Ross

Whatever it's literary bonafides (I'll leave that to the pros) this book is just very cool. If I had read it in high school I would have been obsessed with it. The stories set in the past made me think of Douglas Copeland, while others (particularly “Selling the General” and “Pure Language”) remind me of George Saunders. The last three chapters are my favorite, and however gimmicky “Great Rock and Roll Pauses by Alison Blake” may be criticized, it is also the most poignant.

Reviewing this book and rating it is difficult due to the controversies surrounding the author. Regarding my rating: reading this was not necessarily “enjoyable”, but you cannot help but care about the characters. That being said, the controversies surrounding the author make the work itself just feel cynical. But, do bad people have things perhaps worth saying and to consider? Hopefully, I think.

I will say, I do want to read the other books (I read this one because I wanted to read them, and that I still do is a mark in its favor). What does Yunior look like grown up? How does a grown up Junot Diaz write him? Hopefully one day we will find out.

I enjoyed reading this book, Zadie Smith is a very entertaining writer. However, sometimes it felt like I was being written “at” if that makes any sense, but I also don't know if that's just something of a feature of English social novels™. 

I very much enjoyed all the sorts of irony in the book, particularly with the faithless-religious Samad and the not-so-religious but very full-of-faith Archie. I found all the characters endearing despite their flaws, except the Chalfens, who are my least favorite characters I've ever read about in my entire life (joking, slightly).