Reviews

American Delirium by Betina González

thishannah's review against another edition

As you might expect from the title, this is an odd and dreamy short novel, but dreamy in a way that is still clear and focused. There is no concrete time or place, and very few references to real-life people or events, so the whole thing feels like it takes place in some other world with uncanny parallels to our own. I enjoyed seeing the threads of the narratives come together with the link of the mysterious drug albaria tying the knot. The tone of the story made the stakes seem lower than they actually are--there was surprisingly little urgency given to the topics of rampaging deer, a mother abandoning her child, and a home invader--but it gave the story an interesting perspective that seemed to match the effects of albaria on a person's mind. I thought it was interesting and clever, though maybe I'm biased since this is a book I read for work and I'm rooting for it to succeed. :)

mghnhill's review against another edition

I don't know, I was confused listening to this about who the characters were and I couldn't keep track of who was who and how old they were. It was weird and just not for me.

montyroz's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

reneereads's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

tdf645's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

_soraya_pl's review against another edition

1.0

If I had read the reviews on here before checking it out from the library it would’ve never come home with me.

I was excited ending chapter 1 because the writing is chaotic and I thought that would keep me enticed. But trust the reviews because you’ll have no idea when you’re switching between the 3 characters. Apparently this book is a think piece on capitalism in America but I thought it was about random people in a town with deer killing people for some reason [the reason is a mystery plant].

Unfortunately, you should skip this read.

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

virginiamcc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

yeller's review against another edition

4.0

This book doesn't have a conclusion in the strictest terms. There is no neatly tied bow of plot points or a conclusion to the conflicts that have been woven throughout the short novel. Instead, the book concludes with a few moments of clarity that tie the three disparate conflicts together and leave a still ambiguous ending that implies a semi-happy ending is possible.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a little bizarre, which I enjoy, but I wish we'd dive deeper into the mysteries the novel creates, such as Gabi and albaria. It does feel a bit like the story wasn't quite taken to its conclusion.

However, this book gets points if only because the writing is absolutely beautiful. On page 4, there is the best description of chronic pain I've ever seen and there were several times I had to take a breath and set the book down because the writing was just that good.

tinamayreads's review against another edition

4.0

AMERICAN DELIRIUM by Betina González translated by Heather Cleary is so good and funny! This is an intricate novel with a lot going on and I really enjoyed it! There’s three interconnected storylines. Senior citizen, Beryl, begins to train her fellow retirees to hunt deer to stop the deer from attacking people. Berenice, a young girl abandoned by her mother, tries to find her place in the world. Museum taxidermist, Vik, has to deal with a woman he discovers living in his closet. Their stories intertwined around this mysterious hallucinogenic plant and this whole book was a trip! I loved how the characters were so diverse spanning a large age range and living on the fringes of society. This book is so surreal and unique!
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Thank you to Henry Holt and Company for my advance review copy!