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thepurplebookwyrm's reviews
1071 reviews
The Rose by Tiffany Reisz
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Premise:
Lia, the story's main female character, receives a mysterious and magical Ancient Greek chalice for her birthday, and becomes entangled with an equally mysterious man named August – a self-professed devotee of the Cult of Eros – who tells her the chalice can make any fantasy “come alive”. Both of them enjoy the Greek myths – for very different reasons, heh – and thus the book features Greek mythology-inspired sexual fantasies.
Review:
I decided to give this novel a go because:
a) It’d been a hot minute, or two, since I’d dabbled with erotica and wanted to see what was being done these days in the genre – outside of the "meme erotica" realm à la Ice Planet Barbarians. b) And because the premise sounded kinda neat, I guess?
But I really did not like this! I'll grant some of the sexual writing felt competent and effective enough. Okay. But there was also just a lot of painful cringe. Just painful cringe with the characters, the sex itself at times, the situations and... ugh.
Speaking of the characters: I absolutely hated the protagonists. August largely came off as a smug bastard; Lia, the spoiled daughter of kinky English nobles, runs an escort agency because she thinks it's fun or whatever and goes all Pikachu-faced when consequences happen. Putting aside her cringe, I’m just not about prostitution like this, and I was not about some of the cringy "commentary", nor the über-cringe Instalove™ bs this story features either.
Some of the vocabulary used to describe the sex was just a fat nope for me too: e.g. using the word “boy” in an adult description 🤢 – any mention of anything even remotely related to childhood in a sexual context is just the fattest of nopes for me, so that’s that. I was also mildly triggered by one scene but that’s, admittedly, not the text’s fault, and extremely personal so eh – more unfortunate than anything else.
No, what really killed it for me were the characters and the Instalove™. I hated everyone, the cringe of it all... and the decent-ish mythology-inspired sex scenes weren’t enough to compensate for that. As such, I wouldn’t particularly recommend this book to people looking for fantasy erotica, I guess... but then again this stuff is so deeply idiosyncratic you extra make of that what you will here.
Lia, the story's main female character, receives a mysterious and magical Ancient Greek chalice for her birthday, and becomes entangled with an equally mysterious man named August – a self-professed devotee of the Cult of Eros – who tells her the chalice can make any fantasy “come alive”. Both of them enjoy the Greek myths – for very different reasons, heh – and thus the book features Greek mythology-inspired sexual fantasies.
Review:
I decided to give this novel a go because:
a) It’d been a hot minute, or two, since I’d dabbled with erotica and wanted to see what was being done these days in the genre – outside of the "meme erotica" realm à la Ice Planet Barbarians. b) And because the premise sounded kinda neat, I guess?
But I really did not like this! I'll grant some of the sexual writing felt competent and effective enough. Okay. But there was also just a lot of painful cringe. Just painful cringe with the characters, the sex itself at times, the situations and... ugh.
Speaking of the characters: I absolutely hated the protagonists. August largely came off as a smug bastard; Lia, the spoiled daughter of kinky English nobles, runs an escort agency because she thinks it's fun or whatever and goes all Pikachu-faced when consequences happen. Putting aside her cringe, I’m just not about prostitution like this, and I was not about some of the cringy "commentary", nor the über-cringe Instalove™ bs this story features either.
Some of the vocabulary used to describe the sex was just a fat nope for me too: e.g. using the word “boy” in an adult description 🤢 – any mention of anything even remotely related to childhood in a sexual context is just the fattest of nopes for me, so that’s that. I was also mildly triggered by one scene but that’s, admittedly, not the text’s fault, and extremely personal so eh – more unfortunate than anything else.
No, what really killed it for me were the characters and the Instalove™. I hated everyone, the cringe of it all... and the decent-ish mythology-inspired sex scenes weren’t enough to compensate for that. As such, I wouldn’t particularly recommend this book to people looking for fantasy erotica, I guess... but then again this stuff is so deeply idiosyncratic you extra make of that what you will here.
