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kidclamp's review
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is an odd book. The main character and her relationships are intensely complicated, and seeing her prospective takes time, but it's quirky enough to remain entertaining throughout.
vgh5's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
fionnualalirsdottir's review
The other day, I moved a lot of the unread books in my house from underneath various coffee tables and other nooks and crannies to new positions at eye-level where I can be reminded of them every time I'm tempted to buy some new book that has caught my eye. It's not a very tidy arrangement but the three stacks I arranged are striking in their own way, all the horizontal hues of their spines making a nice splash of colour (although they are blocking some vertical book-spines that have already been shelved which is a down side and I may have to move them again (plus I should admit that there's still another pile of unread books under my desk because there's a limit to how many stacks I can arrange at eye-level, and the thinking is that those extra books will allow me to rearrange the current stacks when I need something new in my eye-line (plus I quite admit to enjoying moving books to and fro))).
Since I'm admitting things, now's the time to mention that after doing the exercise above, I read a review of The First Bad Man, and although the reviewer was careful not to oversell the book, I found myself pressing 'buy' on the kindle version. It wasn't a physical book was my argument, and it looked like a quick read.
I kept my eyes away from the book stacks as I began to read it, but by page 10, I was looking longingly at my book stacks again. The narrator of The First Bad Man had begun to remind me strongly of the main character in the sitcom, 'Parks and Recreations', the wacky woman who says things like: There’s nothing we can’t do if we work hard, never sleep, and shirk from all other responsibilities in our lives. I didn't feel I could spend the length of a book inside such a person's head. But somehow I reached page 21 and this passage:
How much time do you spend moving objects to and fro? Before you move something far from where it lives, remember you’re eventually going to have to carry it back to its place—is it really worth it? Can’t you read the book standing right next to the shelf with your finger holding the spot you’ll put it back into? Or better yet: don’t read it.
That should have been the perfect signal for me to stop reading—I clearly had nothing of interest to hear from such a person! But the paragraph wasn't finished so I read to the end, being a compulsive paragraph finisher:
And if you are carrying an object, make sure to pick up anything that might need to go in the same direction. This is called carpooling. Putting new soap in the bathroom? Maybe wait until the towels in the dryer are done and carry the towels and soap together. Maybe put the soap on the dryer until then. And maybe don’t fold the towels until the next time you have to use the restroom. When the time comes, see if you can put away the soap and fold towels while you’re on the toilet, since your hands are free. Before you wipe, use the toilet paper to blot excess oil from your face. Dinnertime: skip the plate. Just put the pan on a hot pad on the table. Plates are an extra step you can do for guests to make them feel like they’re at a restaurant. Does the pan need to be washed? Not if you only eat savory things out of it.
The spiralling-down effect of that paragraph, taking us from neat bookshelves to crusty pans by way of the bathroom, appealed to me in an odd way. Let's see if the narrator can amuse me further, I thought.
And she did.
First there was a description of her analyst who reminded me of the hilarious Dr Tuttle in Ottessa Moshfegh's [b:My Year of Rest and Relaxation|44279110|My Year of Rest and Relaxation|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597676656l/44279110._SY75_.jpg|55508660]: Everything she said made perfect sense but only for a few seconds
Then there were the narrator's masturbation fantasies which reminded me of the complicated fantasies-within-fantasies of David Foster Wallace's narrator in [b:Brief Interviews with Hideous Men|6753|Brief Interviews with Hideous Men|David Foster Wallace|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347635121l/6753._SY75_.jpg|1221616]:
We’d take our pants and underpants off completely but wouldn’t fold them up because we’d just have to unfold them to put them back on. We’d lay them out on the floor in a way that would make them easy to put on again later. We’d get side by side in the bed and hug and kiss a lot, Phillip would get on top of me and insert his penis between my legs and then, in a low, commanding voice, he would whisper, “Think about your thing.” I’d smile, grateful for the permission to go within, and shut my eyes—transporting myself to a very similar room where our pants were laid out on the floor and Phillip was on top of and inside me. In a low, commanding voice he said, “Think about your thing,” and I was flooded with gratitude and relief, even more than last time. I shut my eyes and was again transported to a similar room, a fantasy within a fantasy within a fantasy, and it continued like this, building in intensity until I was so far inside myself that I could go no further. That’s it. That’s my thing, the thing I like to think about during masturbation.
Notice the spiraling effect again? Miranda July specializes in this kind of writing. Yes, she's good at what she does, and although I don't see myself ever choosing another book by her, I will remember this one from time to time. And when I'm remembering it, I'll remember myself remembering it, and when I'm remembering myself remembering it, I'll probably spiral into triple remembering, and then I may end up lying on the floor shouting everything hurts and I'm dying like the wacky woman in 'Parks and Recreations'.
