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sohalol's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Was war das denn für ein dummes Ende
sher47bingo's review against another edition
4.0
Want to read more by this author. The writing moves along so smoothly, no chapter breaks, that I just kept reading. Didn't want it to end.
takoeg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cailleachv's review against another edition
5.0
Really nice book. It tells the story of a 17 years old Russian girl living in Germany. It is about her, but it isn't a stupid teen book.
bantwalkers's review against another edition
4.0
Ok. This is like a 3.5 book. I had some issues with, but I really loved it.
The good- At one point in this book the protag, Sacha, compares herself to Eminem. I found myself nodding my head fervently to this assessment. Her one-minded focus to kill her step-father, who brutally murdered her mother and her mother's boyfriend, plays out like a lyrical murder fantasy. It is much more hypnotic and focused, less sure or violent, as Eminem's songs, but the parallel is still apt. There is something about a girl so young, who went through something so tragic, who is so bent on revenge that drew me in and didn't let me go. Her anger burns just below the surface. She is lost and confused with her mother in her life. But she's also mature and confident because of it. Sacha pops off the page as a multi-layered teen, trying to deal with anger, grief, and normal life. And that doesn't even mention that she's a Russian immigrant living in Germany. Normally, I would look at a book with so much crappy stuff piled on top of so much crappy stuff as a piece of manipulative drivel. Alina Bronsky balances the tragedy well though. Sacha is tough, and she doesn't let tragedy happen to her, she has just had it happen to her. She is dealing. It isn't manipulative because of how well-layered Sacha is. She is smart. She has made a plan. She is focused. And with each passing word, the reader also discovers how infinitely fragile she is.
The bad-As alive, explosive, and well-layered Sacha, and her first person narrative are, the rest of the characters are flat as is the dialogue. I could read through pages and pages of Sacha's inner monologue, but as soon as she starts talking to another character I just wanted to put the book down. The dialogue is bad in places, but mostly it is just there. There is nothing of the powder-keg immediacy in the dialogue that can be found in every word of Sacha's narration. I wondered if there was a problem in the translation, but that wouldn't make sense, because the rest of it is translated so deftly. It seems that Bronsky is just not gifted at having people talk to each other. Which is sad, because after about 20 pages I was ready to call this "Best Book of the Year." But then Sacha talks to people, a lot of people, especially Felix and he's a douche. Second, the pop culture references in this book are so forced. I agreed with Sacha's comparison of herself to Eminem, I could even see her listening to Eminem. Still, when I read it, I thought Bronsky was just trying to make herself current and cool. Same with references to Brokeback Mountain and Mary J. Blige. Sacha just didn't seem like she would be that concerned with these things at this time in her life. They were too few and far between, and random, and just not fitting at all. (But trust me, I understand the impulse. I force trendy, snobby, mainstream hipster pop culture references into my writing all the time.)
So . . . did I love this book. YES! Sacha is amazing. But it isn't perfect, and the bad stuff is really a buzz kill. But I doubt I will forget this book for a long time to come. It is really beautiful and haunting.
The good- At one point in this book the protag, Sacha, compares herself to Eminem. I found myself nodding my head fervently to this assessment. Her one-minded focus to kill her step-father, who brutally murdered her mother and her mother's boyfriend, plays out like a lyrical murder fantasy. It is much more hypnotic and focused, less sure or violent, as Eminem's songs, but the parallel is still apt. There is something about a girl so young, who went through something so tragic, who is so bent on revenge that drew me in and didn't let me go. Her anger burns just below the surface. She is lost and confused with her mother in her life. But she's also mature and confident because of it. Sacha pops off the page as a multi-layered teen, trying to deal with anger, grief, and normal life. And that doesn't even mention that she's a Russian immigrant living in Germany. Normally, I would look at a book with so much crappy stuff piled on top of so much crappy stuff as a piece of manipulative drivel. Alina Bronsky balances the tragedy well though. Sacha is tough, and she doesn't let tragedy happen to her, she has just had it happen to her. She is dealing. It isn't manipulative because of how well-layered Sacha is. She is smart. She has made a plan. She is focused. And with each passing word, the reader also discovers how infinitely fragile she is.
The bad-As alive, explosive, and well-layered Sacha, and her first person narrative are, the rest of the characters are flat as is the dialogue. I could read through pages and pages of Sacha's inner monologue, but as soon as she starts talking to another character I just wanted to put the book down. The dialogue is bad in places, but mostly it is just there. There is nothing of the powder-keg immediacy in the dialogue that can be found in every word of Sacha's narration. I wondered if there was a problem in the translation, but that wouldn't make sense, because the rest of it is translated so deftly. It seems that Bronsky is just not gifted at having people talk to each other. Which is sad, because after about 20 pages I was ready to call this "Best Book of the Year." But then Sacha talks to people, a lot of people, especially Felix and he's a douche. Second, the pop culture references in this book are so forced. I agreed with Sacha's comparison of herself to Eminem, I could even see her listening to Eminem. Still, when I read it, I thought Bronsky was just trying to make herself current and cool. Same with references to Brokeback Mountain and Mary J. Blige. Sacha just didn't seem like she would be that concerned with these things at this time in her life. They were too few and far between, and random, and just not fitting at all. (But trust me, I understand the impulse. I force trendy, snobby, mainstream hipster pop culture references into my writing all the time.)
So . . . did I love this book. YES! Sacha is amazing. But it isn't perfect, and the bad stuff is really a buzz kill. But I doubt I will forget this book for a long time to come. It is really beautiful and haunting.
nerdie_kitten's review against another edition
4.0
Witzig, hektisch aber viel energisch. Macht einfach Lesesüchtig
fbroom's review against another edition
5.0
The story of Sacha who is full of anger. She blames herself for not saving her mother from her stepfather. She doesn’t want to forget or forgive. She is cynical. She plans her revenge against her stepfather although she was really only hurting herself the most. This was a page turner and a quick read for me. I enjoyed it as I enjoyed her other book “The hottest dishes from the tartar cuisine”.
freddie's review against another edition
3.0
This book starts out very strong, introducing Sascha, an angry teenager whose mother was killed by her abusive stepfather. So Sascha plans to kill him once he's out of prison. But then the story fizzles away with a series of implausible events. There's a major side plot that I think this book could do away with.
audaciaray's review against another edition
4.0
I have been having a bit of a rough/cranky week, and I think reading this book has made me more cranky. Which is a good thing, maybe? Sascha, the main character and narrator, is a really intense and angry teenager, and for good reason: her ex-stepfather gunned down her mother and her new boyfriend in front of Sascha and her two younger siblings. The novel sprouts around Sascha's rage: at men, at the media representation of the murders, at her situation in life, at... everything. It's a really stunning, dark novel that made me queasy and anxious often. Gotta love books that have a visceral effect.
I read this after loving Alina Bronsky's Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine, and I am totally sold on her. I will most definitely read whatever she writes next!
I read this after loving Alina Bronsky's Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine, and I am totally sold on her. I will most definitely read whatever she writes next!