Imago by Octavia E. Butler
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Full series review: https://youtu.be/4MOQMWdAccU.
Summary review:
So this series just... leapt off a cliff huh.
Book two was a step down from book one, for me, but I still thought it had merit. This one, however, felt entirely unnecessary, and I just don't understand what its point was. At all. Nothing was added in terms of theming, and the series' flaws – in terms of world-building and character work specifically – became all the more glaring to me as a result.
I really couldn't anymore with the freaking Ooankali, and the fact Lilith's is the only truly human point of view you get in the series absolutely worked to its detriment. What's worse, the Hybrids just did not feel like hybrids to me. They felt entirely alien, and alienating, as characters, precisely because they lacked humanity in a way they shouldn't have as Human-Ooankali hybrids.
The heavy-duty, 'ideologically hammered' genetic determinism became unpalatable and nothing but that in book three. I don't care, or don't want to care at the very least, about authorial intent. But the fact not a single character truly contests the Ooankali's incredibly reductive appraisal of humans as a species (one that essentially ignores socialisation wholesale), and even evolution as a process to a certain extent, made me wonder what I was "meant" to take away from this story. I can still write most of it off as the self-serving ideology of a genocidal and parasitic alien species, but theirs is also the only perspective you get past Dawn! The Hybrids don't truly challenge this ideology, and free human beings are never given the opportunity to meaningfully, to mindfully contest this repulsive stuff, and I was just so done with that.
Then there's the abysmal gendered characterisation: holy shit. That was genuinely, mind-boggingly disappointing coming from Octavia E. Butler (then again, there's a reason she's not a personal favourite like LeGuin is). Women all want children by default, and 10-15 of them too. Men (but not women, of course) are said to be naturally non-monogamous by the aliens and this is, once again, never once contested by any character, Human or Hybrid. And it's like: what gives?! Of course, I don't think the monstrous, social psychology-challenged Ooankali should be taken at their word, for anything. But the fact is the human characters are written in a way that largely conforms to sexist stereotypes presented as 'natural destiny' by their conquerors. Blegh.
Finally, since I didn't feel anything was added in terms of theming in book three, the whole "rapey aliens go brrrrrr" schtick outgrew its "usefulness", as it were. It became gratuitously gross, or near enough to it, and I was just so. Done. With. It. Imago entirely revolves around astronomically (heh) horny teenage Hybrids who will melt into cellular goo (not even exaggerating here) if they don't find human couples togroom and rape bond with. Just... cool, okay, whatever, but also fuck off at this point.
This means I skim-read the last 60 pages of book three, and ended the trilogy on a very bitter note. I still think Dawn is entirely worth it. Adulthood Rites isn't as good, but it concludes the story decently enough, which is why I feel this should've been a duology. Because book three, as far as I'm concerned, is pointless, and it has unfortunately soured my appreciation of the series as a whole. I'll probably still read other works by Octavia E. Butler at some point in the future, but her fiction has now definitely lost a few 'priority points' – neither Kindred nor Xenogenesis have come even close to equalling Parable of the Sower for me. 😕
Summary review:
So this series just... leapt off a cliff huh.
Book two was a step down from book one, for me, but I still thought it had merit. This one, however, felt entirely unnecessary, and I just don't understand what its point was. At all. Nothing was added in terms of theming, and the series' flaws – in terms of world-building and character work specifically – became all the more glaring to me as a result.
I really couldn't anymore with the freaking Ooankali, and the fact Lilith's is the only truly human point of view you get in the series absolutely worked to its detriment. What's worse, the Hybrids just did not feel like hybrids to me. They felt entirely alien, and alienating, as characters, precisely because they lacked humanity in a way they shouldn't have as Human-Ooankali hybrids.
