jukietoss's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book desperately. It does so many things and does them all so well. It takes on grief, death, family, addiction, and love and weaves them together with such depth and sensitivity, each feels thoroughly examined and uniquely represented. The characters are drawn with such detail and care, they implanted directly into my heart. The storyline itself is compelling and perfectly crafted. Sometimes I find changing perspectives and time periods jarring and that it takes me out of the story, but here it's executed with such precision and purpose I happily went for the ride, and it paid off.
I recommend this book for anyone who needs to be quickly absorbed into a compelling story where every character is worth knowing. It's perfect for folks to look at death, grief, and life's purpose with an author whose perspective on those subjects is so deeply considered. The writing is gorgeous, the story is riveting, and the characters are robust. It has it all!
I recommend this book for anyone who needs to be quickly absorbed into a compelling story where every character is worth knowing. It's perfect for folks to look at death, grief, and life's purpose with an author whose perspective on those subjects is so deeply considered. The writing is gorgeous, the story is riveting, and the characters are robust. It has it all!
theliterarybrewer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hillarycopsey's review against another edition
4.0
The first thing I thought when I came to the end of this book was, "Well, we need more literary love stories."
This is more than a love story, but love is a theme. Purpose, friendship, the hardship of being alive and making meaning out of the strange coincidences that move us from one thing to the next. Akbar throws a lot of things together here -- a book within a book, Dickensian-level plot, fantasy sequences, poetry -- and mostly, it works. There were parts I liked better than others, sections I found myself rushing through to get back to the thread of story I cared most about, but then a sentence or a phrase would be stop me in my hurry. Akbar is a poet, and you can see that in the language and the elliptical structure.
I was always excited to pick this book up. Always interested in where it would go next.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.
This is more than a love story, but love is a theme. Purpose, friendship, the hardship of being alive and making meaning out of the strange coincidences that move us from one thing to the next. Akbar throws a lot of things together here -- a book within a book, Dickensian-level plot, fantasy sequences, poetry -- and mostly, it works. There were parts I liked better than others, sections I found myself rushing through to get back to the thread of story I cared most about, but then a sentence or a phrase would be stop me in my hurry. Akbar is a poet, and you can see that in the language and the elliptical structure.
I was always excited to pick this book up. Always interested in where it would go next.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.
andysshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC! I love love loved this book! So much! Life, grief, happiness, and the burden of living were done so well here. Truly I want everyone to read this like immediately, but I suppose I’ll just have to wait. I related to Cyrus on an almost cosmic level & I just cannot wait for others to read this as well!
marinocelot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
runlaurarun's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am admittedly biased because I know the author personally, but this is one hell of a book. Deeply sad at times, funny in its absurdity, and still somehow hopeful. A book for writers, for artists, for addicts, for self-doubters, for those who have lost faith.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: War, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Islamophobia, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Abandonment, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
woodenrust's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dvogel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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