A review by belial
The Pursued and the Pursuing by AJ Odasso
3.0
i was really waiting a while for this to become available to read ever since i heard it was getting published after i came across it in a03, i even went and put the release date on my calendar.
when the book finally came out (and when i finally started reading it), i was really excited because i loved the great gatsby (and of course, the underlying queer themes in it)
i finally finished it tonight and all i can really say is that...eh, ok.
i dont think the lack of a central conflict is what drags this book down, but the characterization. im sure other reviewers have said it before, but the way odasso treats the character of daisy buchanan is... unsavory.
daisy isn't my favorite character at all in the original book, but the way she was written here really just erases the tragic undertones of her characterization in the great gatsby, being essentially a trophy wife or someone to fight for and nothing else.
not to mention the lack of jordan baker is really disappointing. jordan could've been such a great character in a story like this but she's only mentioned in passing. we know next to nothing of what could've happened to her in the events following gatsby's death (or survival in this case).
i also feel that jay as a character also felt...dull, which is particularly odd as he's literally the great gatsby.
idk, i wanted so much to love this book but it really is just short and sweet, and something to read if you really wanted to see nick and jay get together and grow old together (+pam and the found family trope she adds to the fic, which is always welcome).
overall, i think it could've definitely been better, but it's a nice casual read if you don't wanna put too much thought into it.
when the book finally came out (and when i finally started reading it), i was really excited because i loved the great gatsby (and of course, the underlying queer themes in it)
i finally finished it tonight and all i can really say is that...eh, ok.
Spoiler
i personally dont think it's a terrible affront to humanity or anything, but it's not a blessing either. it is fairly slow and fluffy, little to no (if any) conflict really happens-- it really is just a straight sequel picking up from the end of the great gatsby (and even then it really reads like a fix-it fanfic, which in its defense, it is).i dont think the lack of a central conflict is what drags this book down, but the characterization. im sure other reviewers have said it before, but the way odasso treats the character of daisy buchanan is... unsavory.
daisy isn't my favorite character at all in the original book, but the way she was written here really just erases the tragic undertones of her characterization in the great gatsby, being essentially a trophy wife or someone to fight for and nothing else.
not to mention the lack of jordan baker is really disappointing. jordan could've been such a great character in a story like this but she's only mentioned in passing. we know next to nothing of what could've happened to her in the events following gatsby's death (or survival in this case).
i also feel that jay as a character also felt...dull, which is particularly odd as he's literally the great gatsby.
idk, i wanted so much to love this book but it really is just short and sweet, and something to read if you really wanted to see nick and jay get together and grow old together (+pam and the found family trope she adds to the fic, which is always welcome).
overall, i think it could've definitely been better, but it's a nice casual read if you don't wanna put too much thought into it.