The heavy-duty, 'ideologically hammered' genetic determinism became unpalatable and nothing but that in book three. I don't care, or don't want to care at the very least, about authorial intent. But the fact not a single character truly contests the Ooankali's incredibly reductive appraisal of humans as a species (one that essentially ignores socialisation wholesale), and even evolution as a process to a certain extent, made me wonder what I was "meant" to take away from this story. I can still write most of it off as the self-serving ideology of a genocidal and parasitic alien species, but theirs is also the only perspective you get past Dawn! The Hybrids don't truly challenge this ideology, and free human beings are never given the opportunity to meaningfully, to mindfully contest this repulsive stuff, and I was just so done with that.
Then there's the abysmal gendered characterisation: holy shit. That was genuinely, mind-boggingly disappointing coming from Octavia E. Butler (then again, there's a reason she's not a personal favourite like LeGuin is). Women all want children by default, and 10-15 of them too. Men (but not women, of course) are said to be naturally non-monogamous by the aliens and this is, once again, never once contested by any character, Human or Hybrid. And it's like: what gives?! Of course, I don't think the monstrous, social psychology-challenged Ooankali should be taken at their word, for anything. But the fact is the human characters are written in a way that largely conforms to sexist stereotypes presented as 'natural destiny' by their conquerors. Blegh.
Finally, since I didn't feel anything was added in terms of theming in book three, the whole "rapey aliens go brrrrrr" schtick outgrew its "usefulness", as it were. It became gratuitously gross, or near enough to it, and I was just so. Done. With. It. Imago entirely revolves around astronomically (heh) horny teenage Hybrids who will melt into cellular goo (not even exaggerating here) if they don't find human couples to
This means I skim-read the last 60 pages of book three, and ended the trilogy on a very bitter note. I still think Dawn is entirely worth it. Adulthood Rites isn't as good, but it concludes the story decently enough, which is why I feel this should've been a duology. Because book three, as far as I'm concerned, is pointless, and it has unfortunately soured my appreciation of the series as a whole. I'll probably still read other works by Octavia E. Butler at some point in the future, but her fiction has now definitely lost a few 'priority points' – neither Kindred nor Xenogenesis have come even close to equalling Parable of the Sower for me. 😕
Adulthood Rites by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Full series review: https://youtu.be/4MOQMWdAccU.
Didn't enjoy this one as much as I did Dawn.
The series' over-arching themes – such as I perceive them at any rate – about colonialism, genocide, and sexual coercion/violence remain very well executed, but I was really, and I mean really, disappointed by the story's gendered characterisation and 'endorsement' of genetic determinism, which I'm not entirely sure I can fully, exclusively attribute to the nefarious Ooankali.
Speaking of which, I still fucking loathe these rapey, condescending, arrogant and hypocritical mofos so freaking much. And even though I'm not a character-drive reader, it really became difficult for me to follow a story within which no unfettered Human perspective is allowed to flourish and... let 'er rip, as it were. I understand it as being part of the thematic point, sure, but that doesn't change the fact I don't really like it.
I'm not entirely convinced by what we're given of the Ooankali's biology either, but eh. I still applaud the relentless pursuit of dark and difficult themes here, but everything else felt lacklustre or disappointing in comparison, and it kind of feels like the theming itself has run its course as well. As such, I don't really want to bother with Imago, to be honest, but I have a physical copy of it and it's not that long so... might as well see the trilogy through!
Didn't enjoy this one as much as I did Dawn.
The series' over-arching themes – such as I perceive them at any rate – about colonialism, genocide, and sexual coercion/violence remain very well executed, but I was really, and I mean really, disappointed by the story's gendered characterisation and 'endorsement' of genetic determinism, which I'm not entirely sure I can fully, exclusively attribute to the nefarious Ooankali.
Speaking of which, I still fucking loathe these rapey, condescending, arrogant and hypocritical mofos so freaking much. And even though I'm not a character-drive reader, it really became difficult for me to follow a story within which no unfettered Human perspective is allowed to flourish and... let 'er rip, as it were. I understand it as being part of the thematic point, sure, but that doesn't change the fact I don't really like it.
