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lauradanby's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
4.0
Where ‘Boy swallows universe’ felt like a love letter to Dalton’s family, ‘Lola in the mirror felt like a love letter to Brisbane. Living in Brisbane my whole life and being able to see the city through Dalton’s eyes was a treat. His inclusion of magical realism also gave a sparkle to the city.
The use of artwork and extended metaphors used throughout are absolutely beautiful.
I also enjoyed Dalton’s commentary on ‘houselessness’, the welfare system, cost of living, and the impact that the upcoming Olympics is having on the city.
However, I did find that the middle of the novel did drag a bit at times. I also felt like at times he drew from the same formula of ‘Boy swallows universe’ where he ended the story with an epic cat and mouse chase which I did find myself skilling over a bit at times.
I also felt like all the loose strings tied up a bit too nicely and conveniently which did detract from the overall message I felt.
The use of artwork and extended metaphors used throughout are absolutely beautiful.
I also enjoyed Dalton’s commentary on ‘houselessness’, the welfare system, cost of living, and the impact that the upcoming Olympics is having on the city.
However, I did find that the middle of the novel did drag a bit at times. I also felt like at times he drew from the same formula of ‘Boy swallows universe’ where he ended the story with an epic cat and mouse chase which I did find myself skilling over a bit at times.
I also felt like all the loose strings tied up a bit too nicely and conveniently which did detract from the overall message I felt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
zozpoz's review
dark
hopeful
slow-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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual harassment
peachybee53's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It's difficult to put into words, but this book has reminded me to believe in art and magic and love of all kinds. Trent Dalton has a really beautiful way of twisting darkness and beauty together in a way that feels both poetic and like a genuine reflection of real-life.
Our protagonist is endearing, honest, creative, intuitive, curious and determined. A dreamer whose ultimate goal is to find herself. She has the ability to see strangers in their quiet moments and wants nothing more than to be seen in return.
Some favourite quotes:
"The world turns for us all. One day you'll wake up and you'll realise the world has turned back upright for you and every bad thing you didn't deserve on the downside is made up for by every good thing rushing at you on the upside. You'll look up one day and see some face and suddenly it'll all make sense and all that bad downside stuff will seem entirely necessary. It'll just be ordinary life, it'll just be the normal turning of the world, but it'll feel miraculous to you. It'll feel engineered for you. It'll feel designed, drawn up by one of those crazy sketches you do. You'll call it fate. You'll say it was meant to be. And maybe it was. Because that's all the world was ever meant to do. Turn. And you were meant to turn with it."
"Lucky moon, she told herself, because every moon you see is lucky because you are still alive to see it."
"When you scream 'colourful' underwater it looks and sounds like you're screaming 'I love you."
"Being alive is a thing that you touch and see and feel. As real a thing as electricity. Do you feel that? It's The Alive."
Our protagonist is endearing, honest, creative, intuitive, curious and determined. A dreamer whose ultimate goal is to find herself. She has the ability to see strangers in their quiet moments and wants nothing more than to be seen in return.
Some favourite quotes:
"The world turns for us all. One day you'll wake up and you'll realise the world has turned back upright for you and every bad thing you didn't deserve on the downside is made up for by every good thing rushing at you on the upside. You'll look up one day and see some face and suddenly it'll all make sense and all that bad downside stuff will seem entirely necessary. It'll just be ordinary life, it'll just be the normal turning of the world, but it'll feel miraculous to you. It'll feel engineered for you. It'll feel designed, drawn up by one of those crazy sketches you do. You'll call it fate. You'll say it was meant to be. And maybe it was. Because that's all the world was ever meant to do. Turn. And you were meant to turn with it."
"Lucky moon, she told herself, because every moon you see is lucky because you are still alive to see it."
"When you scream 'colourful' underwater it looks and sounds like you're screaming 'I love you."
"Being alive is a thing that you touch and see and feel. As real a thing as electricity. Do you feel that? It's The Alive."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual harassment
bea_frankie's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.75
I would say that LITM had many aspects that made me enjoy it immensely - captivating characters, stories of hope, complicated relationships and situations, and generally a beautiful story. I did however feel, that sometimes it dragged on, went down rabbit holes that were slightly unnecessary and dialogue that was sometimes overdone. None of this really mattered and by the end I was thoroughly captivated and in love with this book, I think maybe just the middle section needed to be tightened up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
rhibeetle17's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.5
Overall enjoyed it and the mystery was enough to entice me towards the ending, but somewhat overly sentimental, saccharine and unrealistic in places.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Kidnapping
whatzoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
baikiebookie's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
My favourite Trent Dalton book! The pace was medium for most of the time and then it gets fast towards the end. Other Trent dalton books make me lose my focus half way through, but the pacing is much more steady. I love the geographical references. Other books did this a bit too much, but I didn’t feel it with this one.
I didn’t get the whole police officer saying it’s the saddest story ever heard. The story was saddest but didn’t live up to the hype of the saddest story ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
taylormoore's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, and Abandonment
typedtruths's review
Too dark and triggering for me, atm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Murder
ryleee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
If I wasn't reading this for book club, this probably would have been a DNF... This attempted to present some large and important themes (domestic violence, homelessness, addiction), but I felt as though it just trivialised these topics, reducing them to gaudy one-liners (Tyrannosaurus Waltz, Tyrant Lizard), or only superficially reflecting (throwaway sentences about the impact of the 2032 Olympics on those without stable housing, or the incredibly brief mention of settler violence in the opening-ceremony-bit). It tried to be a window (or... a mirror) into everything, and in doing so, became an empty view.
The main character doesn't develop at all, despite experiencing a kaleidoscope of traumas. She seems to bounce from one horror into the next without even a glance in the rear-view. The plot does develop, but only through the most whip-lash-inducing twists that are so unbelievable that it's incompatible with the hyper-real setting that the author spends every second word reiterating. There always seems to be someone or something that arrives for the narrator at exactly the right time, so she is able to avoid self-reflection entirely. The only remotely likeable character is Charlie.
The entire 'Danny' sub-plot is borderline elitist. I'm not sure if the author was intending this character to be ironic? I can't even describe my dislike of his storyline. Charlie sums it up perfectly on pages 338-9. It's skimmed over but the narrator stalks Danny. For a book that is so vocal about domestic violence, this was a double standard for me.
Perhaps I took this book too literally. There are some segments that are solid. It invokes some emotion, mainly through the ancillary characters. I wish it focused more on the narrator's internal journey.
The main character doesn't develop at all, despite experiencing a kaleidoscope of traumas. She seems to bounce from one horror into the next without even a glance in the rear-view. The plot does develop, but only through the most whip-lash-inducing twists that are so unbelievable that it's incompatible with the hyper-real setting that the author spends every second word reiterating. There always seems to be someone or something that arrives for the narrator at exactly the right time, so she is able to avoid self-reflection entirely. The only remotely likeable character is Charlie.
The entire 'Danny' sub-plot is borderline elitist. I'm not sure if the author was intending this character to be ironic? I can't even describe my dislike of his storyline. Charlie sums it up perfectly on pages 338-9. It's skimmed over but the narrator stalks Danny. For a book that is so vocal about domestic violence, this was a double standard for me.
Perhaps I took this book too literally. There are some segments that are solid. It invokes some emotion, mainly through the ancillary characters. I wish it focused more on the narrator's internal journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury