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Overthrow
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
16 posts | 8 read | 4 to read
A deeply humane novel that explores the fate of candor, good will, and the utopian spirit in a world where technology and surveillance are weaponizing human relationships One autumn night, as a grad student named Matthew is walking home from the subway, a handsome skateboarder catches his eye. Leif, mesmerizing and enigmatic, invites Matthew to meet his friends, who are experimenting with tarot cards. It's easier to know what's in other people's minds than most people realize, the friends claim. Do they believe in telepathy? Can they actually do it? Though Matthew should be writing his dissertation on the poetry of kingship, he soon finds himself falling in love with Leif--a poet of the internet age--and entangled with Leif's group as they visit the Occupy movement's encampment across the river, where they hope their ideas about radical empathy will help heal a divided world and destabilize the 1%. When the group falls afoul of a security contractor freelancing for the government, the news coverage, internet outrage, and legal repercussions damage the romances and alliances that hold the friends together, and complicate the faith the members of the group have--or, in some cases, don't have--in the powers they've been nurturing. Elspeth and Raleigh, two of Leif's oldest friends, will see if their relationship can weather the strains of criminal charges; Chris and Julia, who drifted into the group more recently, will have their loyalties tested; and Matthew, entranced by the man at the center of it all, will have to decide what he owes Leif and how much he's willing to give him. All six will be forced to reckon with the ambiguous nature of transparency and with the insidious natures of power and privilege. Overthrow is a story about the aftermath of the search for a new moral idealism, in a world where new controls on us--through technology, surveillance, the law--seem to be changing the nature and shape of the boundaries that we imagine around our selves. Caleb Crain, with astonishing sensitivity, acuity, and grace, has captured the deep unease and ambiguity that threaten our contemporary lives, and has written a beautiful novel about the redemptive possibilities of love and friendship.
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BarbaraBB
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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#TOB2020

My work is slowing down fast, all my clients have other priorities - and rightly so. I try not to think about it too much. The Tournament isn‘t as much fun as it used to be either, or is that just my perception? Anyhow, I hold on to it, even with these two books that I didn‘t enjoy much. My vote goes to Trust Exercise!

JennyM Thinking of you my friend 😘 4y
Balibee146 Self employed and our work starring to slow down too... Not an activity we can do at home. Hoping we get some bill and mortgage payment freezes like other European countries are now doing.... We will get though 😘 4y
Cathythoughts My husband & I are self employed too. So we are unemployed now .... it‘s worrying , hopefully this crisis will pass quickly, we have to hope (edited) 4y
See All 26 Comments
squirrelbrain Yes, I was taking a ‘short‘ break between contracts which will now turn into a very long break as of course no one will be recruiting at the moment.....we just have to keep ourselves busy with other things (ie reading!) and hope that it passes quickly. @Balibee146 @Cathythoughts 😘 4y
Kalalalatja That sucks! Thinking of you ❤️ 4y
erzascarletbookgasm 😣 I hope these times pass quickly. We‘re under restricted movement over here, after an alarming spike of cases. 4y
Cinfhen Sorry, friend!! It‘s affecting so many of us who are self employed ☹️same situation for us too. Thinking of u xx 4y
BarbaraBB @Balibee146 @Cathythoughts @Cinfhen @squirrelbrain Our government promises to take care of entrepreneurss and freelancers. I hope they can. Also I think the UK and The Netherlands have a similar strategy of letting the virus take its course to create immunity - instead of a complete lockdown. I think it is a plausible strategy. What do you think? (edited) 4y
BarbaraBB @erzascarletbookgasm I feel for you Jessie. Take care 🍀💚 4y
BarbaraBB @JennyM Thank you ❤️. How are things in Australia? 4y
batsy My work is slowing down, too. Freelance writing is often the first to be trimmed when companies can't even maintain their full-time staff. Don't see a bright light at the end of this tunnel at the moment... 😞 Much love and strength to you ❤️ 4y
Suet624 I've been thinking of you over the past few days. Now I'm curious about your comment that you're not enjoying the TOB as much. Can you expand on that a little bit? 4y
youneverarrived 😟 it‘s affecting so many people. ❤️ 4y
BarbaraBB @batsy I am so sorry to hear that. You write so well, you should have lots of paid work in all circumstances. It is scary to not know where and when things will get better. Wishing you strength and much luck 💚🍀 4y
BarbaraBB @Suet624 It‘s me, not the tournament. I have a hard time enjoying it because of my mind wandering to this virus all the time - and its impact in society. How are you holding up? 4y
thebluestocking I‘m sorry about your work! I feel you. Mine is slowing too. It‘s just another worry to add to the pile. I‘ve been weirdly distanced from the Tournament too. There‘s too much going on. But I do appreciate it being there when I go to read the judgments. 💙 4y
BarbaraBB @youneverarrived It must be strange for you too. You should be cocooning instead of being in the middle of reality. Take care of you both 💚🍀 4y
BarbaraBB @thebluestocking I feel the same. And I shall listen to your podcast one of these days! So cool 💚 4y
CarolynM Not great for my husband's business either (so also no work for me) I'm hoping that we can slow down the spread of the virus enough in the next few weeks that things can slowly start picking up again. So long as my local cafe stays open I will stay positive! 4y
JennyM @BarbaraBB it‘s not great but we‘re not in total lockdown yet. I‘m working from home indefinitely and I‘m expecting campus and school closures soon. The worst thing is the panic food buying. It‘s crazy! Unsettling times. XX 4y
BarbaraBB @JennyM Yes that food buying is crazy (especially the toilet paper 😉). It shows how scared people are even though all parties involved keep saying there is no need to. Take care 💚 4y
BarbaraBB @CarolynM The cafés here have been closed since this weekend. That makes such a big difference. The shops are still open though. And we can go outside. That makes a big difference for me. I hope we can avoid a total lock down. 4y
Simona Stay safe❣️ 4y
BarbaraBB @Simona You too. How are things going in Slovenia? 🍀 4y
Simona @BarbaraBB Everything is closed down, with the exception of drugstores, grocery stores and gas stations- they have limited working hours, no public transport, schools ... life is in the state of waiting. Some people are panicking, some people don‘t care ... the same s...t as everywhere else. But on the brighter side - today is warm, sunny day and I‘m feeling good😘 4y
BarbaraBB @Simona Glad to hear you‘re feeling good! I am looking forward to some sun too! The bright side here is that shops are still open here and we are allowed to go outside. There is hardly any public transport or cars but many people are walking or cycling so it feels a bit as if I am in a 19th century movie. 4y
67 likes26 comments
review
ReadingEnvy
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Panpan

