gloomyheart's reviews
19 reviews

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark reflective fast-paced

1.0

boring plot. boring characters. i couldn't even make myself finish it. one of the most "tiktok-est" books i have read so far. i wasn't invested in one single part of it, i had to force myself to read through most of the chapters. Moreover, i would like to mention that the "skinny coquette" girls on tiktok have some of the most superficial taste in books (as is shown in this book). I had to stop myself from grimacing at most of the cringey "edginess" found in the characters.

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Mieko Kawakami has done it again, and I am once again in awe of her writing.

The book was yet another amazing read, and Kawakami has not failed to deliver.

The author of this fictional story explores the double standards women face in a society that holds unrealistic expectations of women.

Furthermore, this book also discusses what a woman's role in society ought to be when she does not comprehend modern-day social rules.

The character of Fuyuko is deeply affected by this uncertainty to an extreme extent. She does not know what role she plays in this world.

Fuyuko Irie, who is a 34 years old woman, is the main character in 'All the lovers in the night'. I found her to be a sad, lonely, and dare I even say, boring character with not much life outside of work.

Fuyuko works as a full-time proofreader, which involves reviewing books carefully to identify and correct errors. While discussing her career, she frequently mentions the fact that her work occupies nearly all of her time. This is a lonesome and isolating job, two characteristics that are clearly embodied by Fuyuko.

She has few friends, no hobbies and no interests. She sacrifices her own interests and curiosities for grammar and spelling rules at work, a rigidity that reflects her approach to life in general. It is evident at the outset of the book that Fuyuko is sad and vacant, which contributes greatly to the story's tone.

A neoliberal feminist woman named Hijiri is one of Fuyuko's few friends in the story. Hijiri is a very specific type of feminist that many would consider incorrect. This is the type of woman who has strong opinions about what a woman should or should not be, and is very vocal about them. Towards the middle of the novel, Hijiri has firmly established herself as one of Fuyuko's closest friends. She persuades her to leave her house for a drink. It was while they were out together that Fuyuko revealed to Hijiri that she does not drink.

Fuyuko appears to have developed an addiction to alcoholic drinks after this occurrence. She seems to have actually forced herself to conform to these expectations for drinking, regardless of whether she actually started liking alcohol or not.

The book explores this theme throughout, as the book highlights the societal expectations women face as well as the performances they put on in order to keep up with the expectations of others.

Fuyuko performs both professionally and socially.

The book then moves on to introduce us to the character of Mitsutsuka. They establish a friendship in which they meet every week to discuss many of their interests. Among these is light.

This is another recurring theme that is discussed extensively throughout the book 'All the lovers in the night'. It is that sort of cleverness that Mieko Kawakami adds to her books that gives a certain depth to the story.

Previously, Fuyuko discussed her strong interest in light. In fact, she takes a walk once a year on her birthday to see the Christmas lights. Her annual walk provides her with a sense of calm every year. And once she met Mitsutsuka, he revealed that he was actually a professor of physics and was extremely interested in light as well. This brings in another theme within the book, the theme of hope.

These brief interludes of light and hope may appear difficult to grasp at first, but they add another level of enjoyment to the reading experience. Mieko Kawakami is a gifted writer who knows how to make reading experiences stand out to readers.

It is this association with light and hope that tells us how much hope Mitsutsuka brought to Fuyuko, how he made her feel normal and how he made her feel like a part of society.

Mieko Kawakami does not write books for fictional stories and entertainment purposes.

She does not write books with dramatic endings or unimaginable plots. She writes philosophical, intense literary novels that have profound meanings.

Content Warnings

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

God. I am scarred from reading this book. Although, I must admit I am not completely sure if it is in a good or bad way.

I would like to begin this review by discussing what the book is actually about. "Tell me I'm Worthless" is an in-depth, dark, and punk book. This is a very radical work of fiction that deals with the subject of fascism in the United Kingdom. The book depicts the current state of British society and the fascist mindset that dominates many citizens.

From the very first chapter of "tell me I am worthless," we learn that Alice is the primary viewpoint. As a character, Alice comes across as a very paranoid, mentally ill person. The poster of a famous singer is affixed to her wall and she feels that it haunts her. It is a poster of a man who is considered to be racist and hated by many. When analysing this situation, one is led to the conclusion that Alice isn't actually being haunted by a ghost. Instead, she is being haunted by the current mindset of British society. It is as if racist fascists have taken the form of a poster in Alice's mind and she is being terrorised by it. We are introduced to a new character shortly afterwards, Ila. Ila is later revealed to be a TERF involved in politics. She can already be seen in the first scene walking through a protest in order to enter a building as people insult her from all sides. We discover that there was a time when Ila and Alice were best friends. We even learned that Ila used to be Alice's lover but shortly after this we learn what led to their breakup during a meeting taking place in the building she was walking to.

