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A review by alexiconic
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i truly can see why it’s a good book. it just wasn’t for me.
by and large, i did not enjoy reading this book. the twists were underwhelming, and i felt no connection to our main character and narrator. for me, it felt like this was a book too light on plot to be a good action book and too light on character to be a good character study. it was too light on the science and references to be a non-fiction informed book, but too explicit in its references to be fully narrative. that said, i like the attempt to connect science to human experience. i’m very much about that and i’ve loved this exact combination in the past. it just didn’t work for me in this book.
by and large, i did not enjoy reading this book. the twists were underwhelming, and i felt no connection to our main character and narrator. for me, it felt like this was a book too light on plot to be a good action book and too light on character to be a good character study. it was too light on the science and references to be a non-fiction informed book, but too explicit in its references to be fully narrative. that said, i like the attempt to connect science to human experience. i’m very much about that and i’ve loved this exact combination in the past. it just didn’t work for me in this book.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol