Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

"I have a photo of each leg, each arm, and his torso: all these boy parts, which I can arrange on my living room floor like a jigsaw."

Solid satire with some really funny moments and interesting characterisation. I really like how Irina's perception of Flo is slowly undercut by external glimpses of Flo. The final conversation about what Flo thinks Irina can give her is such a good example of this, as Irina interprets Flo's doomed desire for her as pathetic, when there is actually something deeply sad about Irina being functionally unable to recognise love and desire as a genuine investment in someone's wellbeing, rather than a means to an end. Irina's cynicism slowly being undercut by her delusions and the optimism of those around her was also really interesting - her voice can be quite compelling so the moments where you realise how flawed her own narrative is about herself and her world was enjoyable.

I did wander what this book was moving towards. The last act felt comparatively slower than previous sections. Anticipating the end of the book, I began to realise it was probably going to lack substantial payoff, which is odd when the first two acts were quickly-paced. Given the prominence of Irina's 'friendship' with Flo, I did feel like that should have featured more in the final conflict.

I have really mixed feelings on this book. The deliberate gratuity was interesting and having also read A Certain Hunger this year I understand the market for and am interested in literary fiction that centres female psychopathy. The commentary on desire and forcing yourself into different boxes was insightful (e.g. Flo only liking who she was supposed to like). I think my main problem is it feels like something is missing, but I just don't know what. I wanted to like it more.

Content Warnings

bl41's review against another edition

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dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“I could train a camera on a man and look at him like a man looks at a woman; boys, too, could be objects of desire.”

It was deranged and hypnotic

Reversing the male gaze into the “female gaze” with the perfect batshit insane protagonist. It was super unsettling, darkly funny, and provocative— it references pop culture but not in a cringy type of way, so major props to the author. I devoured this book, and anyone who loves the unhinged woman trope should definitely give this one a go.

Content Warnings

alyssasolo's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sick and twisted for sure. Definitely not my normal read but it’s always interesting to be in the mind of an out of touch and unreliable narrator. Please read the warnings before reading!!!

Content Warnings

evaorbit's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-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

3.0

This book just gave me a lot of bad feelings. The main character, Irina, is awful to everyone. Her evil behavior and the way people excuse it are kind of the points of the book, but it still makes it upsetting to read because it’s just impossible to root for her. She doesn’t grow much throughout the book. But it’s still a very interesting book and it goes by fast. I wish it had gone into more depth about the male gaze in her work- because I don’t see how photographing men being sexualized the way women are could be liberating and would like more perspective. Majorrrrr trigger warnings.

Content Warnings

penelopereads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

No clue how to rate this book. I hated it but also didn’t. It was an extremely uncomfortable experience. I literally grimaced my way through it.

I’m trying not to give spoilers but I suppose there are MILD SPOILERS below. These are more notes for myself to help me work through how I feel about this book.

Eddie 💔

Bit Dolly/Emma Jane esque. Didn’t like that. Don’t appreciate that lifestyle. Main character is intolerable (but that’s the point.)

Did appreciate the flip of the usual predatory/violent/dangerous/ruthless and detached narrative.

Trauma? Mental health?

Enjoyed the did she/didn’t she?

Was impressed by what seemed like a very sudden/surprising shift about 2/3 through, which in retrospect was actually hinted at.

The use of the name, the cat and the bell (Schrödinger, much?) were clever and subtle but not too subtle.

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