Reviews

What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell

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timothyjmcl's review against another edition

4.0

This isn’t a story about love. It’s a story about desire. And it’s a story about the shame we feel for our desires. You get the sense that this could have been a much longer book, but the author chose to make it a small window into one man’s life.

deeaego's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

bustyphillips's review against another edition

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2.0

meh

vaish05's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

3.25

jaimesando96's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

casebounder's review against another edition

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3.0

Instantly reminiscent of classic gay stories in the vein of James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room. Greenwell plumbs desire, yes, but also ownership - ownership in relationships, of the self, and of fleeting moments of connection. In quieter moments, the novel illustrates how both child-like innocence and the Bulgarian countryside are spoiled over time by humanity.

This novel is an expansion on Greenwell's original novella, Mitko. Knowing this, I more easily flowed with the structure, reading each part more as a vignette of a whole.

This book is getting a ton of glowing reviews, and it fits really well into the realm of popular gay literature. You may not find something particularly new about this story, but it's written beautifully and shows great promise for a debut author. I read this in time for a gay book club tomorrow, which I now can't attend - but I'm really wishing I could hear those discussions!