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tanyamariereads's reviews
130 reviews
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
4.0
This was a tough one to review. I loved it, but it also made me super uncomfortable. I've heeded the warnings from other reviews, but most warnings were on how graphic the novel was and not how triggering it could be for someone who has experienced anxiety and depression (i.e. me).
The story is set in NYC in the year 2000 and is told by the nameless narrator. The narrator is privileged in looks and wealth, and is suffering from severe depression (although that term is never used throughout the story). She takes it upon herself to seek help and finds a therapist that provides her with all the pharmaceuticals that will guarantee an easy fix to her woes. The narrator takes it upon herself to mix certain prescriptions in order to be in drug induced coma for a year. She believes this is the only way she can be reborn into the world.
I get it. We would all love to have the freedom to sleep for a year because we're all burnt out and could use some R&R, but the narrator of the book shows all the ways you should not cope with anxiety or depression. She's reliant on pharmaceutical drugs to be the ultimate cure for what she simply dismisses as apathy to the world. Her therapist is horrible and the only friend that's close enough to the narrator to intervene has personal issues of her own to really notice the narrator's struggles. So why the high rating despite everything that I just listed that made me cringe? Thankfully I was in a good head space to read this story and did not feel like it was mirroring my current state. Ottessa does a tremendous job of getting inside the head of the narrator and translating it on the page. Also the reader gets a further glimpse into the narrator's past as to what brought on her depression and why she's so reluctant to seek out true help.
It's definitely a good read, but make sure you're in a good head space before reading.
The story is set in NYC in the year 2000 and is told by the nameless narrator. The narrator is privileged in looks and wealth, and is suffering from severe depression (although that term is never used throughout the story). She takes it upon herself to seek help and finds a therapist that provides her with all the pharmaceuticals that will guarantee an easy fix to her woes. The narrator takes it upon herself to mix certain prescriptions in order to be in drug induced coma for a year. She believes this is the only way she can be reborn into the world.
I get it. We would all love to have the freedom to sleep for a year because we're all burnt out and could use some R&R, but the narrator of the book shows all the ways you should not cope with anxiety or depression. She's reliant on pharmaceutical drugs to be the ultimate cure for what she simply dismisses as apathy to the world. Her therapist is horrible and the only friend that's close enough to the narrator to intervene has personal issues of her own to really notice the narrator's struggles. So why the high rating despite everything that I just listed that made me cringe? Thankfully I was in a good head space to read this story and did not feel like it was mirroring my current state. Ottessa does a tremendous job of getting inside the head of the narrator and translating it on the page. Also the reader gets a further glimpse into the narrator's past as to what brought on her depression and why she's so reluctant to seek out true help.
It's definitely a good read, but make sure you're in a good head space before reading.
Here Until August: Stories by Josephine Rowe
4.0
I’ll admit that I picked up this book because I was entranced by its cover. Thankfully the collection of short stories within were just as marvelous. I haven’t read anything by Josephine Rowe before, but Here Until August makes me eager to read more of her work.
This book holds ten short stories that all center around characters that have experienced an event which deeply changes their lives. Most of these stories center around loss. Not in the sense of death, although some stories do focus on that topic, but loss of a previous life that brought comfort and familiarity. These characters are trying to learn how to make do with the life changing event that they had little to no control over.
Reading Rowe’s words felt like I was recalling a dream. Her writing provides such vivid imagery and a real connection to the characters as they try to process everything going on in their life. These aren’t cheerful stories, but certainly ones that make readers wonder how they would cope with such drastic life changes.
Not every story in this collection was for me, but I loved a majority of them. Here are my top three from the collection:
1. The Once Drowned Man
2. Chavez
3. Horse Latitudes
This book holds ten short stories that all center around characters that have experienced an event which deeply changes their lives. Most of these stories center around loss. Not in the sense of death, although some stories do focus on that topic, but loss of a previous life that brought comfort and familiarity. These characters are trying to learn how to make do with the life changing event that they had little to no control over.
Reading Rowe’s words felt like I was recalling a dream. Her writing provides such vivid imagery and a real connection to the characters as they try to process everything going on in their life. These aren’t cheerful stories, but certainly ones that make readers wonder how they would cope with such drastic life changes.
