Scan barcode
A review by wonderlake
I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 69%.
I bought this as a Kindle 0.99p deal after the Womens Prize for Fiction 2023 Longlist was announced.
Initially I was drawn in - talk of 'the woman I am obsessed with' resonated somewhat as doesn't social media (seemingly?) break down barriers between posters/"influencers" as they share glimpses of their lives with us plebs and we imagine a connection that isn't really there if we can only afford to purchase the same $300 vase they have...
Our narator is also involved with 'the man I want to be with' although in what terms this is quite unclear as he is already married and already having affair #1 with 'the woman I am obsessed with'. It is readily apparent that he is a narcissist / red flag central, so in some ways one can sympathise with the narrator for being drawn into his orbit as this is what narcs thrive at - they belive they are so special and thus by extension you are special if they choose to associate with you.
We learn that the narrator is also a cheat - she has a boyfriend. At first I thought oh well, maybe he's a crummy boyfriend so that she has to seek excitement/fulfilment elsewhere. The narrative is told in a choppy vignette style so we're never really sure of the status of the relationship between the narrator and her boyfriend but for me I was not able to continue reading after she decribes first being emotionally and then physically abusive towards him: "And I don't mean Hollywood lady smacks...I belt him with my open hands " p144 Kindle
Put me in mind of 'Luster' by Raven Leilani - "messy" young women of colour thirsty for white married cock.
Initially I was drawn in - talk of 'the woman I am obsessed with' resonated somewhat as doesn't social media (seemingly?) break down barriers between posters/"influencers" as they share glimpses of their lives with us plebs and we imagine a connection that isn't really there if we can only afford to purchase the same $300 vase they have...
Our narator is also involved with 'the man I want to be with' although in what terms this is quite unclear as he is already married and already having affair #1 with 'the woman I am obsessed with'. It is readily apparent that he is a narcissist / red flag central, so in some ways one can sympathise with the narrator for being drawn into his orbit as this is what narcs thrive at - they belive they are so special and thus by extension you are special if they choose to associate with you.
We learn that the narrator is also a cheat - she has a boyfriend. At first I thought oh well, maybe he's a crummy boyfriend so that she has to seek excitement/fulfilment elsewhere. The narrative is told in a choppy vignette style so we're never really sure of the status of the relationship between the narrator and her boyfriend but for me I was not able to continue reading after she decribes first being emotionally and then physically abusive towards him: "And I don't mean Hollywood lady smacks...I belt him with my open hands " p144 Kindle
Put me in mind of 'Luster' by Raven Leilani - "messy" young women of colour thirsty for white married cock.