A review by jostolin
Please Don't Come Back from the Moon, by Dean Bakopoulos
5.0
THERE IS A SPOILER IN THIS REVIEW ALSO SORRY I'M USING GOODREADS AS A JOURNAL IT IS LATE AND I HAVE FEELINGS AND THIS PLATFORM FEELS KIND OF SAFE IN SOME WAY
According to U-M English Department lore, Dean Bakopoulos's subcon thesis was entitled "Please Don't Come Back From the Moon."
Therein lies my only complaint about this book: It prevented me from working on my own goddamn thesis for days. Because the fucking protagonist is so fucking flawed and earnest it actually hurts and I loved him and rooted for him and was devastated for him and I haven't read a book in SO LONG that managed to inject so much dang humanity into a character.
Also someone please let me know why the New York Times called this magical realism?? That's actually crazy to me like sure there's some dream imagery but let's not get carried away and start calling every wacky thing we read 'magical realism' --
Anyways. I'm sad. I'm sad this book is over and that there aren't more books like it and I'm sad for Michael, the protagonist. I'm sad for all of the men in this story who thought their dads were on the moon, because 'went to the moon' is more palatable than 'moved to Illinois,' and every reader knows that. I'm sad for the dads who left because, by some work of ACTUAL magic -- or just pure genius -- Bakopoulos made me feel that, too.
According to U-M English Department lore, Dean Bakopoulos's subcon thesis was entitled "Please Don't Come Back From the Moon."
Therein lies my only complaint about this book: It prevented me from working on my own goddamn thesis for days. Because the fucking protagonist is so fucking flawed and earnest it actually hurts and I loved him and rooted for him and was devastated for him and I haven't read a book in SO LONG that managed to inject so much dang humanity into a character.
Also someone please let me know why the New York Times called this magical realism?? That's actually crazy to me like sure there's some dream imagery but let's not get carried away and start calling every wacky thing we read 'magical realism' --
Anyways. I'm sad. I'm sad this book is over and that there aren't more books like it and I'm sad for Michael, the protagonist. I'm sad for all of the men in this story who thought their dads were on the moon, because 'went to the moon' is more palatable than 'moved to Illinois,' and every reader knows that. I'm sad for the dads who left because, by some work of ACTUAL magic -- or just pure genius -- Bakopoulos made me feel that, too.