A review by erinbro1
Either/Or, by Elif Batuman
5.0
Either/Or was an ideal reading experience for me. I don't know how Elif Batuman makes a college sophomore talking about the books she's read in class so riveting, but that is her genius. Picking up where The Idiot left off, I found Selin slightly more clued-in than she was in The Idiot, but she's still charmingly naïve about so much. Certain types of bookish, socially awkward readers certainly see bits of themselves in Selin, and I found myself laughing in recognition at so many of the lines in the book. But there are some flickers of wisdom in Selin's inner monologue this time, making bits like this stand out:
"The more I thought about it, the less I understood why the duration of my current condition...should depend on my ability to find some doofus who would tell me I was special. I already knew I was special. So what did I need the doofus for?"
Like most fans of this series, I'm really hoping Batuman will give us a novel for each year of Selin's undergrad, and based on the ending of Either/Or, it seems likely that we will. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next installment.
"The more I thought about it, the less I understood why the duration of my current condition...should depend on my ability to find some doofus who would tell me I was special. I already knew I was special. So what did I need the doofus for?"
Like most fans of this series, I'm really hoping Batuman will give us a novel for each year of Selin's undergrad, and based on the ending of Either/Or, it seems likely that we will. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next installment.