a bit convoluted.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What Works:
The self hatred, the desperate longing, the pantomime, the charade, Susan asking Bret why he couldn’t just keep it up, the schism of Bret and Robert (who he is vs. the masculine straight idealized version he’s chasing,) the tangible participant, Brett as a drug addled unreliable narrator , perception vs. reality, L.A as the setting- it’s insane phony privileges mixed with the realistic seedy underbelly of cults and killers, the absurd New Wave soundtrack, the raging hormones & horniness as Bret spirals over his desires, Numbness, ‘ludes.
You could never make the argument he doesn't have style.
You could never make the argument he doesn't have style.
What Doesn’t Work:
I wonder if all revered authors get to a point in their career where editors become too afraid to tell them “you need to cut.” This same story could have told in 200 less pages, although I like E’s writing enough to go along for the ride even when I’m rolling my eyes about the superfluous repetition and building details. I can almost appreciate BEE’s refusal to check his ego at the door- I think some of the more insufferable aspects of his personality shines in this metafiction because I don’t think he wants us to like him, he tells us that he’s a liar, he’s faking it, it’s all facade and aesthetic. BEE has always been somebody encapsulated in privilege barely able to see outside of it, and that works in this kind of novel where they all cannibalize each over it. The rich eating the rich, if you will. I think just by virtue of this book coming out in 2025 Ellis has somewhat refused to keep up with the times (certainly politically- we all know White) and his writing suffers for it. Some of the old tropes and trappings feel stale and hollow, no longer carrying the weight and shock value of his heyday.
I still think this one is worth reading, better than some of his other recent works due to the nostalgia factor, and at least the suspense of this builds into something somewhat satisfying and gripping.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Bad pulp !
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I remember this being more impenetrable, and more interesting. I can see how important it may have been at the time, and its largely class satirization but as a straightforward novel it's not quite witty enough to hold interest for me. I think if you don't have any particular interest in classics or historical romance this might not be worth a revisit.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I, like most, have to admit I first picked this book up due to its reputation as a Secret History dupe- and as much as to that comparison there is accuracy there is also insufficiency. A group of prep school children overly-engrossed in their insular society is a long standing trope in literature and this novel adds the dynamic of theatre, specifically Shakespeare, to the dynamic. Some of what I thought was incredibly strong in this novel was its use of its vehicle to guide the reader through suspense and expectation. I felt suspense for most of it although I do believe the ending was predictable I don't think it wasn't supposed to appear as such as much as inevitable. Like chess pieces, Rio dutifully moves the pawns of her novel until there is nothing left but checkmate and its subsequent reflection and epilogue. To further my chess analogy a little longer I'd also say that is where the weakness of this novel lies, some characters feel too much like pawns rather than vibrant in their own right. Richard felt a little stereotypically evil and I wanted more complexity than his cruel honesty. Some of the dialogue and dynamics between James and Oliver leaned a little to overly dramatic for my taste and not necessarily in line with the sort of detachment I expect from wealthy characters of this sort. Still, the novel was very fun, very suspenseful, and a simple pleasure to read even if it couldn't in my eyes live up to its most direct comparison- but perhaps that continued comparison is a tad unfair. Even though I think this wasn't a perfect novel it is one I will continue to think about in relation to its genre so that may have inflated my rating somewhat.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Man embarks on quest to find poignance in his older father. I really just read this to be able to say I finally did. I remember when this came out and it was the 'favorite book' of all my teenage-aged male friends so it hit my to-read list and was continuously passed over for a decade while I read better and worse pulp. I empathize with the author’s love of his father, he certainly seems like the type to have an all encompassing personality but I don’t think I gained much from this. It was funny in a very old man way, so not too much. At least it seems better than rich dad poor dad. His dad reminded me or Captain Lee from below deck. Somebody who has very old world views, some that are still applicable, some that are dated, and has an occasionally humorous grumpy-old-man way of delivering them. Any book that I have to say "too many rape jokes" about is not a book I want to take into 2025, but I do appreciate the sentiment that sometimes you just need to tell kids what the fuck is up instead of coddling them.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As much as I love irreverent queer fiction, the detachment of this protagonist was hard to connect with. I think I kept searching for something a little more poignant or impactful and instead I got a vaguely witty romp through Hong Kong expats. Often this novel was fun, other times it felt grating- the protagonist was as unlikeable as she was insightful but not quite to the point of being an antihero. She was just sort of pathetic, which is relatable but not interesting.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This novel was a difficult one, so I’ll start off by saying the accuracy of it aside I think there was a compelling sympathetic story told here that did not feel exploitative of its characters. I think it gave nuanced and detailed descriptions of a lot of different kind of residents on the island and the way they dealt with the mainlanders. It was sad, and harrowing at times but this was a true moment in history so I’m glad it was told in stark honesty-especially Matthew Diamonds character, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
The biblical imagery and context aided the emotional impact of the story but also occasionally made it harder to follow. Sometimes I felt Harding was purposefully creating distance between the reader and what was happening and I wasn’t always sure it was effective.
In further honesty, I felt the experience of reading the first half of this novel to be incredibly boring. With too many characters to focus on and overly verbose scattered alternate narration I had a really hard time connecting with the page. This was solved by the time I got to Ethan and Bridget’s story however, that really was the moment that hooked me.
I’m glad I read this novel, although a bit overly stylized it felt like an earnest attempt to retell the fictionalized story of Malaga Island.
The biblical imagery and context aided the emotional impact of the story but also occasionally made it harder to follow. Sometimes I felt Harding was purposefully creating distance between the reader and what was happening and I wasn’t always sure it was effective.
In further honesty, I felt the experience of reading the first half of this novel to be incredibly boring. With too many characters to focus on and overly verbose scattered alternate narration I had a really hard time connecting with the page. This was solved by the time I got to Ethan and Bridget’s story however, that really was the moment that hooked me.
I’m glad I read this novel, although a bit overly stylized it felt like an earnest attempt to retell the fictionalized story of Malaga Island.
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In parts of this novel I felt like the author had a list of "real world issues" they wanted tackle and were going down the last rather than seamlessly integrating them into the narrative (depression, work, medicine, parental abandonment, etc.) Due to the author casting such a wide lens I felt like some aspects of the story were glossed over. Some of the characters were compelling- Mal & Jo were reasonably fleshed out but others felt canned and almost stereotypically evil or inadequate like Ezra, Ashley, or Portia. Some of the parts of this novel I couldn't connect with were likely my own pitfalls- I don't care much about medicine or social media and the hyper focus on those aspects of the main character's career took me out of the story. On the other side I did enjoy the complex dynamics at play in Jo and Ezra's friendship and Jo and Mal's romance felt equal parts effortful and natural, with both characters suffering hang ups due to their past experiences and working to change and move through them. I think this novel had a lot going for it and would be open to reading more by the author, even if this particular story didn't completely captivate me.