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A review by savvylit
I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Fans take their heroes and make them a part of their identity and so it becomes unbearable to ever really take in rumours of bad behaviour. We want them to remain perfect in order that we can telegraph or offload certain archetypes on to them: the truth teller, the champion, the maverick, the trickster. If we turn people into symbols and then create a fandom around them, we don’t have to take on those responsibilities ourselves, they become our spokesperson nominated to do this for us so we can carry on living our lives unperturbed."
I'm a Fan is a novel about obsession in two forms: romantic and parasocial. The novel's unnamed narrator is completely obsessed with her lover. Her lover who is also not only married but seeing additional affair partners as well. Her second intense obsession is with one of her lover's other affair partners and is primarily envy/hatred based. She closely follows this woman's life via Instagram, even attempting to be at the same in-person events. Though our narrator is intensely obsessed, she is also deeply self-aware - she knows that her obsession with both people is toxic and destructive. But she just can't stop, she's truly addicted!
This book would be worth a read - even just for the delicious, messy voyeurism. However, I'm a Fan is much more than its central relationships. Patel uses the interactions throughout the story to drop observations or moments of cultural criticism that were incredibly accurate and sent me scrambling for a highlighter. I love a book that entertains and forces me to reflect on modern social dynamics.
I'm a Fan is a novel about obsession in two forms: romantic and parasocial. The novel's unnamed narrator is completely obsessed with her lover. Her lover who is also not only married but seeing additional affair partners as well. Her second intense obsession is with one of her lover's other affair partners and is primarily envy/hatred based. She closely follows this woman's life via Instagram, even attempting to be at the same in-person events. Though our narrator is intensely obsessed, she is also deeply self-aware - she knows that her obsession with both people is toxic and destructive. But she just can't stop, she's truly addicted!
This book would be worth a read - even just for the delicious, messy voyeurism. However, I'm a Fan is much more than its central relationships. Patel uses the interactions throughout the story to drop observations or moments of cultural criticism that were incredibly accurate and sent me scrambling for a highlighter. I love a book that entertains and forces me to reflect on modern social dynamics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Classism