A review by morganjanedavis
Toplin by Michael McDowell
3.0
I'm not going to include a synopsis with this one because I feel like the immersive experience that is Toplin is better to blindly jump into.
This was by far the strangest thing I've ever read (maybe ever BUT) by McDowell. The nameless narrator's paranoia made me uneasy to the point to where I had to read this ~20-40 pages at a time and then take a break. The way McDowell lets you peer into his mind is fun but his thought processes make me....truly terrified to coexist with strangers in the world. The gang aspect and the (kooky???) characters like Annie and Howard were what kept the book truly interesting to me but, I wish that there was more going on plot-wise throughout, as most of the events didn't take place until the last 10 pages. Living inside the narrator's mind and going through his day-to-day ritualistic activities began to become monotonous after a while BUT I did like that the monotony was always shaken up with some "what in the actual fuck is this guy thinking/doing?!" *spice* added in. This made me feel like I do after looking at those creepy backrooms pictures, looking at anything that's pale yellow for too long, and gave me major The Number 23 w/ Jim Carrey vibes. O D D.
This was by far the strangest thing I've ever read (maybe ever BUT) by McDowell. The nameless narrator's paranoia made me uneasy to the point to where I had to read this ~20-40 pages at a time and then take a break. The way McDowell lets you peer into his mind is fun but his thought processes make me....truly terrified to coexist with strangers in the world. The gang aspect and the (kooky???) characters like Annie and Howard were what kept the book truly interesting to me but, I wish that there was more going on plot-wise throughout, as most of the events didn't take place until the last 10 pages. Living inside the narrator's mind and going through his day-to-day ritualistic activities began to become monotonous after a while BUT I did like that the monotony was always shaken up with some "what in the actual fuck is this guy thinking/doing?!" *spice* added in. This made me feel like I do after looking at those creepy backrooms pictures, looking at anything that's pale yellow for too long, and gave me major The Number 23 w/ Jim Carrey vibes. O D D.