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thoughtcouture's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars. This was a tough one to rate.
I read The Lesser Bohemians on a whim based entirely on the cover, knowing nothing of its subject or writer. Lucky for me, I love experimental literature, and so was pleased to discover McBride's stream-of-consciousness writing style. Her prose is initially intimidating, no doubt, with its excess white space, seemingly random capital letters, and total lack of quotation marks. It's like learning a new language: at first incoherent, yet over time and with enough exposure, you're fluent.
It's the mid-90s in London, and an 18-year-old Irish drama student has just landed in the city. Her days are filled with confidence-breaking classes; her nights are a blur of booze (and every other substance you can think of). McBride's style is a perfect fit for the protagonist's circumstance: it's dizzying, hallucinatory; you never quite feel grounded or secure. Rather, we're hit with fleeting flashes of half-formed thoughts and brief images that never fully materialize.
Just a few days into her first term, the girl (whose name doesn't appear until page 215) meets a successful actor twenty years her senior; and thus the story truly begins. I don't think I've ever come across an explicit sex scene so early in a novel, nor I have encountered so many explicit sex scenes in a single novel. Call me a prude if you like (I proudly reclaim the word), but one could make the argument that The Lesser Bohemians exists on the border between literary fiction and erotica. As I'll explain, I think the novel could have benefitted from a few fewer sex scenes and a lot more character development, specifically for its protagonist.
The central characters, the student and the actor (who isn't named until 275) experienced extreme trauma in childhood, which, in the actor's case, caused more trauma in adulthood. Yet it is only the actor who is granted a 70-page backstory, closure, and a chance at healing. This isn't an issue in and of itself, but I finished the novel feeling like the actor was the real main character, with our protagonist merely supporting--he was the center of everything she did, and she was hardly given the time or attention to become more than the actor's saving grace. In fact, the effects of her childhood trauma only worsen as the novel progresses; yet, she appears magically healed by the (ostensibly) happy ending.
Given how highly stylized the novel is, I'm inclined to say this imbalance was conscious and intentional on McBride's part--but why? I can't come up with an answer, which I find unsatisfying. Perhaps I'm mistaken in giving the author the benefit of the doubt.
I realize I'm sounding awfully negative, but I didn't hate this book. Though the first half or so was tough to penetrate, I did come to be invested in the characters' relationship and found myself rooting for them. More importantly, I was struck by the recurring theme and question of punishment--how we punish and hurt the people we love for what we perceive as their wrongdoings, and how those punishments only perpetuate a cycle of perceived wrongdoings. This is an issue I'll continue to mull over.
Do I recommend reading The Lesser Bohemians? Honestly, I don't know. If you enjoy trippy stream-of-consciousness, then yes, totally. But otherwise...I'm stumped.
I read The Lesser Bohemians on a whim based entirely on the cover, knowing nothing of its subject or writer. Lucky for me, I love experimental literature, and so was pleased to discover McBride's stream-of-consciousness writing style. Her prose is initially intimidating, no doubt, with its excess white space, seemingly random capital letters, and total lack of quotation marks. It's like learning a new language: at first incoherent, yet over time and with enough exposure, you're fluent.
It's the mid-90s in London, and an 18-year-old Irish drama student has just landed in the city. Her days are filled with confidence-breaking classes; her nights are a blur of booze (and every other substance you can think of). McBride's style is a perfect fit for the protagonist's circumstance: it's dizzying, hallucinatory; you never quite feel grounded or secure. Rather, we're hit with fleeting flashes of half-formed thoughts and brief images that never fully materialize.
Just a few days into her first term, the girl (whose name doesn't appear until page 215) meets a successful actor twenty years her senior; and thus the story truly begins. I don't think I've ever come across an explicit sex scene so early in a novel, nor I have encountered so many explicit sex scenes in a single novel. Call me a prude if you like (I proudly reclaim the word), but one could make the argument that The Lesser Bohemians exists on the border between literary fiction and erotica. As I'll explain, I think the novel could have benefitted from a few fewer sex scenes and a lot more character development, specifically for its protagonist.
The central characters, the student and the actor (who isn't named until 275) experienced extreme trauma in childhood, which, in the actor's case, caused more trauma in adulthood. Yet it is only the actor who is granted a 70-page backstory, closure, and a chance at healing. This isn't an issue in and of itself, but I finished the novel feeling like the actor was the real main character, with our protagonist merely supporting--he was the center of everything she did, and she was hardly given the time or attention to become more than the actor's saving grace. In fact, the effects of her childhood trauma only worsen as the novel progresses; yet, she appears magically healed by the (ostensibly) happy ending.