I'm not entirely convinced by what we're given of the Ooankali's biology either, but eh. I still applaud the relentless pursuit of dark and difficult themes here, but everything else felt lacklustre or disappointing in comparison, and it kind of feels like the theming itself has run its course as well. As such, I don't really want to bother with Imago, to be honest, but I have a physical copy of it and it's not that long so... might as well see the trilogy through!
Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thoughts on the trilogy as a whole:
Premise: The Black Jewels follows a set of characters centred on a long-awaited, female Chosen One™ (called Witch) and all living in three adjacent or overlapping realms – I’m still not quite clear on the geography involved – two of which are Living Realms, one of which is essentially the Underworld. The people of these realms are divided into regular humans and non-human animals, and magic folks and non-human animals. Then there are different races of humans, and humanoids called the Eyrien – which have wings sprouting from their backs, because reasons. There are also different castes of magic users, seers and the like, and a magic system that is both tied to sex and channelled through gemstones you get by birth, but can then upgrade once you come of age. Ultimately though, you never really get solid background information on any of this.
Thoughts: The world-building (or lack thereof ahem) bugged me a tad in book one, and I’m happy to say this improved a little in book two specifically – especially given a dragon was involved – but I mean... I mostly stayed on for the vibes to be honest. The plot, for its part, revolves around a long-awaited, female Chosen One™ (called Witch), and gendered power dynamics are also, somewhat, played around with in this trilogy, in a way that could’ve been very cringe... but surprisingly wasn't actually, so yay!
The characters were sufficiently enjoyable, but I am disappointed the Chosen One figure never had her own point of view chapters or paragraphs. I certainly liked the gradual addition of magical non-human animals, and never tired of the witchy, spidery, mildly edgy imagery. I’ll even give a point to the author for the way she handled sexual violence and trauma in her story – unlike any number of other authors whose works I've perused... ahem.
This trilogy – which remained fantasy romance, not erotica, throughout – wasn’t anything to write home about, really, outside of its... "aesthetics" or "vibes", shall we say, but I enjoyed those well enough and just… had fun with it overall, honestly.
Premise: The Black Jewels follows a set of characters centred on a long-awaited, female Chosen One™ (called Witch) and all living in three adjacent or overlapping realms – I’m still not quite clear on the geography involved – two of which are Living Realms, one of which is essentially the Underworld. The people of these realms are divided into regular humans and non-human animals, and magic folks and non-human animals. Then there are different races of humans, and humanoids called the Eyrien – which have wings sprouting from their backs, because reasons. There are also different castes of magic users, seers and the like, and a magic system that is both tied to sex and channelled through gemstones you get by birth, but can then upgrade once you come of age. Ultimately though, you never really get solid background information on any of this.
Thoughts: The world-building (or lack thereof ahem) bugged me a tad in book one, and I’m happy to say this improved a little in book two specifically – especially given a dragon was involved – but I mean... I mostly stayed on for the vibes to be honest. The plot, for its part, revolves around a long-awaited, female Chosen One™ (called Witch), and gendered power dynamics are also, somewhat, played around with in this trilogy, in a way that could’ve been very cringe... but surprisingly wasn't actually, so yay!
The characters were sufficiently enjoyable, but I am disappointed the Chosen One figure never had her own point of view chapters or paragraphs. I certainly liked the gradual addition of magical non-human animals, and never tired of the witchy, spidery, mildly edgy imagery. I’ll even give a point to the author for the way she handled sexual violence and trauma in her story – unlike any number of other authors whose works I've perused... ahem.
This trilogy – which remained fantasy romance, not erotica, throughout – wasn’t anything to write home about, really, outside of its... "aesthetics" or "vibes", shall we say, but I enjoyed those well enough and just… had fun with it overall, honestly.
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Full series review: https://youtu.be/4MOQMWdAccU.
Quick thoughts:
This was gut-churningly horrifying, but also very, very engaging on a conceptual and intellectual level. Just proper ideas-driven science-fiction yet again! I utterly loathe the Ooankali, and whilst it's true one can, thematically, draw parallels between what they do to humans and what humans have done/do to farm animals or one another through slavery, what I'm really stuck on is the sexual nature of their exploitation.