Not every story in this collection was for me, but I loved a majority of them. Here are my top three from the collection:
1. The Once Drowned Man
2. Chavez
3. Horse Latitudes
Lost and Wanted by Nell Freudenberger
4.0
I’m a huge science nerd. Which is strange since science was probably my poorest subject while I was in school, but I’ve always been fascinated by science. I suppose it’s the mechanics behind it and seeing how things in our universe work that brings me a thrill. Lost and Wanted definitely goes in-depth with the world of physics all while relating a story of loss to its readers.
Helen, the story’s main character, is a physicist at MIT and a single mom to 7 year old Jack. Helen has just lost her college best friend, Charlie, and tries to deal with grief along with unexpected messages coming from Charlie’s phone postmortem. Helen spends her time trying to recover the phone while recalling memories from her time at Harvard with Charlie.
I’ve read other reviews (as I always do) that said their main gripe with the novel was how Freudenberger was so overly detailed about the world of physics. I’ll admit that sometimes my eyes glazed over reading those sections, but I still loved it all the same. I loved Helen who comes across as a very pragmatic character due to her field of work, but has some trouble applying that to her personal life. I also loved that Charlie, a black woman who could have easily been dismissed as a secondary character to the plot, was given so much life and depth throughout the novel. But overall my favorite thing about this story was how it grapples the question: is there an afterlife? From a scientific standpoint, it can be an easy question to dismiss, but Freudenberger uses physics as a way to suggest there could very well be life beyond death.
Helen, the story’s main character, is a physicist at MIT and a single mom to 7 year old Jack. Helen has just lost her college best friend, Charlie, and tries to deal with grief along with unexpected messages coming from Charlie’s phone postmortem. Helen spends her time trying to recover the phone while recalling memories from her time at Harvard with Charlie.
I’ve read other reviews (as I always do) that said their main gripe with the novel was how Freudenberger was so overly detailed about the world of physics. I’ll admit that sometimes my eyes glazed over reading those sections, but I still loved it all the same. I loved Helen who comes across as a very pragmatic character due to her field of work, but has some trouble applying that to her personal life. I also loved that Charlie, a black woman who could have easily been dismissed as a secondary character to the plot, was given so much life and depth throughout the novel. But overall my favorite thing about this story was how it grapples the question: is there an afterlife? From a scientific standpoint, it can be an easy question to dismiss, but Freudenberger uses physics as a way to suggest there could very well be life beyond death.
The Houseguest: And Other Stories by Amparo Dávila
4.0
I read The Houseguest and Other Stories by Amparo Dávila in a buddy read and I’m glad that I was able to discuss this collection within a group. Through discussion, I realized I came to truly like the collection more than I originally thought I did.
Most of these stories feature female protagonists and focus on the disparities they can face through cultural norms. Dávila uses the horror genre as a thin veil to present this world to readers. Some stories felt overly ambiguous which might be due to its translation. However, I loved the horror that was promised from the start. Many of these stories are unique and definitely left a haunting impact.
Not all of these stories were a favorite, but still a great collection overall. Here are the top 3 stories I loved the most:
1. The Last Summer
2. Musique Concrète
3. The Breakfast
Most of these stories feature female protagonists and focus on the disparities they can face through cultural norms. Dávila uses the horror genre as a thin veil to present this world to readers. Some stories felt overly ambiguous which might be due to its translation. However, I loved the horror that was promised from the start. Many of these stories are unique and definitely left a haunting impact.
Not all of these stories were a favorite, but still a great collection overall. Here are the top 3 stories I loved the most:
1. The Last Summer
2. Musique Concrète
3. The Breakfast
The Swallows by Lisa Lutz
5.0
I've never been able to write up a short review for any book that I feel strongly about, and The Swallows by Lisa Lutz is no exception. The easiest part of this review is to simply say that I loved it. The hardest part is to say why I loved it without spoiling everything for those who haven't read it yet. I'll give it a try.
