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A review by earsore
Crash by J.G. Ballard
challenging
dark
slow-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? It's complicated
1.25
zzz... chromium... zzz... semen... zzz... Elizabeth Taylor...
An absolute waste of time on all fronts. Ballard was so hellbent on trying to be shocking that the entire purpose of the story falls utterly flat. The characters are so two-dimensional that you don't give too much of a shit when they go crazy, because they had no personalities and no reason to be invested in. There were a few parts I felt engaged, despite the utterly detatched tone of our narrator: I chuckled 2 times, and I felt disgust at about 3-4 sections of visceral accident descriptions (mostly near the end). Other than that, the prose was so abhorrently repetitive that it was putting me to sleep more than it was shocking me.
And I don't see his whole allegory for technology taking over human excitement/lust. My man, it was the 70s, your only frame of reference was cars!!! It does not feel clear at all, no matter how true it is today. It's poorly executed on all fronts and a shocking letdown compared to High-Rise.
An absolute waste of time on all fronts. Ballard was so hellbent on trying to be shocking that the entire purpose of the story falls utterly flat. The characters are so two-dimensional that you don't give too much of a shit when they go crazy, because they had no personalities and no reason to be invested in. There were a few parts I felt engaged, despite the utterly detatched tone of our narrator: I chuckled 2 times, and I felt disgust at about 3-4 sections of visceral accident descriptions (mostly near the end). Other than that, the prose was so abhorrently repetitive that it was putting me to sleep more than it was shocking me.
And I don't see his whole allegory for technology taking over human excitement/lust. My man, it was the 70s, your only frame of reference was cars!!! It does not feel clear at all, no matter how true it is today. It's poorly executed on all fronts and a shocking letdown compared to High-Rise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Car accident
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Pedophilia, Excrement, Vomit, and Stalking