A review by lillasparks
Either/Or, by Elif Batuman

funny inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

While having its fair share of funny moments and sarcastic quips, Either/Or doesn't quite reach The Idiot's level. I had a passionate love/hate relationship with The Idiot, but this book felt significantly more mellow. That's not a problem in an of itself — it's sophomore year after all — but I found the structure of this book repetitive, the number of characters to remember too large, and Selin's literary rambles taking up too many pages. Of course, Selin being stuck in a holding pattern with Ivan is a major part of the story, and accurately reflects people's inability to move on and let go of past relationships, but after a while, I just wasn't getting any new information. And I know this is a sequel, but it would have been nice to have a few reminders of who the other characters were. Lastly, I found the blurb to be misleading: it suggests a great portion of the story takes place in Turkey (just how half of The Idiot took place in Hungary), so I was surprised to find that only the three last chapters are set there. It's not a complaint, just an observation.

Of course, there's also a lot to love. Batuman's writing style never fails to make me laugh, and aside from her (intentional) pretentiousness, there's a lot about Selin that I could empathize with. (Not sure if that's a good thing). I especially appreciated the way
SpoilerSelin's first few experiences with sex
are narrated. I do wonder if we are going to get two more books in this series. While this one wasn't my favorite, I did enjoy it enough to want to read more.
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