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ka_cam's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism
chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition
- 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
The Zen Buddhist elements in this novel are fascinating, as well, and I appreciate how we get snippets of books within a book. The characters' struggles and their stories prompted me to reexamine my own life, and they made me feel inspired and galvanized in a way that not many books accomplish. I wrote down at least a dozen quotes while reading, and I'm impressed by how attached I grew to Annabelle and how quickly, too. It's not a question of her versus Benny, but at many points in the novel, I understood Benny's embarrassment but still felt firmly on Annabelle's side, wanting to tell Benny things, like, "She's trying her best!" and, "Do you have any idea how amazing your mom is, dude?"
Overall, this is a fantastic book, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Ruth Ozeki in the future. There's something about her style and the subjects that she chooses to focus on that makes the cogs in my brain whir like a symphony. I hope to be able to write stories that are even a fraction as powerful and engrossing as hers someday!
Graphic: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Drug use, Blood, Car accident, and Classism
michaelion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Pandemic/Epidemic
savvylit's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
In addition to Ozeki's masterful and nuanced portrayal of mental illness, this novel is a touching love letter to literature and public libraries. By the book's end, Benny learns what many of us already know: that literature and libraries can offer an incomparable refuge and that everyone has a story to tell.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse
bethsbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I tabbed so many sections of this book: favourite quotes, favourite parts, characterisation, magic, grief, objects, romance, and parenthood. These are what I considered to be the main themes throughout the book, told through the eyes of the book itself.
That’s probably what I loved most about this book: it was multi-perspective between Benny and the physical book you’re holding in your hands. The book gives you insights into what it’s like to be a book, to live in a library, a bookshelf, on someone’s bedside table. It’s absolutely stunning and I’ve never read anything like it.
I love this book because it is special. It’s something I felt I lived through, thanks to the fine details throughout. I will never forget it, and I’ll definitely pick up another Ozeki since I’ve loved both books of hers I’ve read so far.
The pacing is deliberately slow, but that’s the only thing I had trouble with. I appreciate the pacing for what it is, but it really bogged me down sometimes. I couldn’t just read 10 pages here or there; I had to really carve out 30-120 minute reading sessions to enjoy what I was reading. I would have maybe fared better with the book had 100-150 pages been cut, but it’s not my story to tell, so I would never ask Ozeki to change it. But that is the reason for dropping half a star.
If you want something different, something raw and vulnerable, something magic, something sad, something that highlights what it’s like to be a mother, to be a son, to be tormented, to be called to do something - then this is the book for you.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
prettycloud's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Classism
This book has a lot of heavy content but it does not stay in its dark parts long and its overall tone is hopeful. It never lingers on lurid details, and the narrators tend to talk around what's happening/has happened. Both the mother and son are traumatized and both have traumatic interactions with institutions of the state, and she