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jwells's review against another edition
emotional
Definitely an unusual book. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I felt like I was 30% driven to finish it and find out if it all made more sense in the end, and 70% disturbed and creeped out. I did finish it, but I think the 70% reaction wins out after all.
Our protagonist is a well-intentioned but incredibly overconfident guy who sees himself as some sort of, what, amateur therapist? Except one who has lots and lots of sex with his, what, client/lover/stalking target. And he feels totally free to lie to this person, emotionally manipulate him, trick him into doing things that make him miserable, or coax him into actually breaking the law. All the while Mr. Protagonist is steadfastly refusing to do any personal work on his own unexamined trauma.
I knew a guy sorta like this once - haven't we all? He was Too Strong to need any help on his own issues, but was more than happy to inform me with total confidence what I needed to work on, after a brief acquaintance. In real life, Mr. Protagonist is a nightmare, even if he does magically know that you like Diet Coke. If anyone meets him, at an art gallery or otherwise, RUN.
Our protagonist is a well-intentioned but incredibly overconfident guy who sees himself as some sort of, what, amateur therapist? Except one who has lots and lots of sex with his, what, client/lover/stalking target. And he feels totally free to lie to this person, emotionally manipulate him, trick him into doing things that make him miserable, or coax him into actually breaking the law. All the while Mr. Protagonist is steadfastly refusing to do any personal work on his own unexamined trauma.
I knew a guy sorta like this once - haven't we all? He was Too Strong to need any help on his own issues, but was more than happy to inform me with total confidence what I needed to work on, after a brief acquaintance. In real life, Mr. Protagonist is a nightmare, even if he does magically know that you like Diet Coke. If anyone meets him, at an art gallery or otherwise, RUN.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment
For me, the central relationship in this book is really unhealthy, but your opinion may vary. Most of the other tags I've added are for issues from the characters' pasts that come up in discussions, except for sexual content, which is in the story's present and described in detail.