The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
rebeckareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Violence
polly_baker's review against another edition
- 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
Bukowski presents us with a boy born into the depression era. A time of economic hardship, disillusionment and the collapse of the American Dream. On top of that, our protagonist is dealt physical abuse from his father and emotional neglect from his downtrodden mother. All male role models are drunk or violent. Women are polarised as either submissive or manipulative â objects of desire or worthless. This is the America that built Charles Bukowski.Â
The artistry of it though, merging simplistic child-like prose with deft adult wit when presenting his earliest years (âthe legs of the people were not interesting, not like the tablecloth which hung down, not like the table leg, not like the sunlightâ) which later develops into prose pelted with teenage angst and frustration (gathered around me were the weak instead of the strong, the ugly instead of the beautiful, the losers instead of the winners. It looked like it was my destiny to travel in their company through lifeâ), finally maturing into a shrewd and somewhat bitter critique of a world that was not made for him (âThe problem was you had to keep choosing between one evil or another, and no matter what you chose, they sliced a little bit more off you, until there was nothing left. At the age of 25 most people were finished. A goddamn nation of arseholesâ). This progression of writing style, channeled through a first-person pseudonym makes this coming-of-age story unique in that it remains untainted by a retrospective lens. Bukowski doesnât gift us any objectivity or authorial insight into how he reflects on this time. The memories are presented to us as raw as in real-time. He forces us to feel the ferocity of his rage. To be tormented by his frustration. Corrupted by his bitterness. To feel a deep disgust and revulsion, which along with the crippling self-pity, he all too often feels for himself. We are not given the space to sympathise with him, instead we are given reason to despise him. Â
It reads at times like the origin story of an incel. His flirtation with nazism is deeper than an act of anti-establishment rebellion. It reveals how individuals pushed to the fringes of society, disillusioned and forgotten by the state, are vulnerable to extremism. Complicated further by a German heritage, and societyâs condemnation of Hitler feeling like yet another personal attack. Bukowskiâs alter-ego is an unloved boy turned resentful young man who refuses to take ownership of his increasingly reckless behaviour â after trashing his room in a drunken brawl for the second time he claims: âit really hadnât been my faultâ. The irony being that everything that came before it â the economic hardship, the bullying, the abuse â really hadnât been his fault, yet the weight of the grudge he holds against the world prevents him from moving forward. He is unable to make any meaningful relationships and sabotages any kindness afforded to him. His final friend, âyouâre the best Iâve knownâ is shipped off to war with tragic finality.  As I said, itâs pretty bleak. Â
If we are trying to work out what Bukowski is trying to communicate to us through Ham on Rye, the best insight we get is from the dedication: âfor all the fathersâ. The young Chinaski/Bukowski wrote stories because âa man needed somebody. There wasnât anybody around, so you had to make up somebody, make him up to be like a man should be.â As much as it tells us about the construction of masculinity then - it stands as a commentary on the continuing damage the patriarchy inflicts on individuals, shapeshifting through the generations but still: it endures.
Itâs a hard book to âenjoyâ. An even harder book to recommend. But there is no doubt that Bukowski is a writer. Â
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
dylan2219's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Addiction, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
aaminak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Self harm, Homophobia, and Bullying
Minor: Death
lillibooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence
bluebear1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Alcoholism
Minor: Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Pedophilia, Homophobia, War, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, and Incest
lesyich's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Violence, and Domestic abuse
sugar_pill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Bullying, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexual content, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Ableism
Minor: Cursing and Animal cruelty
juliana05's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcoholism and Child abuse
jessicat103's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual harassment