Since I'm admitting things, now's the time to mention that after doing the exercise above, I read a review of The First Bad Man, and although the reviewer was careful not to oversell the book, I found myself pressing 'buy' on the kindle version. It wasn't a physical book was my argument, and it looked like a quick read.
I kept my eyes away from the book stacks as I began to read it, but by page 10, I was looking longingly at my book stacks again. The narrator of The First Bad Man had begun to remind me strongly of the main character in the sitcom, 'Parks and Recreations', the wacky woman who says things like: There’s nothing we can’t do if we work hard, never sleep, and shirk from all other responsibilities in our lives. I didn't feel I could spend the length of a book inside such a person's head. But somehow I reached page 21 and this passage:
How much time do you spend moving objects to and fro? Before you move something far from where it lives, remember you’re eventually going to have to carry it back to its place—is it really worth it? Can’t you read the book standing right next to the shelf with your finger holding the spot you’ll put it back into? Or better yet: don’t read it.
That should have been the perfect signal for me to stop reading—I clearly had nothing of interest to hear from such a person! But the paragraph wasn't finished so I read to the end, being a compulsive paragraph finisher:
And if you are carrying an object, make sure to pick up anything that might need to go in the same direction. This is called carpooling. Putting new soap in the bathroom? Maybe wait until the towels in the dryer are done and carry the towels and soap together. Maybe put the soap on the dryer until then. And maybe don’t fold the towels until the next time you have to use the restroom. When the time comes, see if you can put away the soap and fold towels while you’re on the toilet, since your hands are free. Before you wipe, use the toilet paper to blot excess oil from your face. Dinnertime: skip the plate. Just put the pan on a hot pad on the table. Plates are an extra step you can do for guests to make them feel like they’re at a restaurant. Does the pan need to be washed? Not if you only eat savory things out of it.
The spiralling-down effect of that paragraph, taking us from neat bookshelves to crusty pans by way of the bathroom, appealed to me in an odd way. Let's see if the narrator can amuse me further, I thought.
And she did.
First there was a description of her analyst who reminded me of the hilarious Dr Tuttle in Ottessa Moshfegh's [b:My Year of Rest and Relaxation|44279110|My Year of Rest and Relaxation|Ottessa Moshfegh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597676656l/44279110._SY75_.jpg|55508660]: Everything she said made perfect sense but only for a few seconds
Then there were the narrator's masturbation fantasies which reminded me of the complicated fantasies-within-fantasies of David Foster Wallace's narrator in [b:Brief Interviews with Hideous Men|6753|Brief Interviews with Hideous Men|David Foster Wallace|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347635121l/6753._SY75_.jpg|1221616]:
We’d take our pants and underpants off completely but wouldn’t fold them up because we’d just have to unfold them to put them back on. We’d lay them out on the floor in a way that would make them easy to put on again later. We’d get side by side in the bed and hug and kiss a lot, Phillip would get on top of me and insert his penis between my legs and then, in a low, commanding voice, he would whisper, “Think about your thing.” I’d smile, grateful for the permission to go within, and shut my eyes—transporting myself to a very similar room where our pants were laid out on the floor and Phillip was on top of and inside me. In a low, commanding voice he said, “Think about your thing,” and I was flooded with gratitude and relief, even more than last time. I shut my eyes and was again transported to a similar room, a fantasy within a fantasy within a fantasy, and it continued like this, building in intensity until I was so far inside myself that I could go no further. That’s it. That’s my thing, the thing I like to think about during masturbation.
Notice the spiraling effect again? Miranda July specializes in this kind of writing. Yes, she's good at what she does, and although I don't see myself ever choosing another book by her, I will remember this one from time to time. And when I'm remembering it, I'll remember myself remembering it, and when I'm remembering myself remembering it, I'll probably spiral into triple remembering, and then I may end up lying on the floor shouting everything hurts and I'm dying like the wacky woman in 'Parks and Recreations'.
goodaim's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
amcdougall47's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
got_some_apples's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-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
3.0
tiki_3's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
icanfixhim's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sooooooo weird. felt like paying homage to a weird book Mother. im not even really sure what to say tbh. like I liked it. it was weird.
ashsaxreadsstacks's review
5.0
More than anything, I'm ashamed it took me this long to experience the genius that is Miranda July. I've give all my money (not much, but still) to spend 15min in her brain.
Purchased a copy of this book 76% of the way in, hoping the end wouldn't disappoint me.
1) I didn't make it until my copy came, I finished it today anyway
2) it didn't disappoint me at all, in fact I'm obsessed
PS thank you times a milli to Jillian B for the rec 💖
Purchased a copy of this book 76% of the way in, hoping the end wouldn't disappoint me.
1) I didn't make it until my copy came, I finished it today anyway
2) it didn't disappoint me at all, in fact I'm obsessed
PS thank you times a milli to Jillian B for the rec 💖
uglycherub's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0