[As an individual who has been groomed and raped, both in body and mind, that's exactly what I was reminded of with the Ooloi and their mind-raping of human couples. I don't give a fuck that some of them act kindly or with concern towards their human charges, because groomers do the same with the children they violate. The Ooankali are condescending pricks who drug and coerce human beings for their own parasitic survival as a species, and are just as bad as the humans they look down upon for being "hierarchical". The fact they think humans are doomed to create unjust hierarchies because "muh genetics" (never mind the fact they have no qualms setting Lilith up as a "leader"), or that only human animals combine high cognition with hierarchical social structures... can fuck right off as well. (hide spoiler)]
In brief: rapey aliens go brrrrrrr in a way that is very thought-provoking. Gimme them themes, yass!
Quick thoughts:
This was gut-churningly horrifying, but also very, very engaging on a conceptual and intellectual level. Just proper ideas-driven science-fiction yet again! I utterly loathe the Ooankali, and whilst it's true one can, thematically, draw parallels between what they do to humans and what humans have done/do to farm animals or one another through slavery, what I'm really stuck on is the sexual nature of their exploitation.
[As an individual who has been groomed and raped, both in body and mind, that's exactly what I was reminded of with the Ooloi and their mind-raping of human couples. I don't give a fuck that some of them act kindly or with concern towards their human charges, because groomers do the same with the children they violate. The Ooankali are condescending pricks who drug and coerce human beings for their own parasitic survival as a species, and are just as bad as the humans they look down upon for being "hierarchical". The fact they think humans are doomed to create unjust hierarchies because "muh genetics" (never mind the fact they have no qualms setting Lilith up as a "leader"), or that only human animals combine high cognition with hierarchical social structures... can fuck right off as well. (hide spoiler)]
In brief: rapey aliens go brrrrrrr in a way that is very thought-provoking. Gimme them themes, yass!
Kew: The Witch's Garden: Plants in Folklore, Magic and Traditional Medicine by Sandra Lawrence
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.75
This is basically the botanical equivalent of Sandra Lawrence's other book The Magic of Mushrooms, and thus a nice and very colourful publication about plants in culture and folklore. It is divided in different thematic chapters (plants for healing, witchy plants, plants for different phases of life, etc...) and presents both general information about botany, or rather ethnobotany, as a whole, and more precise information about different species of (mostly vascular) plants.
I would've appreciated a little more raw botany, was a little disappointed a couple of personal favourite plants were absent from the book, and I'm pretty sure I spotted one or two mistakes in the text... but the book otherwise contains what is advertised in the title, with lots of beautiful illustrations to boot! It's definitely a solidly enjoyable publication for botany and ethnobotany aficionados alike!
I would've appreciated a little more raw botany, was a little disappointed a couple of personal favourite plants were absent from the book, and I'm pretty sure I spotted one or two mistakes in the text... but the book otherwise contains what is advertised in the title, with lots of beautiful illustrations to boot! It's definitely a solidly enjoyable publication for botany and ethnobotany aficionados alike!
The Celtic Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Gods and Legends by Miranda Aldhouse-Green
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Positives:
- Comprehensive, thematic approach to the material
- Clear explanation of what is meant by "Celtic" culture and mythology
- Cross-referencing mythic stories written down by Christian monks with evidence from the archeological record (in both what used to be Gaul and the British Isles)
- Lots of information boxes about this or that element of broader Celtic culture, folklore and religion
- Some interesting, interpretative commentary
Negatives:
- The thematic structuring of the material, and the author's focus on drawing parallels between Welsh and Irish myth cycles means less time was spent on actually telling complete, singular narratives
- Since commentary was offered, I would've appreciated greater focus on the intermingling of gender dynamics in culture and myth/religion (as far as the available data allows)
- I would've also enjoyed greater focus on actual deities and supernatural entities, and even more speculation drawing from the Gaulish archeological record, though both are probably inherently limited given the current, relative dearth of hard data
But, overall: a very good, very engaging reference – 8/10.
