A review by herdarklibrary
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a fascinating read. A psychological mind fuck if I’ve ever seen one. Irina, our main character is beyond unlikeable, at times I wanted to actually hit her but yet I still very much enjoyed her. She was manipulating, traumatised, abusive and she had no moral compass. Which is the exact messy type of of characters I like reading about. And because of all of these things it made her hugely unreliable and if that’s not the best type of narrative I don’t know what is! 

I think I saw so many pieces of people I know in this book that it made me side eye a little. Don’t get me wrong I don’t know one person exactly like our fmc but she felt like a heightened version of a friend or two, so the story actually felt very relatable in a lot of ways. Obviously there were parts that weren’t based in my reality, and that was where I loved the somewhat horror elements to this book. The visuals were super intense but so descriptive that I could see perfectly what was on the page in my mind. I would very much enjoy a movie version of this!

There was a heavy focus on sexual violence and lack of consent throughout. So I’d advise anyone considering this book to check their triggers first.    One of the most interesting parts for me to dissect was this topic though, the trauma that Irina describes from her youth and then following into adulthood, with it then being mirrored back at her in her photography and sexual experiences - for me this was done very very well with thought and it was in-keeping with the style of the book. 

Something I found hilarious throughout was the classism and north/south divide. This was so funny and clever. Everything was so realistic. I’m a north east girl and the way we see London for the most part is so true to what was written in this book but at the same time there is still this massive class divide in the type of northern you are! Was so interesting getting to read this from someone else’s thoughts.

I think the only reason I didn’t give this book a top rating was because of some of the beginning. It takes a little while to get this book into gear and some of the writing at the start just felt a little mundane in comparison to where we get to in the middle and end. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t bad, just comparatively a little slower to the rest. I debated between the rating on this lone for awhile! That’s how close it was to a 5/5.

This whole book was a massive question mark. Every page I turn I’m not sure if what is happening is actually real and I loved every second of it. Eliza Clark certainly knows how to grip me and I will never ever shut up about her books. 

4/5⭐️