Scan barcode
A review by shimauchiha
Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn
4.0
Read this for:
- Romanian communism.
- A Novella made up of short stories.
- Magical realism, and Romanian folklore.
- Unusual methods to solve your issues with your mother.
- [b:In the Dream House|43317482|In the Dream House|Carmen Maria Machado|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547869259l/43317482._SX50_.jpg|65787792] vibes.
Do not read this if:
- You are triggered by
- You prefer traditional structures (with no open endings).
- You dislike time-jumps.
My thoughts: 4.5 stars
I loved this little mish-mash of short stories and vignettes. While the stories are all about a Romanian woman's life during communism and make up a cohesive narrative together, they are written in slightly different styles, switching between first and third-person points of view, and between different genres.
I loved it. I don't think I've ever read a book set in Romania, and I loved how it was slightly fragmented while remaining very cohesive. If I could change just one thing about it, I would make the magical realism element stronger and bring it out more at the start of the novel, instead of relatively close to the end. Also, I could have read so much more about Romanian folklore. But "I wish there was more of it" is not really a criticism, is it?
- Romanian communism.
- A Novella made up of short stories.
- Magical realism, and Romanian folklore.
- Unusual methods to solve your issues with your mother.
- [b:In the Dream House|43317482|In the Dream House|Carmen Maria Machado|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547869259l/43317482._SX50_.jpg|65787792] vibes.
Do not read this if:
- You are triggered by
Spoiler
rape, mentions of torture.- You prefer traditional structures (with no open endings).
- You dislike time-jumps.
My thoughts: 4.5 stars
I loved this little mish-mash of short stories and vignettes. While the stories are all about a Romanian woman's life during communism and make up a cohesive narrative together, they are written in slightly different styles, switching between first and third-person points of view, and between different genres.
I loved it. I don't think I've ever read a book set in Romania, and I loved how it was slightly fragmented while remaining very cohesive. If I could change just one thing about it, I would make the magical realism element stronger and bring it out more at the start of the novel, instead of relatively close to the end. Also, I could have read so much more about Romanian folklore. But "I wish there was more of it" is not really a criticism, is it?