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dumbidiotenergy's reviews
114 reviews
Wednesday's Child by Yiyun Li
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
every story is just pages and pages of exposition and then a short actual scene that has minimal emotional impact
We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice by adrienne maree brown
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
hamilton reference
Bunny by Mona Awad
the entire thing was kind of aloof and that attitude dulled some of the more evocative moments but overall it was a good read and pretty compelling
Females by Andrea Long Chu
to be human, says Long Chu, is to be female—to give up parts of oneself for the sake of others, to surrender oneself to others' narcissism, and to be fucked. using Valerie Solanas' SCUM Manifesto and play Up Your Ass as springboards, Long Chu pounces on gender and sexuality like a panther. Long Chu unrelentingly asserts her claim that everyone is female, and everyone hates it—and that the mere concepts of gender, misogyny, and feminism are all fundamentally contradictions of themselves.
this book is certainly provocative, and it had a unique outlook on desire and gender, but it lacked a bit in its delivery. there are a lot of excellent ideas here, and i was hungry for them, but was never made full. as with all of Long Chu’s work, i have come out of it significantly changed; though in what way, i am presently unsure. i understand, largely, what she is trying to say, and i think i agree; but there is something missing here, something bigger that is not breached.
i expect i’ll return to my dog-eared pages and maybe someday i will find a true revelation in these theses—but for now i am sated with a plethora of Long Chu’s (slightly half-formed, or at least slightly unconvincing, yet still challenging and worthwhile) ideas swimming in my head, waiting for something to put them into focus.
this book is certainly provocative, and it had a unique outlook on desire and gender, but it lacked a bit in its delivery. there are a lot of excellent ideas here, and i was hungry for them, but was never made full. as with all of Long Chu’s work, i have come out of it significantly changed; though in what way, i am presently unsure. i understand, largely, what she is trying to say, and i think i agree; but there is something missing here, something bigger that is not breached.
i expect i’ll return to my dog-eared pages and maybe someday i will find a true revelation in these theses—but for now i am sated with a plethora of Long Chu’s (slightly half-formed, or at least slightly unconvincing, yet still challenging and worthwhile) ideas swimming in my head, waiting for something to put them into focus.
Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us by Rachel Aviv
what does it mean to be mentally ill in a world obsessed with narratives, in a society that has to label what they perceive as aberrant forces? heartbreakingly, one’s identity can become muddied and lost forever.
Aviv guides her reader through a masterful exploration of the world of psychiatry and the human obsession with ascribing story-like narratives to life experiences for the sake of clarity. whether it is the mentally ill person themselves who creates a divine fable out of their own life, or a psychiatrist who weaves a tale of mental disorders strung along by a compounding spiral of medications, Aviv presents multiple fascinating accounts of people becoming strangers to themselves through their struggles with mental illness.
i myself am coming away from this book with a new outlook on mental health care and stigma. i have always been intrigued by the pathologization of certain behaviors as mental disorders and have been wanting to read something like this for a while. the insight Aviv provides is revelatory.
Aviv guides her reader through a masterful exploration of the world of psychiatry and the human obsession with ascribing story-like narratives to life experiences for the sake of clarity. whether it is the mentally ill person themselves who creates a divine fable out of their own life, or a psychiatrist who weaves a tale of mental disorders strung along by a compounding spiral of medications, Aviv presents multiple fascinating accounts of people becoming strangers to themselves through their struggles with mental illness.
i myself am coming away from this book with a new outlook on mental health care and stigma. i have always been intrigued by the pathologization of certain behaviors as mental disorders and have been wanting to read something like this for a while. the insight Aviv provides is revelatory.
Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
Pygmy is a test of resilience. Palahniuk manufactures Pygmy’s pidgin to be jarring, sputtering, and sometimes incomprehensible in a way that made reading the novel arduous and, at times, slightly boring. Pygmy follows a formula: dull moments heightened by the experimental language (a tactic which sometimes feels trite), shocking moments of blood or gore or other depravity, thrilling moments of nail-biting suspense, and then the cycle repeats.
i cannot condemn this novel. overall i found it intriguing, and Palahniuk is exceptional at making his readers squirm. yet i also cannot exalt this novel. it felt, particularly at the end, like a chore i needed to complete. the plot itself was surreal and exciting, and yet the way Palahniuk approached it felt slightly inadequate. i had, by the middle of the novel, gotten used to the strange pidgin—but it was not nearly as engaging of a literary device as, say, A Clockwork Orange’s languagescape.
Pygmy is okay. that’s all, i guess.
i cannot condemn this novel. overall i found it intriguing, and Palahniuk is exceptional at making his readers squirm. yet i also cannot exalt this novel. it felt, particularly at the end, like a chore i needed to complete. the plot itself was surreal and exciting, and yet the way Palahniuk approached it felt slightly inadequate. i had, by the middle of the novel, gotten used to the strange pidgin—but it was not nearly as engaging of a literary device as, say, A Clockwork Orange’s languagescape.
