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A review by jerikajoy
The Shark-Infested Custard by Charles Willeford
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
This is not a book written for women. Or for people who like women.
It was dark and mean, kind of graphic (in terms of violence and sex), and pretty matter of fact about it all. While reading this book it was helpful to remember that it was written in the 1970s which gave contact to some of the references as well as some of the language. It was a really unpleasant story to read. I also was not impressed with the writing- the number of typos, run on sentences, and weird syntax that I had to reread to understand should embarrass the publisher and editor (if there even was one) of this book.
In spite of all that, I finished the whole book. It was weirdly compelling. I read the first couple chapters, decided I hated it and wouldn't finish it but then I kept picking it back up.
I read the entire book expecting a turn off some explanation of why the characters where such awful people-it never came, that's just how they are. I kept wondering if the whole book was supposed to be a honorless satire or hyperbolic commentary on the awfullness of humanity; but when I tried to look it up, all I could find were articles and reviews of what a great writer the author is supposed to be and "reviews"of the book that really were just summaries. I can't tell if the author hated women or had an awful perception of human behavior and motivations or just wanted to write a really dark story with an awful cast of characters.
It was dark and mean, kind of graphic (in terms of violence and sex), and pretty matter of fact about it all. While reading this book it was helpful to remember that it was written in the 1970s which gave contact to some of the references as well as some of the language. It was a really unpleasant story to read. I also was not impressed with the writing- the number of typos, run on sentences, and weird syntax that I had to reread to understand should embarrass the publisher and editor (if there even was one) of this book.
In spite of all that, I finished the whole book. It was weirdly compelling. I read the first couple chapters, decided I hated it and wouldn't finish it but then I kept picking it back up.
I read the entire book expecting a turn off some explanation of why the characters where such awful people-it never came, that's just how they are. I kept wondering if the whole book was supposed to be a honorless satire or hyperbolic commentary on the awfullness of humanity; but when I tried to look it up, all I could find were articles and reviews of what a great writer the author is supposed to be and "reviews"of the book that really were just summaries. I can't tell if the author hated women or had an awful perception of human behavior and motivations or just wanted to write a really dark story with an awful cast of characters.