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A review by loxeletters
The Men by Sandra Newman
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I got this book for Christmas, and just now got around to reading it. While checking the trigger warnings, I was surprised to find the very low ratings this book has received both here and on Goodreads. Still, I wanted to go in with an open mind.
This must have worked, because I really enjoyed the book. I found the writing style great and I loved the flawed characters and their complicated relationships. Since I had taken a brief look over the reviews before reading, I was steeling myself for some horrible ending, but this never materialised. Maybe also because my expectations were so low, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I understand why some people may have issues with it and find it frustrating, but for me this was not the case at all. As with many literary fiction books, the ending isn't all clear-cut, but rather leaves room for the reader to answer the open questions for themselves. For me, that concept works quite well.
Regarding the many accusations of transphobia, I found that while I can see where these people are coming from, I don't really agree with it. The debate whether there are two sexes and whether sex and gender are separate or the same is a complicated one, and I'm not going into it here. But if all people with a Y chromosome were to disappear, this would also include most if not all trans women and amab non-binary people. What is a bit tricky is the idea that men are responsible for most or all evil in the world, and then lumping trans women in with them. Still, I found that the book addressed this issue, if not very in-depth, and since it wasn't the main focus of the book to what degree the disappearance was moral, I personally don't expect more than what was done. In fact, I was surprised by how far the author actually addressed the issue.
One criticism I shared was that the side characters introduced early in the book felt quite flat once they were interacting in the end. Also, I would have liked to see a more global perspective of how the world dealt with the disappearance, which was unfortunately only mentioned two or three times.
Overall, however, I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it.
This must have worked, because I really enjoyed the book. I found the writing style great and I loved the flawed characters and their complicated relationships. Since I had taken a brief look over the reviews before reading, I was steeling myself for some horrible ending, but this never materialised. Maybe also because my expectations were so low, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I understand why some people may have issues with it and find it frustrating, but for me this was not the case at all. As with many literary fiction books, the ending isn't all clear-cut, but rather leaves room for the reader to answer the open questions for themselves. For me, that concept works quite well.
Regarding the many accusations of transphobia, I found that while I can see where these people are coming from, I don't really agree with it. The debate whether there are two sexes and whether sex and gender are separate or the same is a complicated one, and I'm not going into it here. But if all people with a Y chromosome were to disappear, this would also include most if not all trans women and amab non-binary people. What is a bit tricky is the idea that
One criticism I shared was that the side characters introduced early in the book felt quite flat once they were interacting in the end. Also, I would have liked to see a more global perspective of how the world dealt with the disappearance, which was unfortunately only mentioned two or three times.
Overall, however, I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape