wtb_michael's reviews
2165 reviews

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

dark emotional funny fast-paced

4.25

This walks a pretty fine line in the first half, before sinking into something genuine and thoughtful and moving halfway through

Every Version of You by Grace Chan

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adventurous challenging mysterious sad medium-paced

3.75

Smart, interesting and plausible world building, let down a bit by the relatively sedate plot - the big questions tackled are interesting, but I needed a bit more momentum

Telephone by Percival Everett

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dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

4.75

There are apparently 3 different versions of this, but it stands alone without the gimmick: an astonishing and moving book that proves grief and communication, compulsion and love - left me gobsmacked (this is why you don't make best book lists in early Dec!!)

The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane

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dark hopeful sad medium-paced

4.0

A sprawling, vivid twist on the colonial lost child narrative. McFarlane weaves together an incredible array of voices and characters, while working over Australian myths. It didn't bowl me over like The Night Guest, but it's very impressive.

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut

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adventurous challenging inspiring fast-paced

4.75

Dazzlingly brilliant, deeply strange and compulsively readable - a sometimes surreal blend of pop science and fiction

In the Ravine & Other Stories by Anton Chekhov

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emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

You're all going to be shocked to hear that Chekhov writes a pretty good short story: often bleak, sometimes funny, always beautifully written

The Whitewash by Siang Lu

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