In just the first chapter, the reader is kept informed of the occurrence of a mysterious dark house. This house plays an extremely significant role in the story, influencing the thoughts of both women.

The house and all the evilness the book portrays it as takes a surprising turn when it is discovered that the house calls itself Albion. The house asserts that it has its own unique opinions, it even describes its viewpoints concerning many issues in the UK. Reading this absolutely shocked me in ways I cannot explain. For many who aren’t aware, the original name of Great Britain was Albion.

And in the story, it appears that all of Ila's and Alice's problems stem from the House, Albion. All their fears, all their struggles, they all seem to lead back to a creaky old house situated in an unknown location.

It is only once Alice and Ila enter The House, that they become paranoid dangerous people. It is only once they enter The House that their lives turn completely wrong in every way. Albion has this effect on people. Britain has this effect on people.

As a writer, Rumfitt excels at making her readers feel uncomfortable when they see her descriptions and scenes about the house. Her ominous and sinister writing style leaves an impact.
It is important to note that "Tell me I'm Worthless" is not just a political novel, it is a disquieting and shocking novel that will leave readers' hair standing on end.

Rumfitt does a marvellous job at both showing the horrors of fiction and the horrors of modern day Britain. At times, I could not believe what I was reading.

I am in awe of this book and it has definitely left a lasting impression on me. While I am not capable of recommending this book to anyone due to the number of triggers it contains, I do believe that this dark, horrifying book is most appropriate for a specific type of reader.

Those who enjoy the tension and terror of a thriller as well as those who are upset by a country's state of politics will find this book completely captivating, just as I did.

Content Warnings

Heaven No Hell by Michael DeForge

Go to review page

adventurous challenging funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I think I have a very conflicting, bordering on love-hate relationship with this book. Having just finished it, I wish to explore and decode the small or large points in this book that have impacted me.

To begin this review, I would like to emphasise how talented the translators are as writers. Both of them have the ability to portray agitated, confusing scenes with such ease and lightness.

Reading many of the reviews for this book, a lot people have given it three stars because they "don't get it". Truth to be told, I can't hold this against them. The writing is beautiful, but the topics at hand are both complex and dark. Classically 'fun' reading is not the point of this book. It reveals the complex and devastating truth about bullying and teenage sadness. It is interesting to note that even the order of the book reveals a raw portrayal of life, as the first page is already a letter from Kojima asking the narrator to be his friend. Then we witnessed him being bullied and met his family. The order is messy. It is a reflection of real life. We learn things about people who are being bullied in real life in a more complicated and messy way than in a straight-line. We gradually unravel the meaning and all the little signs we see at the beginning as the bullying proceeds. It almost resembled a puzzle as it progressed. There is almost an impression that the book isn't fiction, the reader feels as if they are reading a true story. It is often the case that we do not meet a person's parents or see them being bullied when we first meet them in real life. In the beginning, we may simply observe them to be a bit awkward or with a friend. In this book, the chaos and unexpectedness that are found in everyday life are prominently depicted.

The book also succeeds in exploring the nature of bullying. To avoid spoilers, I will not go into too much detail, but I found the way that Mieko Kawakami approached these themes to be quite striking. The book is more philosophical than entertaining in nature.

That said, my love for this book was not pure unbiasedness as many of the scenes being portrayed hit very close to home, and Kojima in particular eerily resembled my girlfriend.

And whilst the book depicted the horrors of bullying and sadness well, there were moments that seemed a bit unrealistic. How is it that throughout the entire book, the teachers never once noticed anorexic, depressed or bullied students? Or even the parents, they never once thought that something might be off?

One final complaint I would like to make about this book is the fact that I found the ending quite disappointing. The book is in my opinion near perfect from a philosophical standpoint, but as a reader who is looking for entertainment, I found it to be somewhat disappointing and actually a bit flat. Although there was much anticipation for what would happen at the end, I found that it was a rather dull experience. While I understand the book's intent to reflect society and life, as a reader, I expected that there would be some excitement at the end.

Content Warnings

from this flame by oumi konomi

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I found this manga exceptionally beautiful. Despite being a bit brief, I enjoyed the art of the manga and the style of each character being presented. It may appear to be simple or even a boring read at first glance, however, upon rifling through the pages one comes to realise the deep level of significance behind each stories that are presented. In the case of the story "mirror on the wall" Oumi later reveals the reason behind this chapter; she was experiencing traumatic flashbacks during the time when she wrote this story. It is almost as if the reader is a detective assigned to find out what is hidden among the tiny details Oumi had drawn on the pages. All along these short series of stories, I was searching for a personal meaning to each one and ways to relate to all the tiny symbols that were drawn and handed out. I had a very positive experience with this book and has been one of my favourite "simple" manga read so far.

Content Warnings