About 10% into the book I thought, “Goddammit this book is either going to break me or be incredibly healing.” It did both. As a lesbian who’s first lesbian relationship was also an abusive one, this book made me feel infinitely seen.

There’s a line at the beginning of this book about time travel. And how, even if you could go back in time and warn your younger self of what was to come by dating her, you still wouldn’t be able to change anything.

The author deliberately captures this feeling in all aspects in the book. You know what is to come. You want to scream “Run, get out, no! Can you see what’s happening??” And you still have to watch it unfold.

The ability of the author to capture that and have such a unique approach to swirling between first, seco, and third person speaks to a masterful craft in writing, analysis, and vulnerability.

This was a hard and heartbreaking read. I had to take multiple breaks from reading it to process my own emotions that stirred up from it, and it worth every second.

The Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.

DNF. Pretentious and devoid of the emotion it claims to build itself upon. The musings stem from entitlement and lack any semblance of community with anyone else. The only thing saving this book is the structure of it.

Also it mentioned Freud in a positive light and that pissed me off. AND quoted Winston Churchill??

Also— she’s so clearly racist. Specifically, that “white-woman” racism she masks behind a veil of “radical feminism.” Hot take, she’s not that radical.

Nevada by Imogen Binnie

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

discourse-y and trans and punk rock as hell

No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir by Ani Difranco

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I love Ani DiFranco.

Dogs of Summer by Andrea Abreu

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This book is mesmerizingly disturbing, and the best way is to read it all in one go. And, with the way the other draws you into the characters, their trauma, and their relationships, it’s hard to put it down.

My ONLY grievance is

the ending of this book. Once the girls became friends again, I realized that was the direction it was heading. It was heartbreaking because of the suddenness to the death. The prose around it was beautiful. However, the plot point as it exists within the novel felt a little contrived.

That being said, it in no shape detracts from the overall message, theme, and elements of the book.

Also, props to the translator who did a fantastic job of still capturing the prose of the author.

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lavenderbutch's reviews 61 reviews

lavenderbutch's reviews
61 reviews