- Comprehensive, thematic approach to the material
- Clear explanation of what is meant by "Celtic" culture and mythology
- Cross-referencing mythic stories written down by Christian monks with evidence from the archeological record (in both what used to be Gaul and the British Isles)
- Lots of information boxes about this or that element of broader Celtic culture, folklore and religion
- Some interesting, interpretative commentary
Negatives:
- The thematic structuring of the material, and the author's focus on drawing parallels between Welsh and Irish myth cycles means less time was spent on actually telling complete, singular narratives
- Since commentary was offered, I would've appreciated greater focus on the intermingling of gender dynamics in culture and myth/religion (as far as the available data allows)
- I would've also enjoyed greater focus on actual deities and supernatural entities, and even more speculation drawing from the Gaulish archeological record, though both are probably inherently limited given the current, relative dearth of hard data
But, overall: a very good, very engaging reference – 8/10.
Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes by Carolyne Larrington
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Positives:
- Very smooth and clear delivery of the topic
- Not Viking-exclusive, with references to related/adjacent Germanic culture and history
- Features stories about the gods and human heroes both
- Lots of relevant information boxes about specific cultural or religious concepts
- Commentary about the meaning of some stories, and the evolution/aetiology of Norse mythology
Negatives:
- More said about this or that deity would've been cool.
- More said about specifically female entities, such as the Norns, would've been even cooler.
- I wouldn't have minded additional information about Anglo-Saxon and broader Germanic mythology, pagan religion, etc...
But, overall: a very good, very comprehensive reference – 8 to 8.5/10.
- Very smooth and clear delivery of the topic
- Not Viking-exclusive, with references to related/adjacent Germanic culture and history
- Features stories about the gods and human heroes both
- Lots of relevant information boxes about specific cultural or religious concepts
- Commentary about the meaning of some stories, and the evolution/aetiology of Norse mythology
Negatives:
- More said about this or that deity would've been cool.
- More said about specifically female entities, such as the Norns, would've been even cooler.
- I wouldn't have minded additional information about Anglo-Saxon and broader Germanic mythology, pagan religion, etc...
But, overall: a very good, very comprehensive reference – 8 to 8.5/10.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The God of Small Things is a novel I read because of a friend, and features a kind of story I wouldn't ordinarily gravitate towards: that of a tragedy-stricken family, primarily perceived through the eyes of its youngest members, a pair of dizygotic male and female twins named Rahel and Estha.
It doesn't have the most straightforward narrative structure: the story tends to split into tangents that aren't immediately related to its main narrative through-line. This isn't something I generally enjoy, but I've also seen (much) worse in terms of "experimental" structuring so I can't say this was too bothersome either. The prose... gets a bit fanceh, as Booker Prize winners are wont to do I suppose (don't mind the mild sarcasm there). Overwrought, affected, etc... are other adjectives that come to mind. So Many Words Are Capitalised. Entire paragraphs are repeated in a way reminiscent of poetry, which I both liked and found annoying. Nouns and adjectives are, too often, squished together for no reason that I could see. "This was mossygreen" and "that was steelsharp"... because reasons, I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thankfully, discussing this book with a friend allowed me to realise some of these stylistic idiosyncrasies can be seen as "perception-building" or "perception-framing" devices, reflecting Rahel and Estha's childhood perceptions. Indeed, most of them crop up in the story's "past" sections (as opposed to its "present" ones centred on an adult Rahel). It makes more sense, to me, for words or concepts to be capitalised, for instance, if I'm "meant" to see them through a child's mind's eye. And this allowed me to tolerate the author's stylistic choices a lot more than I would have otherwise.
