pwhc
This is why books are best. This will inevitably be made into a movie, but this level of storytelling can only be created in book form. A fascinating story, expertly told.
The words don't exist to properly praise Alison Espach enough, but I'll give it a go. She has mastered taking the heaviest topics and making them feel light. She treats them with the seriousness they deserve without taking them too seriously. This takes a book that could be depressing, and instead makes it fun.
Her dialogue feels so natural, yet so unique. A character will say the most subtly funny thing (that they may not even mean to be funny), and you're just left wondering how a brain would even come up with that thought. It keeps you on your toes and makes you want to keep turning the page.
Her writing brings out her personality in a way that leaves me with zero doubt Alison isn't a wonderful person to be around. This book is highly readable, definitely rereadable, and I expect will be cherished by many readers across the world.
This was an incredibly challenging yet satisfying read. The writing is spectacular, but I could see the indirect form of storytelling turning off a lot of casual readers (which I generally consider myself).
To me, it was a commentary on the complexities of truth, and how what's true to one person can mean something completely different to another. But the beauty in this book is that 10 different readers could have 10 completely different interpretations of its meaning, and none of them would be right or wrong.
At times it was work to get through. In the words of a friend, “Susan Choi is not going to hold your hand.” But she left me with a story I'll be thinking about for quite some time.
I don't know that I've ever read a book that captures the beauty, necessity and impossibility of love so completely. Every word, every storyline and every character was so well thought out and had the perfect mix of frustration and adoration for nearly every character. An absolute highlight of 2023 and one of the most beautiful novels I will ever read.
This was a superbly written, fully engrossing novel. I love stories where the protagonist and antagonist aren't clear, and that's the case with this. This book is too complex, has too many moving parts to be defined that way.
The story starts out small and confined, but the way Brit Bennett methodically expands the world, adding characters and using time jumps is brilliantly done. She subtly made me invested in every character, even when they infuriated me.
To me, this is ultimately a story about not fitting in where you belong, and fitting in where you don't belong. The navigating that comes with that made for a truly interesting read. Highly recommend.
This was one of the most bizarre books I've ever read. In the wrong hands this story could have been corny and confusing. But instead, it worked.
I thought it was a master class in how to set up scenes and give the reader little nuggets of information to advance the story. Any aspiring novelist could learn something from this book, no matter the genre or age group.
It definitely wasn't perfect, (I had a fair amount of issues with it, although none overly important) but despite the absolute absurdness of the plot, somehow, it felt real. Perhaps the best compliment I could give Scott Hawkins is if/when he releases another book I'll buy it the day it comes out.
Don't let the cover fool you, this book was so much deeper than I was expecting. I can't remember reading something so simultaneously tragic and charming.
Almost every character is complex enough to toe the line between good and bad and show how often that isn't black and white. This book also managed to plant images in my head that will stick with me forever (I'm looking at you butter pop tart sandwich, and may never look at peanut butter and jelly the same way).
Overall, this is a very thoughtful novel told from an interesting perspective that goes in unexpected directions. Glad I read it.
This book is disgusting. But it's also as close to perfect as words can become. You know going in that the content is going to be dark and difficult, but it's so much more than that.
She flawlessly shows the complex nuances of humanity. How we all create our own logic and find ways to justify it. She creates a clear illustration of how something that's so obvious to everyone around you can be the exact opposite of what's fact to you.
And as is the case with all great books, the writing is incredible. For a debut novel to be this polished shouldn't be possible. But she made it seem easy, obvious, natural to write so well. I can't praise this enough. And truly cannot wait to see what Kate Elizabeth Russell decides to do next.
There are a lot of good writers out there. But rarely do I find one who writes with such personality. This being a debut, the level of confidence in her voice is stunning.
The actual plot and story, while interesting, is secondary to everything else. The pacing of the scenes, how every chapter is neither too long or too short but instead the perfect length is masterly. The drama is never petty and forces you to empathize with the characters. The town is a real place that you want to be a part of rather than only being able to read about it.
It's unfortunate this book didn't get more buzz when it was released, but I can't wait to see what Jeni McFarland has up her sleeve for the future. There's undoubtedly a masterpiece in there somewhere.