A review by chelregel
My Year of Meats, by Ruth Ozeki
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh goodness, this book. It really scooped me up into its world and then threw me into the dirt. In the best way. Was I horrified? Absolutely. Did I just spend 2 hours reading over 150 pages of this book to finish it tonight? Also yes.
Everything about this book feels like nonfiction wrapped into a fictional account. I half expect the characters in this book to be real, or to find a re run of My American Wife airing somewhere. If I ran into Jane or Akiko I wouldn’t exactly be mad. They felt so whole and fleshed out, in a way that truly did feel like a memoir or a biography.
As a vegetarian, I can certainly say this book didn’t turn me on to meat, and I wonder if it would turn any meat eaters off of it. While it’s obviously fiction, the accounts feel real and close enough to home (I used to live in cow country Colorado) that it feels entirely plausible.
On another note I want to devour every Ruth Ozeki book now and I love her forever.
Everything about this book feels like nonfiction wrapped into a fictional account. I half expect the characters in this book to be real, or to find a re run of My American Wife airing somewhere. If I ran into Jane or Akiko I wouldn’t exactly be mad. They felt so whole and fleshed out, in a way that truly did feel like a memoir or a biography.
As a vegetarian, I can certainly say this book didn’t turn me on to meat, and I wonder if it would turn any meat eaters off of it. While it’s obviously fiction, the accounts feel real and close enough to home (I used to live in cow country Colorado) that it feels entirely plausible.
On another note I want to devour every Ruth Ozeki book now and I love her forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Abortion and Blood
Minor: Eating disorder