Still, things like: "there were back freckles on her (his?) back", cropped up in the text as well. And that's decidedly not lyrical or justifiable in any way to me. It's just redundant and incredibly clumsy. Prose/writing style does not sit at the top of my personal hierarchy of literary needs, so it's not like this was a deal-breaker for me. But given this novel has received a lot of praise for its "beautiful writing style" specifically, I wanted to point out this is certainly not what I specifically appreciated about it.
There is a plot, yes, and its structure, like I said, is rather meandering or "tangents-oriented". However, it does, ultimately, spiral around and towards a central family tragedy, or even set of tragic events. This also means the story is more concerned with familial character work than it is with individual character work. And that's fine, as the former feels well done overall – though it bears repeating this isn't the kind of thing I care all that much about in story-telling on its own. I'm also naturally biased against stories that focus on childhood or child characters and their perceptions of things. At best I can find it neutrally/coldly interesting... and I did here.
I mostly enjoyed learning about the novel's setting of Kerala. Its history and culture, too... and the story's theme(s). The God of Small Things' inexorable spiral of familial tragedy and inter-generational trauma drives forward a visceral exploration of unresolvable loss, unresolvable grief and the delicate but perhaps increased value of love in the very face of life's cruel tragedies. I found this theming effective, moving, and it additionally reflects the novel's title very well – a small thing, sure, but one I always appreciate! The book also has a very good ending: in the sense that it satisfyingly fits its themes and feels right, to be clear.
All in all, this was a mixed, but more-positive-than-not bag for me. One I am glad I finished, but that I probably won't re-read in the future. I would, however, recommend it overall if it vaguely sounds like your thing. 🙂
Extras:
The God of Small Things does feature a beautifully written sex scene, so an automatic point for that.
I called the author placing Ammu and Velutha's coming together in her final chapter, and I approve. It gave their union added poignancy and just... worked.
I'm a lot more split with regards to Rahel and Estha's incestuous union. On the one hand, I feel it's justified from a trauma, loss, grief and "need for love and connection" perspective; on the other, I feel this narrative choice feeds into potentially problematic tropes/ideas about twins in broader media... so whilst it doesn't personally offend me (I'm an only child), I could see and understand this bothering actual twins. 🤷♀️
I want to "murder" the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man, and all those like him.
It doesn't have the most straightforward narrative structure: the story tends to split into tangents that aren't immediately related to its main narrative through-line. This isn't something I generally enjoy, but I've also seen (much) worse in terms of "experimental" structuring so I can't say this was too bothersome either. The prose... gets a bit fanceh, as Booker Prize winners are wont to do I suppose (don't mind the mild sarcasm there). Overwrought, affected, etc... are other adjectives that come to mind. So Many Words Are Capitalised. Entire paragraphs are repeated in a way reminiscent of poetry, which I both liked and found annoying. Nouns and adjectives are, too often, squished together for no reason that I could see. "This was mossygreen" and "that was steelsharp"... because reasons, I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thankfully, discussing this book with a friend allowed me to realise some of these stylistic idiosyncrasies can be seen as "perception-building" or "perception-framing" devices, reflecting Rahel and Estha's childhood perceptions. Indeed, most of them crop up in the story's "past" sections (as opposed to its "present" ones centred on an adult Rahel). It makes more sense, to me, for words or concepts to be capitalised, for instance, if I'm "meant" to see them through a child's mind's eye. And this allowed me to tolerate the author's stylistic choices a lot more than I would have otherwise.
Still, things like: "there were back freckles on her (his?) back", cropped up in the text as well. And that's decidedly not lyrical or justifiable in any way to me. It's just redundant and incredibly clumsy. Prose/writing style does not sit at the top of my personal hierarchy of literary needs, so it's not like this was a deal-breaker for me. But given this novel has received a lot of praise for its "beautiful writing style" specifically, I wanted to point out this is certainly not what I specifically appreciated about it.
There is a plot, yes, and its structure, like I said, is rather meandering or "tangents-oriented". However, it does, ultimately, spiral around and towards a central family tragedy, or even set of tragic events. This also means the story is more concerned with familial character work than it is with individual character work. And that's fine, as the former feels well done overall – though it bears repeating this isn't the kind of thing I care all that much about in story-telling on its own. I'm also naturally biased against stories that focus on childhood or child characters and their perceptions of things. At best I can find it neutrally/coldly interesting... and I did here.
I mostly enjoyed learning about the novel's setting of Kerala. Its history and culture, too... and the story's theme(s). The God of Small Things' inexorable spiral of familial tragedy and inter-generational trauma drives forward a visceral exploration of unresolvable loss, unresolvable grief and the delicate but perhaps increased value of love in the very face of life's cruel tragedies. I found this theming effective, moving, and it additionally reflects the novel's title very well – a small thing, sure, but one I always appreciate! The book also has a very good ending: in the sense that it satisfyingly fits its themes and feels right, to be clear.
All in all, this was a mixed, but more-positive-than-not bag for me. One I am glad I finished, but that I probably won't re-read in the future. I would, however, recommend it overall if it vaguely sounds like your thing. 🙂
Extras:
The God of Small Things does feature a beautifully written sex scene, so an automatic point for that.
I'm a lot more split with regards to Rahel and Estha's incestuous union. On the one hand, I feel it's justified from a trauma, loss, grief and "need for love and connection" perspective; on the other, I feel this narrative choice feeds into potentially problematic tropes/ideas about twins in broader media... so whilst it doesn't personally offend me (I'm an only child), I could see and understand this bothering actual twins. 🤷♀️
I want to "murder" the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man, and all those like him.
The Japanese Myths: A Guide to Gods, Heroes and Spirits by Joshua Frydman
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Positives:
- Very clear structure based on themes and chronology both
- Extensive information (for a guide/reference book) about Japanese religious history
--> The author explains how different religious traditions are interwoven in Japanese culture, folklore and thus mythology
- Lots of aetiological data regarding gods, spirits and the evolution of religious practices
- 'Summary boxes' are regularly interspersed throughout the book to recap major points of information
==> I learned a crap ton about Japanese history, religion and culture in relation to the (continuing) development of its mythological stories! 😊
Negatives:
- I wouldn't have minded greater "page-time" allotted to Shinto supernatural folklore (the yōkai stuff) specifically 😝
- What yōkai are actually understood to be as compared/in relation to broader kami could've been made a bit clearer
- Still not sure how the Ainu or, more generally, the different ethnic groups of Japan figure into the broader picture of its "mythological history" – an extra paragraph or two about this might've helped.
Extras:
- Kaiju and Mechas are mentioned as post-modern (in the historical sense) developments of living Japanese mythology, which I found really interesting
- The video game Ōkami (one of my favourites) is name-dropped as an example of contemporary media that re-tells/explores the old Japanese myths
Overall: very good reference – 7.5 to 8/10.
- Very clear structure based on themes and chronology both
- Extensive information (for a guide/reference book) about Japanese religious history
--> The author explains how different religious traditions are interwoven in Japanese culture, folklore and thus mythology
- Lots of aetiological data regarding gods, spirits and the evolution of religious practices
- 'Summary boxes' are regularly interspersed throughout the book to recap major points of information
==> I learned a crap ton about Japanese history, religion and culture in relation to the (continuing) development of its mythological stories! 😊
Negatives:
- I wouldn't have minded greater "page-time" allotted to Shinto supernatural folklore (the yōkai stuff) specifically 😝
- What yōkai are actually understood to be as compared/in relation to broader kami could've been made a bit clearer
- Still not sure how the Ainu or, more generally, the different ethnic groups of Japan figure into the broader picture of its "mythological history" – an extra paragraph or two about this might've helped.
Extras:
- Kaiju and Mechas are mentioned as post-modern (in the historical sense) developments of living Japanese mythology, which I found really interesting
- The video game Ōkami (one of my favourites) is name-dropped as an example of contemporary media that re-tells/explores the old Japanese myths
Overall: very good reference – 7.5 to 8/10.