Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Either/Or

While having its fair share of funny moments and sarcastic quips, Either/Or doesn't quite reach The Idiot's level. I had a passionate love/hate relationship with The Idiot, but this book felt significantly more mellow. That's not a problem in an of itself — it's sophomore year after all — but I found the structure of this book repetitive, the number of characters to remember too large, and Selin's literary rambles taking up too many pages. Of course, Selin being stuck in a holding pattern with Ivan is a major part of the story, and accurately reflects people's inability to move on and let go of past relationships, but after a while, I just wasn't getting any new information. And I know this is a sequel, but it would have been nice to have a few reminders of who the other characters were. Lastly, I found the blurb to be misleading: it suggests a great portion of the story takes place in Turkey (just how half of The Idiot took place in Hungary), so I was surprised to find that only the three last chapters are set there. It's not a complaint, just an observation.

Of course, there's also a lot to love. Batuman's writing style never fails to make me laugh, and aside from her (intentional) pretentiousness, there's a lot about Selin that I could empathize with. (Not sure if that's a good thing). I especially appreciated the way

Spoiler

Selin's first few experiences with sex

are narrated. I do wonder if we are going to get two more books in this series. While this one wasn't my favorite, I did enjoy it enough to want to read more.

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“I used to wonder this last year: how could you be so graceful in writing and so clumsy and life?”
Either Or takes place right after the events of its predecessor, The Idiot, as Selin returns to Harvard for her sophomore year of college. While discovering what it means to live an aesthetic versus an ethical life, Selin must deconstruct the issues which occurred last year as well as maneuver through the turbulence known as Academia, all before returning to her parents native country of Turkey for a summer abroad.
The narrative perspective of Selin toes the line between humor and sadness particularly well, as her witty remarks made me laugh out loud, yet were often at the expense of her naïveté. Never in all my reading experience have I ever related to a character as much as Selin, not so much in life stories, but more of how she sees the world. My heart clenched at this feeling of representation, found in a woman who is also trying to navigate the world around her. Similarly, Selin also finds comfort in representation, as the literary cannon serves as a guide to understand life in a more processable way.
While this book is not for everyone, the characters, writing, and nostalgia of a younger time places Either Or on a pedestal for literary fiction which will be hard to outmatch.

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reginahafner_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

thank god selin listens to fiona apple

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aemulatio's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny 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

5.0

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