Nick
3.5 ⭐️ I feel like the synopsis gave the vibes of a very different book than we got. It gave big spooky ooky macabre in Argentina. What the book really covers is childhood and sociopolitical issues within Argentina using magic realism (most of which is focused around macabre events but I don't feel like that part was fully explored and remained rather mild in the grand scheme, as if trying to not lose sight of the realism hiding behind the magic. If the spookiness was pushed a little more I don't think the realism would've been lost and I think there could've been a greater depth of content). Once I got the behind the scenes, my understanding/appreciation of the book changed, encouraging me to connect the plots of the story to the real world. As I said, personally it didn't feel as dark and macabre as the synopsis leads one to believe, but also maybe I've just read a lot of weird/dark books so it didn't hit as hard as it may for others! Still overall an interesting book and format of covering tough social topics.
3.5⭐️ very long, can't tell you what I'd cut out bc it feels like it was all necessary and culminated into an insane last 100 pages. Felt like reading a very in-depth script to a movie, every detail visualized. Good read for the spooky season
It was good, slow for the first 120 pages but it seems that's the point, the slow burn. You never really know where it's going, something pleasing in that yet extremely frustrating. Classic Moshfegh.
As dense as fruitcake, but the entangling imagery of love and nature is worth wading through it.
Great title; content fell flat tho! Too many plot lines that just didn't add up to anything, underwhelming :(
When I started I was unsure how much I'd enjoy it, but by the end I was teary eyed. Truly a beautiful book and reminds you of the power you have in the present to take control of your life in the future :')
Great insights on how to be more present with nature, ourselves and the communities around us.
3.5⭐️ Sort of read like Theory. Meshing topics of AI and Non-binary & Trans community was interesting. Lots of civil (almost Socratic?) discourse between characters, not something we're used to in todays day and age of screaming wars...
Bringing Mary Shelley and Frankenstein was interesting, but a good break from the present day discourse content.
Like a warm hug!! Literally nothing bad happens, just relax and settle in for the beauty of it all. Dreams of maybe what one day we can have as a society :)
Left with mixed feelings!! I think mostly I don't love that Achilles and Patroclus perspectives were included, it's giving - the girls continue to be silenced. If perhaps the story ended with only their perspectives and Briseis voice fully gone - giving into the title, maybe it would've made sense, but that doesn't happen, so why am I hearing these men speak at all? My interest really wavered through most of it, got good at the end. Perhaps bc I am already so familiar with Achilles story?