Given how highly stylized the novel is, I'm inclined to say this imbalance was conscious and intentional on McBride's part--but why? I can't come up with an answer, which I find unsatisfying. Perhaps I'm mistaken in giving the author the benefit of the doubt.
I realize I'm sounding awfully negative, but I didn't hate this book. Though the first half or so was tough to penetrate, I did come to be invested in the characters' relationship and found myself rooting for them. More importantly, I was struck by the recurring theme and question of punishment--how we punish and hurt the people we love for what we perceive as their wrongdoings, and how those punishments only perpetuate a cycle of perceived wrongdoings. This is an issue I'll continue to mull over.
Do I recommend reading The Lesser Bohemians? Honestly, I don't know. If you enjoy trippy stream-of-consciousness, then yes, totally. But otherwise...I'm stumped.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Sexual violence
josettet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Read for class, definitely a tough read linguistically and content wise. Details a kind of parentified sexual relationship between an 18 year old drama student and a thirty-something actor. Definitely has disturbing moments but also a lot of tenderness. It gets easier to read as the book progresses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Self harm, and Sexual violence
alishaabrahamsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
4.0
u need to read the TWs for this story, lots of graphic detailed triggering content
aside from that, the disordered/irregular writing style was a great way to buffer the intensity from the exploration of graphic abuse, molestation, and assault, as well as a great way to bestow personhood onto the victims of abuse. The gaps in the prose, the smaller and bigger words, the weird capitalization, the lack of quotations, the breakdown of inner thought into a jumble of poetry -- all add to representation of Eily and Stephen's thought-process, "unwellness," and complicated histories (and how they process those backgrounds)
I hope there is some irony running throughout the book, or hidden lingering thought that Eily and Stephen's relationship is not ideal -- b/c they should NOT be together -- i hope that Eily is just an unreliable narrator and not that we should be rooting for them
aside from that, the disordered/irregular writing style was a great way to buffer the intensity from the exploration of graphic abuse, molestation, and assault, as well as a great way to bestow personhood onto the victims of abuse. The gaps in the prose, the smaller and bigger words, the weird capitalization, the lack of quotations, the breakdown of inner thought into a jumble of poetry -- all add to representation of Eily and Stephen's thought-process, "unwellness," and complicated histories (and how they process those backgrounds)
I hope there is some irony running throughout the book, or hidden lingering thought that Eily and Stephen's relationship is not ideal -- b/c they should NOT be together -- i hope that Eily is just an unreliable narrator and not that we should be rooting for them
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
tabitha_isabelle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, and Death of parent
rosalind's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book is the equivalent of an indie film with an angsty soundtrack and lots of lingering artsy shots, where not a whole lot happens but you learn loads about the two central characters. The central theme is an age-gap romance and the pitfalls that come along with mixing trauma-bonding and sexual relationships. It’s an ode to first love, being in love in London - that heady mix of hormones and burgeoning sexuality and the new incessant rhythm of the city, calling you to your future - and working through trauma with, and for, the one you love. Think Rooney’s Normal People, but set amongst thespians.
I listened to Eimar McBride narrate this herself via Audible, and I’d highly recommend it. As well as her being a fabulous narrator, she is obviously best-placed to interpret her peculiar use of language, the strange, poetic sentence structure you may recall from A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing. I love hearing authors read their own work, especially when their use of language is unusual. Listening to McBride was a joy.
This book is certainly not for everyone, especially if you like your action direct and, well, actiony. But if you like a deep-dive into the inner workings of flawed humans trying hard to honour their love for each other, while sometimes letting their pride/ ego/ jealousy/ addictions/ naïveté/ traumatic childhood get in the way, then you’re in for a treat (and a trigger warning).
I listened to Eimar McBride narrate this herself via Audible, and I’d highly recommend it. As well as her being a fabulous narrator, she is obviously best-placed to interpret her peculiar use of language, the strange, poetic sentence structure you may recall from A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing. I love hearing authors read their own work, especially when their use of language is unusual. Listening to McBride was a joy.
This book is certainly not for everyone, especially if you like your action direct and, well, actiony. But if you like a deep-dive into the inner workings of flawed humans trying hard to honour their love for each other, while sometimes letting their pride/ ego/ jealousy/ addictions/ naïveté/ traumatic childhood get in the way, then you’re in for a treat (and a trigger warning).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Drug use, Self harm, and Violence
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