I crammed this book in two evenings in order to read it before its first round (likely only) in the Tournament of Books tomorrow. I don't think I've read a book where the author came across as so tentative as this one... So many qualifiers and passive voice that even I noticed. ⤵️

ReadingEnvy Vaguely a book about post-idealism surveillance state during the Occupy movemenr but also maybe about something deeper about hidden codes, telepathy and plain old connection vs death but it was obscured by too many narrator switches, awkward long chapters, and a weak ending. Still I appreciate tomorrow's podcast guest sending me her copy (wait until you hear our episode!) @thebluestocking 4y
ReadingEnvy Also I'd say this is between a pan and a so-so but I'd feel bad inspiring anyone to read it, so had to go with pan. 4y
thebluestocking I think “obscured” is a perfect word to describe this book. I‘m impressed you made it through before the round today. 💙 4y
ReadingEnvy @thebluestocking I think I liked it a bit more than you but not by much. Not surprised at all by today's verdict. 4y
50 likes4 comments
review
UnabridgedPod
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Pickpick

Okay, so Caleb Crain's Overthrow. I went in with some trepidation because, well, the Goodreads rating isn't great (it's a 2.73). I liked it MUCH more than that, though it's not been my favorite discovery of the ToB. The novel focuses on friends who believe in the power of telepathy to bring about change. Most are part of the Occupy movement, but romance expands the group, the Working Group for the Refinement of the Perception of Feelings. ⬇️

UnabridgedPod Check out the rest of my (lengthy! Sorry...) review on IG where I post as jen.loves.books. 4y
BarbaraBB Wow. You‘re the first one positive about this one! 4y
UnabridgedPod @BarbaraBB My expectations were quite low going in, which I‘m sure helped! 😂 4y
25 likes3 comments
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ReadingEnvy
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain

"Under the circumstances, any single new person seemed to carry somehow too much presence."

review
CindyE09
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Mehso-so

Started off thinking this book about a group of friends in their 20s who hack a government file would be a DNF for me but pushed through since it‘s on the #ToB shortlist. The writing was a bit stale and I didn‘t really end up caring about any of the characters, but the issues about privacy addressed were interesting to think about. I think this book would have been stronger if it had fewer point of views and left out all the ESP. #tob2020 #tob20

90 likes1 stack add
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CindyE09
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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At work trying to get into the tagged book from the #tob shortlist this year. So far it hasn‘t grabbed me but I‘m going to give it a while longer (mainly bc I don‘t have another book with me and I have 7 hours left in my shift 😂). #tob2020 #tob20