Pygmy is okay. that’s all, i guess.
Trans Girl Suicide Museum by Hannah Baer
life has been crazy rn and this was the perfect book to read as i’m dealing with it.
trans girl suicide museum by hannah baer is an unapologetic whirlwind of opinions, ideologies, and reflections that leaves the world in kaleidoscopic pieces. through the power of friendship and ketamine, baer contextualizes herself and her transness in a society and culture that constantly works against trans people. she does so unconventionally and conversationally, and the book feels like baer is a dear friend confiding in you about her life experiences. and while that can often feel like a caress, sometimes it feels like a splash of cold water.
trans girl suicide museum by hannah baer is an unapologetic whirlwind of opinions, ideologies, and reflections that leaves the world in kaleidoscopic pieces. through the power of friendship and ketamine, baer contextualizes herself and her transness in a society and culture that constantly works against trans people. she does so unconventionally and conversationally, and the book feels like baer is a dear friend confiding in you about her life experiences. and while that can often feel like a caress, sometimes it feels like a splash of cold water.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
i was excited to read this because i’ve heard so much praise of Tartt’s work, and i think it’s warranted—she is an incredible writer. her prose is oracular and all-encompassing (which may be why this novel spans 800 pages). The Secret History has skyrocketed to the top of my tbr.
what’s particularly stunning about The Goldfinch is its ability to weave the narrative through, essentially, Theo’s entire life up until the book’s conclusion. it reminds me of A Little Life—or maybe A Little Life reminds me of this?—in that Tartt spares nothing. this novel exists in multiple dimensions at once, each character and plot point layered with complexities. when reading, we are Theo; Theo is us.
(analysis)
Theo’s problem, i think, is not that he is intentionally callous or uncommunicative—it is that the permanence of the painting, of The Goldfinch, outweighs the fleetingness of life around him. his human obsessions and relationships and conflicts take a backseat, and i think it’s an interesting exercise to think of why that is. his mother is dead, his friends change with the seasons; what other reason would he need to instead depend on something material, inorganic? something that cannot willingly leave him, something that will outlast him?
what’s particularly stunning about The Goldfinch is its ability to weave the narrative through, essentially, Theo’s entire life up until the book’s conclusion. it reminds me of A Little Life—or maybe A Little Life reminds me of this?—in that Tartt spares nothing. this novel exists in multiple dimensions at once, each character and plot point layered with complexities. when reading, we are Theo; Theo is us.
(analysis)
Theo’s problem, i think, is not that he is intentionally callous or uncommunicative—it is that the permanence of the painting, of The Goldfinch, outweighs the fleetingness of life around him. his human obsessions and relationships and conflicts take a backseat, and i think it’s an interesting exercise to think of why that is. his mother is dead, his friends change with the seasons; what other reason would he need to instead depend on something material, inorganic? something that cannot willingly leave him, something that will outlast him?
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
ignoring the ridiculous names, the vague “explanations” of magic, and the sometimes nonsensical schemes of the main characters, this was a pretty solid book. Blake obviously set out to create complex, multifaceted characters that the reader hates but grows to love. i think she succeeded, but only partly— by the book’s end, the characters are intriguing but not redeemed, which is an excellent way to get me to read the next book in the series (which i’ve just placed a hold on at my local library for).
i don’t want to dedicate that much brainpower to this review, because this book was just sort of… middle-of-the-road. enjoyable, and at times un-put-down-able, yet at other times my eyes rolled so hard i thought they’d pop out. the characters are much, much more engaging than the plot— and for that reason, because i *want* to see more of the titular Atlas Six, i will continue with the series.
i don’t want to dedicate that much brainpower to this review, because this book was just sort of… middle-of-the-road. enjoyable, and at times un-put-down-able, yet at other times my eyes rolled so hard i thought they’d pop out. the characters are much, much more engaging than the plot— and for that reason, because i *want* to see more of the titular Atlas Six, i will continue with the series.
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
a success in characterization, though this is less impressive than its predecessor; a failure in plot and pacing, though this book does have one or two exhilarating moments.
The Atlas Paradox lacks conviction and ambition. there are so many unnecessary threads that hang loosely from its bodice, never actually leading anywhere but leaving the reader grasping at them for relevance. there was so much potential in the setup for this book, so many developments that could have been come to a head but did not. it is truly disappointing.
that being said i will read the next book, because to leave this series unfinished feels wrong. but i am not impressed.
The Atlas Paradox lacks conviction and ambition. there are so many unnecessary threads that hang loosely from its bodice, never actually leading anywhere but leaving the reader grasping at them for relevance. there was so much potential in the setup for this book, so many developments that could have been come to a head but did not. it is truly disappointing.
that being said i will read the next book, because to leave this series unfinished feels wrong. but i am not impressed.