A review by graciefl
All the Dirty Parts by Daniel Handler
4.0
my feelings about this book are definitely complicated and hard to articulate which i feel is in part the goal. i think i need more time to actually formulate my thoughts
9.18.17:
Now that I've had some time to think about it, I think my feelings about this book are a little more synthesized (but I'm not sure by how much). This book pushed some limits for me at first. It felt a bit challenging almost, and I think this was because so rarely do books present themselves or their central characters in this way. Very few books focused on young adults mention "the dirty parts" let alone only the dirty parts. Unlike some, I didn't feel particularly repulsed or horrified by Cole or his behavior; it was genuinely behavior I expected from a teen boy, just not necessarily expected to see in print. I think Daniel Handler does a really strong job encouraging the reader to think about what it's like to be a teen exposed to sexuality everywhere without any real conversations about it; the book sort of felt like it was asking you to think about Cole and the teenagers like him and compare it to your own teenhood. A friend mentioned seeing it as a "thought experiment" and I'm inclined to agree. It felt more like the encouragement to think than a novel, but that was also partially because I couldn't connect with Cole or other characters on a deep level and become emotionally invested like with other novels (but I don't think you need to to enjoy the book). Towards the end, there are moments that had me rooting for him slightly, and invested in his emotional wellbeing, but overall the book left me with more thoughts than feelings. The writing was spectacular as one would expect, just don't expect this book to hit you like other novels would.
9.18.17:
Now that I've had some time to think about it, I think my feelings about this book are a little more synthesized (but I'm not sure by how much). This book pushed some limits for me at first. It felt a bit challenging almost, and I think this was because so rarely do books present themselves or their central characters in this way. Very few books focused on young adults mention "the dirty parts" let alone only the dirty parts. Unlike some, I didn't feel particularly repulsed or horrified by Cole or his behavior; it was genuinely behavior I expected from a teen boy, just not necessarily expected to see in print. I think Daniel Handler does a really strong job encouraging the reader to think about what it's like to be a teen exposed to sexuality everywhere without any real conversations about it; the book sort of felt like it was asking you to think about Cole and the teenagers like him and compare it to your own teenhood. A friend mentioned seeing it as a "thought experiment" and I'm inclined to agree. It felt more like the encouragement to think than a novel, but that was also partially because I couldn't connect with Cole or other characters on a deep level and become emotionally invested like with other novels (but I don't think you need to to enjoy the book). Towards the end, there are moments that had me rooting for him slightly, and invested in his emotional wellbeing, but overall the book left me with more thoughts than feelings. The writing was spectacular as one would expect, just don't expect this book to hit you like other novels would.