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A review by jonezeemcgee
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
4.0
3.75
I know reading "The Talented Mr. Ripley" retellings can be tiresome for some. They recirculate almost as frequently as Beauty and the Beast retellings it seems (another guilty pleasure. But I happen to love them if they are done well. I think this particular one was one of those.
Social Creature is written against the backdrop of New York City, and among the hard and strange partying of its Manhattan socialites. The kind of grime you can usually pay to make not look as dirty as it is. Drugs in that scene are as much accessories as Balenciaga bags. These drugs are somehow more chic than the exact same drugs done by someone on skid row, because its who is doing them that counts. Everyone is full of shit, but their Instagram feeds are peppered with the right contacts, the trendiest destinations and the hottest clubs.
As you can probably guess, the characters aren't likable. However, they are still fairly well written (even if slightly one note). Their growth or destruction lays in the acts they commit or the details they hide well, even a little from the reader. I frankly, loved to hate them. The stories pacing was slow at first, but picked up so quickly after the first 90 pages that I had a hard time putting it down. I think Burton did a great job retelling an old story.
I know reading "The Talented Mr. Ripley" retellings can be tiresome for some. They recirculate almost as frequently as Beauty and the Beast retellings it seems (another guilty pleasure. But I happen to love them if they are done well. I think this particular one was one of those.
Social Creature is written against the backdrop of New York City, and among the hard and strange partying of its Manhattan socialites. The kind of grime you can usually pay to make not look as dirty as it is. Drugs in that scene are as much accessories as Balenciaga bags. These drugs are somehow more chic than the exact same drugs done by someone on skid row, because its who is doing them that counts. Everyone is full of shit, but their Instagram feeds are peppered with the right contacts, the trendiest destinations and the hottest clubs.
As you can probably guess, the characters aren't likable. However, they are still fairly well written (even if slightly one note). Their growth or destruction lays in the acts they commit or the details they hide well, even a little from the reader. I frankly, loved to hate them. The stories pacing was slow at first, but picked up so quickly after the first 90 pages that I had a hard time putting it down. I think Burton did a great job retelling an old story.