michaelasreads's review
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tsuxis's review
1.0
all this for a mf named JOHN with a receeding hairlane christ this is a young anorexic girls wetdream novel wooohhh im so demure and fragile oh nooo my mentally ill oh noooo toxicity everywhere around me
lukeass's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
While a lot of the star metaphors unfortunately went over my head (I couldn't for the life of me understand how they related to the novel/characters), I did ultimately enjoy my time with this book. It was one of those that struck me deeply personally and I couldn't stop thinking about and drawing associations towards my own life. The author's prose is raw and real and the spiraling type of poetry the author used to showcase the main character's mental and physical decline really paid off for me. The only other issue I had is that the dialogue and narration were oftentimes confusing to separate for me as the author does not use quotations, however I also find that this fit with the theme of the story and the storytelling method the author uses. Overall, a very raw book that struck me deeply and I still can't stop thinking about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
kpdoessomereading's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible, you don’t read about the characters you become them and find yourself dealing with their addiction and disorders.
ashley_earley's review
3.0
A lot of really great astronomy metaphors! Very sad content, however. Things don't turn around before the ending either. It faded into a bleak cut off.
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-Ashley Earley
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-Ashley Earley
briony99's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
2.75
dismascoale's review
sad
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
huncamuncamouse's review
4.0
This reads like a novella in the sense that it very much lends itself to being consumed in one sitting--which is not to suggest that it's an easy or uncomplicated read. Quite the opposite. With a blurb from Kate Zambreno (I recently read and adored Green Girls), I already felt primed to love this book, which had been on my radar for a long time. I thought the grounding metaphor of the binary star was so strong and well utilized. (And yes, at times the scientific explanations went over my head and I had to go back and reread them.)
You're not going to like these characters: spoiled John who lives off his parents and has a penchant for combining alcohol and pills––unsurprisingly with disastrous results. The narrator is in the throes of an eating disorder; the author, who I know has written about her own experiences with an ED, nails the obsessive thought processes. Both the narrator and John lie to themselves and each other about just how dire their individual problems are. If John questions the narrator's eating, she deflects, asking him about his drinking. And vice versa. This fucked up little dance ensures that they both stay sick and get even sicker as the novella progresses. To call this a toxic pairing is an understatement.
The narrator is exhausting, but she's not self-pitying. And keeping the book to a short length ensures that patience doesn't wear thin. However, I did think this got wrapped up, kind of out of nowhere. And I really could have done without the militant veganism storyline. Frankly, I just don't really buy that John, who is so selfish that he doesn't even provide his pet with adequate care, would ever be swept up in the rhetoric.
You're not going to like these characters: spoiled John who lives off his parents and has a penchant for combining alcohol and pills––unsurprisingly with disastrous results. The narrator is in the throes of an eating disorder; the author, who I know has written about her own experiences with an ED, nails the obsessive thought processes. Both the narrator and John lie to themselves and each other about just how dire their individual problems are. If John questions the narrator's eating, she deflects, asking him about his drinking. And vice versa. This fucked up little dance ensures that they both stay sick and get even sicker as the novella progresses. To call this a toxic pairing is an understatement.
The narrator is exhausting, but she's not self-pitying. And keeping the book to a short length ensures that patience doesn't wear thin. However, I did think this got wrapped up, kind of out of nowhere. And I really could have done without the militant veganism storyline. Frankly, I just don't really buy that John, who is so selfish that he doesn't even provide his pet with adequate care, would ever be swept up in the rhetoric.
gjpeace's review
3.0
Rating: 3.5
Reading this in three sittings over the course of a single day is probably the best way to read this (unless you can get it down to two, or even one). I don't want particularly want to inhabit that headspace again, which I'll take as a sign that the book works how it's supposed to work. As a work exploring the effects of an eating disorder, it does its job more than well enough.
Reading this in three sittings over the course of a single day is probably the best way to read this (unless you can get it down to two, or even one). I don't want particularly want to inhabit that headspace again, which I'll take as a sign that the book works how it's supposed to work. As a work exploring the effects of an eating disorder, it does its job more than well enough.