A review by babcha
Either/Or by Elif Batuman

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

4.75

I love it, as a Turkish American college girl myself I was very drawn to the heroine. A big conflict that Selin grapples with is her relationship to sex and boys.
Spoiler I feel like there is no real satisfying answer to this dilemma but her character develops nonetheless, and the questions that appear toward the end of the story just show she is still growing. The climax being a sex scene makes sense since that is a big part of the thoughts she’s having and struggling with.


 Selin is a smart lady and her inner monologue draws me in with new words and different opinions. I wrote a whole google doc about this book , something I have never done before. What a great book to read after my reading slump. 
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