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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
prime_minister_dinkleson's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Alcohol
shannydubs's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
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
becandthebooks's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first foray into Trent Dalton’s world, and as much as I did enjoy his writing style I did come across some things that made it difficult for me to take it seriously.
I thought it was a great exploration into how less fortunate people live and why perhaps they ended up there. The book definitely didn’t shy away from some of the unpleasant details. There was a lot of sadness, heartache and anger for many different reasons within the homeless community Trent Dalton described and I can definitely see all of these points of view.
The main thing I didn’t gel with was the cliché fairytale elements: Prince Charming falls in love at first sight and sweeps unknown girl off her feet, said girl (who is, of course, a peasant girl) runs away, he then spends the rest of the story searching for her until he does, just upon chance, find her and once again sweeps her off her feet with a manly and heroic gesture. It was just so unrealistic. I loved the part about him sketching her and her not being as invisible as she thought, but the prince bit…. Taken too far for me.
I also found the very climactic Hollywood action movie conclusion to the drug lord situation very quixotic. I understand that stuff like this can happen, but once again I personally felt like it was taken way too far (that was a lot of deaths in a short period of time and all so different).
The essence of the story I enjoyed, but it could have been edited down into a more moving and realistic version.
I thought it was a great exploration into how less fortunate people live and why perhaps they ended up there. The book definitely didn’t shy away from some of the unpleasant details. There was a lot of sadness, heartache and anger for many different reasons within the homeless community Trent Dalton described and I can definitely see all of these points of view.
The main thing I didn’t gel with was the cliché fairytale elements: Prince Charming falls in love at first sight and sweeps unknown girl off her feet, said girl (who is, of course, a peasant girl) runs away, he then spends the rest of the story searching for her until he does, just upon chance, find her and once again sweeps her off her feet with a manly and heroic gesture. It was just so unrealistic. I loved the part about him sketching her and her not being as invisible as she thought, but the prince bit…. Taken too far for me.
I also found the very climactic Hollywood action movie conclusion to the drug lord situation very quixotic. I understand that stuff like this can happen, but once again I personally felt like it was taken way too far (that was a lot of deaths in a short period of time and all so different).
The essence of the story I enjoyed, but it could have been edited down into a more moving and realistic version.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Alcohol