A review by crispymerola
To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Such an eccentric book. Surprisingly readable and engaging despite how little occurs. Nice elegance in the way character traits relate to the conflict at hand - our protag loves the ever underdog Red Sox, which foreshadows his falling into obsession with the conspiracy that he belongs to a secretly persecuted ethnoreligious group called the Ulm.
Really dug the dentist backdrop. I do wish we had more theme and variation with our core character, as little surprised me throughout the story except for how much Joshua was willing to leave unexplored by the end.
Was very funny to read this book in 2023, in many respects the book came out in this awkward interim where smartphones had just started to impact modern life - the protag rants and raves against "me machines", I wonder how he'd feel about the algo-driven social media of today. In fact, much of the online impersonator conflict in the 2011-based story feels tepid compared to how it might play out now.
Really dug the dentist backdrop. I do wish we had more theme and variation with our core character, as little surprised me throughout the story except for how much Joshua was willing to leave unexplored by the end.
Was very funny to read this book in 2023, in many respects the book came out in this awkward interim where smartphones had just started to impact modern life - the protag rants and raves against "me machines", I wonder how he'd feel about the algo-driven social media of today. In fact, much of the online impersonator conflict in the 2011-based story feels tepid compared to how it might play out now.