thealbapoems's reviews
124 reviews

The Discomfort of Evening by Lucas Rijneveld

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Really, this novel is about loneliness, and how once you let that uncomfortable feeling settle in, that feeling of being othered, you become your worst enemy. It is an uncanny exploration of loss, grief, and coming of age in the wake of a tragedy and a dysfunctional home. The main character and narrator, coupled with the space evoke a constant feeling of the unheimlich. Most of us have never lost a brother, or lived in a Dutch dairy farm, but this novel transports the reader to such an extent that you suddenly recall the moment you stuck a drawing pin into your belly button. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

emotional lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

I am very glad that I put off reading this book for as long as I did. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this gem had I read it years ago. It is a delightful, quiet, piece of literature that while on the surface only seems to be about a young woman’s social entanglements, really explores social mobility, class, and women’s independence (or lack thereof). Austen’s style is so clean, and refreshing, that it’s hard to believe it was originally written in 1796. Finally a book I read and enjoy without being heartbroken by it. 

Antigone by Jean Anouilh

reflective 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? Yes

3.75

La fiesta del chivo by Mario Vargas Llosa

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Horrible and important. Before this I had only read “Travesuras de la niña mala”,  and it does not do Vargas Llosa any justice. What an insightful, beautifully structured exploration of the Trujillo dictatorship. Not for the light of heart, but an absolute must for the readers of historical fiction. He weaves the small into the national, the personal into the international, truly a master of choral narratives. 

Dream Count Hb by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I don't know where to start. I liked the novel, and I enjoyed reading it, but it's not her best. I feel like the narrative thread comes in a little too late. It feels like Chia is the main character, when she really isn't (or arguably, shouldn't be) and the title is a bit misleading. I enjoyed reading about Omeologor, but I don't really see how it all fits together. I of course get that these 4 women all go through different challenges and overcome them in their own way, but the voice shifts felt gratuitous at times. Similarly, the details about COVID and lockdown felt unnecessary. But I think that my biggest take is that if what Adichie wanted to do (as she explores in the epilogue) is tell a fictionalized version of Kadi's story, she should have worked harder to tell just that story. I'm not sure she needed the 3 other women, let alone the spotlight they take. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

dark sad fast-paced

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

4.0

It's haunting to read a book so telling of the author's mental state.

I wonder if Plath, like her main character, lost all hope after being disappointed and hurt by a bad doctor. I wonder if her writing Dr. Nolan for Esther was an effort in manifesting one for herself.

One of the things that stood out to me the most after finishing the novel is the clear divide between the female and the male atmospheres. It's something that's done through the use of space (the female only Amazon, the female college, later the female asylum) but also through character.

Throughout the novel, the pain Esther suffers is always inflicted by male characters. I don't think there is a single character in the text that leaves Esther better than he found her. It's true that the female characters aren't exactly all good either, but the contrast remains stark. Like Dr. Nolan says to Esther, it's in women that we find tenderness.

This book was not what I expected at all, and Plath's prose is a joy to read- I am amazed by the subtlety with which she communicates to the reader the mental state of her protagonist. I read this book in one afternoon, which should be telling of how much I enjoyed it. But also, I think I read this book at the perfect time, the fig tree metaphor resonated but didn't hurt, so I'm grateful for that. 

Shine, Darling by Ella Frears

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Ella Frears ladies and gentlemen. What a poetry collection, full of moon, dirt, and witnesses. The turning point is definitely PASSIVITY, ELECTRICITY, ACCLIVITY, but the collection manages to hold its own even after such a master piece. Reading this collection has made me incredibly jealous, but in the best way. Will be reading more from her. 

Ozone Journal by Peter Balakian

challenging medium-paced

3.0

This is a hard book to review. I don’t think I read this at the right time, maybe I didn’t have the mental capacity to take everything in, the message, the context. I would like to re-read it at some point. The imagery and language was at times opaque and beautiful. Difficult to unravel, but magnetic. 

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

adventurous fast-paced

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

2.75

God, I recently saw a video where they said that Jack Kerouac writes like ticker tape and that’s the best way to describe this book. A weird read, but one I felt I had to read at some point. I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. What a strange tale of manic misfits and their various abuses to the women in their life. Would not read it again. 

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Although this book contained some beautiful reflections on humanity, what binds us together, and our propensity to diverge, for me it fell short as a novel. The description passages are interesting at first, but after 14 orbits, it gets a little repetitive (which might’ve been done in purpose if it wasn’t because the narrator states that our cosmonauts never got tired of the same sights). I guess I would have liked a slightly more ‘attached’ narration if that makes sense. Chie was definitely the most appealing character, and her lists were some of the highlights of this novel.