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A review by megatsunami
Zazen by Vanessa Veselka
3.0
I feel weird giving this book the same number of stars as "The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder" because there's an obvious difference in literary quality; but that doesn't necessarily translate into a difference in how much I enjoy a book.
Things I liked: The people felt like real people that I might actually know. I liked the subcultural (punk, vegan, goth, lefty, etc.) atmosphere which felt familiar to me. In some ways I resonated with the concerns of the (somewhat mentally unstable) main character, the sense that action feels meaninglessness in the face of violence and social/ economic injustice.
Things I didn't like: Too nihilistic. At times, the book worked a little too hard at being deep and poetic. I found myself reading quickly because I kind of wanted to get to the hopeful part (I was hoping the end would be hopeful, which it kind of was) rather than enjoying the story.
Things I liked: The people felt like real people that I might actually know. I liked the subcultural (punk, vegan, goth, lefty, etc.) atmosphere which felt familiar to me. In some ways I resonated with the concerns of the (somewhat mentally unstable) main character, the sense that action feels meaninglessness in the face of violence and social/ economic injustice.
Things I didn't like: Too nihilistic. At times, the book worked a little too hard at being deep and poetic. I found myself reading quickly because I kind of wanted to get to the hopeful part (I was hoping the end would be hopeful, which it kind of was) rather than enjoying the story.