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augushhhhh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Body shaming
emma_sky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Drug use
joduewekeperez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Colonisation
neve's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation
bethantg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Colonisation and Classism
chronicacademia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
dafni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Colonisation
lovelylilelle'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: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism
emilyrowanstudio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love books like this. So 2023, so modern, so political, so about social media and internet culture.
I'm a Fan is told in short chapters, many less than a page long. Some are first person narratives where our protagonist loses herself in The Man I Want To Be With and The Woman I Am Obsessed With, some are essays about race, womanhood, manhood, art, and some are a mixture of both.
I can see why this such a marmite book. If you're not a lover of the internet, or intrigued by fame and influencer culture, or fascinated by the way we can so easily be found and traced online, then you won't "get" this. It as an acquired 21st century taste. The protagonist, and three of the other main characters, are never named. They are all horrible and unlikeable people. The impersonality with the lack of names combined with the spewing of dark thoughs and deep desires, the conscious and unconscious will to destroy themselves, the sinister traits of their character - there is much here reminiscent of the MCs in Eliza Clark's Boy Parts and Otessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest in Relaxation, but I'm A Fan is smarter than them both. The social and political commentary interspersed with the non-linear plotless prose is expertly done.
I'm A Fan is so of the moment yet so one of a kind. This is a near perfect book. I can't wait to see what Sheena Patel does next.
[To add - and this has nothing to do with the book itself and only the reception it has received - I didn't find I'm A Fan as dark as I expected. Unhinged, certainly. The actions of the protagonist make you wince at times, but to be labelled 'dark' I was expecting something more explicitly sinister to happen].
Moderate: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
jacs63's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very good book. Easy to read. I enjoyed the short chapters. They were punchy and easy to take in.
I can see why it's on the Longlist for the Woman's Prize, but I can't see it winning.
It's so well written and interesting, but its quite depressing and a bit of downer. I could have seen myself being a little bit like the main character when I was quite young, but not now. Thankfully.
As the mother of a young woman myself, I found the book a bit disturbing.
It talks about gender, race, racism, politics, the patriarchy, colonisation, toxic relationships, sex, abuse, obsession, art, status, social media, family etc etc etc .
It's a lot.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation