Initially fascinating and fast paced, veered into intense Mary-Sue fiction where every character the protagonist comes into contact with finds her irrInitially fascinating and fast paced, veered into intense Mary-Sue fiction where every character the protagonist comes into contact with finds her irresistible and alluring and promptly falls in love with her. An interesting thought experiment occurs at the end (where a love interest becomes more interesting than the protagonist by far) but she's again waylaid by plot and we're stuck with something both simpler and weaker....more
Deitch is a very good writer who tells a story about failed potential and stifled ambition with the cool eye of someone who's seen and done it all. WhDeitch is a very good writer who tells a story about failed potential and stifled ambition with the cool eye of someone who's seen and done it all. What exactly are we meant to believe about the myth of the gifted kid? What purpose does it serve? An interesting thread to pull, but the middle of this was a little meandering as the protagonist embarked on her journey across the country (twice). Reiterating that Deitch is a great writer! This could have been 75 pages shorter and would have been better for it. ...more
Perfect and chilling. Explores desire- for transformation, for the self, for others- both clinically and intimately, painting portraits of characters Perfect and chilling. Explores desire- for transformation, for the self, for others- both clinically and intimately, painting portraits of characters warped by their longing. I'll be thinking about "The Chaser" for a long time. ...more
Intellectually stimulating, energetic, and introspective. Wu takes a delicate scalpel to his memories, interests, and pop culture fascinations and wriIntellectually stimulating, energetic, and introspective. Wu takes a delicate scalpel to his memories, interests, and pop culture fascinations and writes about them elegantly. The curator/art appreciator's perspective gives this a fascinating level of remove, and the chapter connecting being Asian in Berlin, clubbing, and the history of an Asian designer was brilliant.
I recommend for those of us who love to intellectualize our interests, The Sims fans, and those who straddle the line between deep thinker and party-er (some great writing about clubbing and going out!)....more
A masterpiece. Truly transporting, gorgeous, somber writing about what it means to make choices, build community, fall in love, exist, and matter (in A masterpiece. Truly transporting, gorgeous, somber writing about what it means to make choices, build community, fall in love, exist, and matter (in both senses of the word). Both devastated me and warmed my heart in equal measure. I'll be thinking about this one for the next few years, and the chapter about fracturing and the weight we put on the women in our lives will haunt anyone who reads it.
A jagged masterpiece- different from what I expected, but expertly skewers the social norms of liberal New Yorkers in the fifties (how little has(3.5)
A jagged masterpiece- different from what I expected, but expertly skewers the social norms of liberal New Yorkers in the fifties (how little has changed!!) and challenges our conceptions of race, gender, sexuality, and decency. Messy in a way I didn't expect but craved. Beautiful, intense prose. Baldwin is a genius....more
I really liked this. Propulsive, queer, messy, sweaty, beautifully written, exploring deep humanity and longing across a kaleidoscope of different chaI really liked this. Propulsive, queer, messy, sweaty, beautifully written, exploring deep humanity and longing across a kaleidoscope of different characters. Obsessed with the whale as a metaphor.
My only issue is that the main gay male character is boyfriend-pilled (obsessed with a man, stalking a man, every thought and desire is about this one guy) and his ending felt a little precious, twee to the point of parody. Everything else was fantastic....more
A fascinating travelogue about a gay man finding himself in Berlin, I really enjoyed the quiet introspection of the protagonist. I expected partying aA fascinating travelogue about a gay man finding himself in Berlin, I really enjoyed the quiet introspection of the protagonist. I expected partying and queer debauchery but instead I got a very adult novel about a man at a crossroads, desperate for connection and yearning for meaning. I love reading about people in their late thirties trying to make sense of the lives they've built for themselves. I also just really want to go to Berlin now.
Dialogue heavy but the last half (once the characters gel) really worked for me. I wish we had gotten more of the mc's mother as well....more
(4.5) I loved this. A triptych framed by car accidents, this book explores the thorny relationship between two blue collar boys in New Hampshire and th(4.5) I loved this. A triptych framed by car accidents, this book explores the thorny relationship between two blue collar boys in New Hampshire and the scars that reverberate for the next decade. I loved the look at messy, sloppy, toxic masculinity- it was fascinating reading about men who were unlike any I'd encountered before, especially in queer books. I also loved that they partied, so TW for drinking/drugs- so many books gloss over this (very real!) part of the queer experience/NY experience/metal show experience and I was happy to see the characters revel in their grittiness. Overall, an incredible debut. Dialogue heavy and laser focused on the weight of being a man trapped by the things men cannot say, but I ate it up. Unlike my usual reads but I really resonated with the writing. ...more
Intense, potent, vivid, dark. I will say I expected slightly more k*nk based on all the press around the book, but I was still surprised by the descenIntense, potent, vivid, dark. I will say I expected slightly more k*nk based on all the press around the book, but I was still surprised by the descent into sexual intensity that we got. The last ~50 pages of this took my breath away....more
Relatable, queer, strong beating heart and amazing cast of characters. My issues were mainly with the fact that it felt like a script- at least 60% ofRelatable, queer, strong beating heart and amazing cast of characters. My issues were mainly with the fact that it felt like a script- at least 60% of this book is dialogue- and the fawning love scenes. Recommend for those who crave messy bisexual representation! ...more
"There was nothing to changing your life, it turned out. You just put a toe in and fell."
Tender, fully realized, beautiful. Copley Eisenberg creates "There was nothing to changing your life, it turned out. You just put a toe in and fell."
Tender, fully realized, beautiful. Copley Eisenberg creates a pair of wondrous characters that leap off the page, and so many sentences and passages completely took my breath away. I love love love Bernie and Leah and the depiction and focus on the intensity of their artmaking made me rethink so much of my own practice.
I loved this book and am so honored to have read it early. Will be shouting this out as the queer book of the summer on TikTok. Thank you to ECE for sending me an early copy, knowing that it would move me. What a talent....more
Gorgeous, lyrical, haunting. Larson writes with intensity and humanity about the connection between his queerness and Halloween (1978), alongside the Gorgeous, lyrical, haunting. Larson writes with intensity and humanity about the connection between his queerness and Halloween (1978), alongside the death of his father and the murder of a classmate one summer. I can't emphasize enough how beautifully written this book is: every sentence, every beat, every pause is precisely chosen and packs a devastating punch.
A must read for people who study media, queer folx, people who have a special connection to horror movies, and people who love *good* writing....more
Gutted me. An intense little novel about mental illness, dysfunctional family relationships, queer dating, and coming into one's own as a flawed humanGutted me. An intense little novel about mental illness, dysfunctional family relationships, queer dating, and coming into one's own as a flawed human being: the push-pull of trying to change while realizing that who you are is who you are. Some of the passages in this are haunting and so fully realized I wanted to give myself a wellness check after reading them....more
This novel moved me- an instant classic, an instant favorite. Transforms the campus novel into something richer, darker, sensuous and intense. AngressThis novel moved me- an instant classic, an instant favorite. Transforms the campus novel into something richer, darker, sensuous and intense. Angress created indelible characters that will live with me forever. Focusing on themes of ambition, money, ego, creation, and love, and centering the process of creating art, Angress tackles questions that haunt every artist and refuses to answer them, painting a vivid portrait of an art world- and our world- in crisis. Love, love, loved this book....more
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