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A review by siobhanward
Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
NYT Notable Books 2023: 17/100
I think my challenge with this book is that Dederer wasn't sure where she was going with it. Part of it reads like a series of critical essays around how we address art created by artists who are, at their core, bad people. Can we still love their art? Where do we draw the line? Other parts of it read as a memoir from Dederer about her own connections to media and the #MeToo movement. Unfortunately, I wasn't super interested in Dederer's personal experiences, and the parts where she focused on herself really just didn't work for me. This book had a lot of potential but ended up falling flat in a lot of parts.
I think my challenge with this book is that Dederer wasn't sure where she was going with it. Part of it reads like a series of critical essays around how we address art created by artists who are, at their core, bad people. Can we still love their art? Where do we draw the line? Other parts of it read as a memoir from Dederer about her own connections to media and the #MeToo movement. Unfortunately, I wasn't super interested in Dederer's personal experiences, and the parts where she focused on herself really just didn't work for me. This book had a lot of potential but ended up falling flat in a lot of parts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault