A review by momma_nilsen
The First Bad Man by Miranda July
5.0
Please note: I read this book on an airplane, in the middle seat, with my boyfriend constantly prodding me "how it was". In truth, I kept telling him it was good and then brushing him off to leave me alone. This book should be read in the privacy of your house so you can relish in it's fantastic awkwardness and quirky internal behaviors.
I can not recommend this book to any one and I would also highly recommend this book to everyone. Reasons being that this is a crazy, fucked up, hell of a journey for one character to go through. It will make you blush, it will make you question your own sanity, it will gross you out, it will make you feel incredibly awkward, and most importantly it will give you an accurate description of what it's like when chaos meets order.
At first I had no clue what the heck this book was about. The title is very misleading because I thought it would be about a serial killer or a grizzly murder...but it's about a middle-aged woman. Say what?! Anyone who is anyone has had perverse thoughts about another human being, whether it be violence, sexuality, or anything else...let's be real, you've had some fucked up ideas wandering around your head. This book gives voice to that Freudian voice inside your mind that begs to be released from time to time and breathe in the open air. I can't help but use the word awkward continuously throughout this review because it is the best word to describe this novel. You are intruding into this woman's skull, into her inner most thoughts, and un-spooling her brain. It is so wonderfully weird.
I have been persnickety about books as of late because I have read some serious duds. I will never be the person who rates every book I read 5 stars because I love the critical nature of myself and holding high standards and expectations for my brain. I demand brilliance and the ability to be challenged dammit! This book did not disappoint because as soon as I was done I needed to research what this meant or what that meant. What was the point? This book is a giant metaphor for aggression v. passive natures, you could also say it's chaos v. order (which I've already stated - but it works so shut it). My diatribe on how brilliantly written this novel is just barely shadows in compassion to how beautifully intelligent this book is. Like I said, this book won't be for everyone...but I still think you should totally read it!
I can not recommend this book to any one and I would also highly recommend this book to everyone. Reasons being that this is a crazy, fucked up, hell of a journey for one character to go through. It will make you blush, it will make you question your own sanity, it will gross you out, it will make you feel incredibly awkward, and most importantly it will give you an accurate description of what it's like when chaos meets order.
At first I had no clue what the heck this book was about. The title is very misleading because I thought it would be about a serial killer or a grizzly murder...but it's about a middle-aged woman. Say what?! Anyone who is anyone has had perverse thoughts about another human being, whether it be violence, sexuality, or anything else...let's be real, you've had some fucked up ideas wandering around your head. This book gives voice to that Freudian voice inside your mind that begs to be released from time to time and breathe in the open air. I can't help but use the word awkward continuously throughout this review because it is the best word to describe this novel. You are intruding into this woman's skull, into her inner most thoughts, and un-spooling her brain. It is so wonderfully weird.
I have been persnickety about books as of late because I have read some serious duds. I will never be the person who rates every book I read 5 stars because I love the critical nature of myself and holding high standards and expectations for my brain. I demand brilliance and the ability to be challenged dammit! This book did not disappoint because as soon as I was done I needed to research what this meant or what that meant. What was the point? This book is a giant metaphor for aggression v. passive natures, you could also say it's chaos v. order (which I've already stated - but it works so shut it). My diatribe on how brilliantly written this novel is just barely shadows in compassion to how beautifully intelligent this book is. Like I said, this book won't be for everyone...but I still think you should totally read it!