Alex Witt is a new teacher at a boarding school in New England in 2009. The story is told from her perspective and three others: Mr. Ford, a teacher who's primary focus is to find a publisher for his debut novel, Gemma, a senior rebel in the popular crowd, and Norman, another senior who feels like an outcast. Ms. Witt starts the school year off with an anonymous questionnaire and the results from starts a revolution within the school. All of the students seem to share their love or hatred of The Darkroom based on their anonymous answers, but there isn't much context as to what exactly The Darkroom is and why that's caused a divide among students. This pushes Ms. Witt to speak with students and faculty to figure out what it is, and the answer reveals that it's a much larger conspiracy within the school that must be dismantled.
Be forewarned, this novel is primarily focused on the objectification of women's bodies and bullying/hazing. Some parts of the novel were tough to read through. I could understand why some readers DNF, but I'm glad I stuck it through and read all of it. Lutz did a fabulous job on consistently rotating between the four different narrators. It helped keep me intrigued to find out more, and completely shocked whenever the story line took a turn that I wasn't expecting. I would say this is more of a thriller type novel, although I wouldn't strictly place it in that genre. There's a lot of dark humor and dysfunctional characters, but what won me over was Gemma and Alex Witt's narrations. These are two very strong female protagonists that were needed for this novel and made me appreciate this book even more.
Alex Witt is a new teacher at a boarding school in New England in 2009. The story is told from her perspective and three others: Mr. Ford, a teacher who's primary focus is to find a publisher for his debut novel, Gemma, a senior rebel in the popular crowd, and Norman, another senior who feels like an outcast. Ms. Witt starts the school year off with an anonymous questionnaire and the results from starts a revolution within the school. All of the students seem to share their love or hatred of The Darkroom based on their anonymous answers, but there isn't much context as to what exactly The Darkroom is and why that's caused a divide among students. This pushes Ms. Witt to speak with students and faculty to figure out what it is, and the answer reveals that it's a much larger conspiracy within the school that must be dismantled.
Be forewarned, this novel is primarily focused on the objectification of women's bodies and bullying/hazing. Some parts of the novel were tough to read through. I could understand why some readers DNF, but I'm glad I stuck it through and read all of it. Lutz did a fabulous job on consistently rotating between the four different narrators. It helped keep me intrigued to find out more, and completely shocked whenever the story line took a turn that I wasn't expecting. I would say this is more of a thriller type novel, although I wouldn't strictly place it in that genre. There's a lot of dark humor and dysfunctional characters, but what won me over was Gemma and Alex Witt's narrations. These are two very strong female protagonists that were needed for this novel and made me appreciate this book even more.
Black Card by Chris L. Terry
4.0
Black Card by Chris L. Terry is a fast and impactful novel following a nameless, mixed race narrator. The story takes place in the early 2000's in Richmond, Virginia. The narrator is determined to win back his "Black Card" which was originally bestowed to him by his friend, Lucius. The narrator sees Lucius as his guide to reclaiming his black identity. This isn't an easy feat being in a predominantly white area of Richmond and having to deal with microaggressions from his band mates and the public in general. The narrator has to grapple with more than he originally bargained for in order to fully claim his race identity.
This novel really resonated with me. Growing up in a predominantly white environment meant there was a time when I was confronted with my own race identity crisis. Much of it was within my own head, but it's hard to truly sort through and understand while you're young. Chris L. Terry does a great job of displaying that internal battle onto the page. By using satire and a small dose of magical realism, Terry reveals the internal and external conflicts that are dealt by mixed race individuals. This was a slow burn at first, but the ending was tied well together and I can see this story impacting many readers.
This novel really resonated with me. Growing up in a predominantly white environment meant there was a time when I was confronted with my own race identity crisis. Much of it was within my own head, but it's hard to truly sort through and understand while you're young. Chris L. Terry does a great job of displaying that internal battle onto the page. By using satire and a small dose of magical realism, Terry reveals the internal and external conflicts that are dealt by mixed race individuals. This was a slow burn at first, but the ending was tied well together and I can see this story impacting many readers.
The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
5.0
The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton is one of those novels that I believe will fall under the radar for too long and everyone will be stunned as it rises to become a literary classic. I can see this novel standing the test of time and truly being a classic, and I'm so happy I managed to read it as soon as it came out. It's been a while since I've read a powerful story with a primary focus on the relationships of women, especially within a family dynamic. There are so many highs and lows throughout the story that will warm your heart and almost wrench it.
Readers are first introduced to Ava, a mixed-race woman living in New Orleans in 2017 with her son, King. Ava's paternal grandmother, Martha, offers Ava employment as Martha's caregiver and her home for King and Ava to reside in with her. It starts off as beneficial for all involved until Martha's mind begins to falter and staying in her home becomes a stifling environment for Ava. The story then goes back in time to introduce Josephine, Ava's maternal great-great-grandmother, who escaped from slavery and in the 1920s has a family owned farm which she takes pride in. Her story begins with the arrival of her neighbors and Josephine begrudgingly befriends her neighbor Charlotte. Josephine sees this new acquaintance as something insignificant, but soon realizes that Charlotte's involvement with the Ku Klux Klan has an enormous impact on her and her family. Throughout the book, the timeline weaves from Ava's story to Josephine's stories of childhood and adulthood.
Margaret Williams Sexton put so much depth into these characters by providing a generational narrative. Although the novel is not outlined in a linear timeline, I felt that truly enhanced the connection between Ava and Josephine. They might be separated by generations, but the tie between them is undeniable. Magical realism was especially important for this novel as well, and Sexton utilized that theme in all the best ways possible to make these characters come to life. I never want to give away spoilers, so I'll end this with saying that this novel is truly one of my favorites and I highly encourage everyone to read it as soon as they can.
Readers are first introduced to Ava, a mixed-race woman living in New Orleans in 2017 with her son, King. Ava's paternal grandmother, Martha, offers Ava employment as Martha's caregiver and her home for King and Ava to reside in with her. It starts off as beneficial for all involved until Martha's mind begins to falter and staying in her home becomes a stifling environment for Ava. The story then goes back in time to introduce Josephine, Ava's maternal great-great-grandmother, who escaped from slavery and in the 1920s has a family owned farm which she takes pride in. Her story begins with the arrival of her neighbors and Josephine begrudgingly befriends her neighbor Charlotte. Josephine sees this new acquaintance as something insignificant, but soon realizes that Charlotte's involvement with the Ku Klux Klan has an enormous impact on her and her family. Throughout the book, the timeline weaves from Ava's story to Josephine's stories of childhood and adulthood.
Margaret Williams Sexton put so much depth into these characters by providing a generational narrative. Although the novel is not outlined in a linear timeline, I felt that truly enhanced the connection between Ava and Josephine. They might be separated by generations, but the tie between them is undeniable. Magical realism was especially important for this novel as well, and Sexton utilized that theme in all the best ways possible to make these characters come to life. I never want to give away spoilers, so I'll end this with saying that this novel is truly one of my favorites and I highly encourage everyone to read it as soon as they can.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
5.0
What can I say about a book that has received high praise across the board? Other than just agreeing with the positive reviews out there, I would say everyone needs to read this. I know I say that a lot about the books I love, but The Underground Railroad is so profound that summarizing its impact won't do it justice. Colson Whitehead fully brings all the ugliness of the history of slavery that has been completely whitewashed. It's easier for people to say, "that happened in the past, let's move on." Whitehead wanted none of that for his readers. He spent 15 years researching all the things that Europe-centric history neglected to mention, or merely downplays, and created a story for the voices that have been forgotten over the course of history.
I'm glad I took my time reading this novel along with a buddy read. It's not one that should be rushed through. A lot of minute details can be missed and I think readers can start to feel disconnected if those details are overlooked. I would also say that although this could be seen as historical fiction, there's some freedom that Whitehead took with his fictional novel to help make the timeline more cohesive. I know some have a gripe with his liberty of making the underground railroad an actual railroad, but trust me it's imperative to the overall story. The journey of the main character Cora and her escape to the North via the underground railroad will bring discomfort and sadness, but it will reveal atrocities that can no longer be given a blind eye.
I'm glad I took my time reading this novel along with a buddy read. It's not one that should be rushed through. A lot of minute details can be missed and I think readers can start to feel disconnected if those details are overlooked. I would also say that although this could be seen as historical fiction, there's some freedom that Whitehead took with his fictional novel to help make the timeline more cohesive. I know some have a gripe with his liberty of making the underground railroad an actual railroad, but trust me it's imperative to the overall story. The journey of the main character Cora and her escape to the North via the underground railroad will bring discomfort and sadness, but it will reveal atrocities that can no longer be given a blind eye.