BarbaraBB I bailed on this one... 4y
CindyE09 @BarbaraBB Don‘t tell me that I don‘t have anything else to do!! 4y
Louise What‘s the tob shortlist? 4y
CindyE09 @Louise it‘s the Tournament of Books, a March madness style competition that places books into brackets, a judge chooses one of the books to move forward each round. It‘s much more fun than the traditional March madness. Here‘s the link if you want to check it out- https://themorningnews.org/article/the-2020-tournament-of-books-shortlist-and-ju... 4y
Louise Thanks for the info! Have fun with it! 4y
87 likes5 comments
review
thebluestocking
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Panpan

I was intrigued but confused. And those feelings lasted the whole book, with the scale moving from closer to intrigued to almost utterly confused. The book follows a group of friends who believe in the power to perceive the feelings of others. They use this ability to threaten power structures in a post-Occupy world. It was weird in a way that did not work for me.

#tob #tob2020 #tob20

BarbaraBB Kudos for finishing it! I couldn‘t bring myself to find out what would happen. 4y
thebluestocking @BarbaraBB That was probably wise of you. 💙 4y
54 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BarbaraBB
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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In continuation of my last post, in which I mentioned Felix Valloton, whose work is to be seen on the cover of Overthrow, I am sharing some of his gorgeous paintings of reading women. He is one of my favorite 19th century painters.

TrishB These are lovely ❤️ 4y
KarenUK They really are gorgeous 😍 4y
erzascarletbookgasm Love these! 4y
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Freespirit How lovely..thank you for sharing this 4y
Megabooks Incredible! Thanks for sharing! 4y
youneverarrived Ah wow these are gorgeous. 4y
Soubhiville I love them! What great subject matter, and models who would love some more time to sit still! 4y
Liz_M I bet my most recent (tagged) library book has some of his works! 4y
batsy Love 😍 4y
BarbaraBB @Soubhiville exactly, I didn‘t even think of that! 4y
BarbaraBB @Liz_M I think they are indeed! So fitting! 4y
LeahBergen Wow! 😍😍 4y
merelybookish These are wonderful! 4y
Suet624 I wonder if there are notecards available. 4y
BarbaraBB @Suet624 I‘d buy them immediately! 4y
94 likes1 stack add15 comments
review
BarbaraBB
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Bailedbailed

I bailed. I am really not in the mood for this struggle from page to page.
It is just not the right book at the right moment. I did like the writing style but found myself not interested in the plot.
Most of all I liked the cover, because I love the painter Valloton 💜. This is however one of his lesser works - I think. You should check him out, he has painted reading women in a fantastic way. Wait, I‘ll show you in my next post! #ToB2020

TrishB Sometimes you just have to bail 🤷‍♀️ 4y
Megabooks Onward and upward! 4y
merelybookish You are more generous than I was! But I understand the bail. 4y
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BarbaraBB @merelybookish You finished it, that‘s far more generous. I actually liked the way he wrote and was kind of interested in Matthew but not in what happened to him. 4y
merelybookish @BarbaraBB Spoiler: not much happens to him. Or anyone. 🙄 4y
BarbaraBB @merelybookish I had that feeling already 😂 4y
87 likes6 comments
review
merelybookish
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Panpan

I did not understand this book. A group of Occupy Now twentysomethings want to change the world through ESP. Some of them hack a commuter and get caught. Most of the book builds to a trial. There's lots of perspective-switching, dodging of journalists, meeting with lawyers. Friends stick together and/or betray. It is confusing as hell. Throw in references to 16th-century poetry and obscure vocab words just to add to the general confusion. ⬇️

merelybookish I didn't get a handle on what the group was doing before they were under arrest and most of the time I wasn't sure I understood what they said or why. I can't tell if it's because I'm obstuse or the writing was intentionally unclear or just not very good. Something of the premise intrigued me, about 21st privacy and relationships. That's a hard topic of write about. This book did not pull it off. Bummer. #tob 4y
GingerAntics This sounds hideous!!! 4y
mklong Eek! This was next on my ToB list, but now I‘m reconsidering 4y
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merelybookish @mklong I don't know. I kind of want you to read it to see what you think. I felt like it eluded me the whole time but maybe you'd have a better handle on it. 🤷 4y
merelybookish @Ruthiella My thoughts on Overthrow. 😬 4y
merelybookish @GingerAntics Yeah. It was not great, imo. 4y
Ruthiella I am with you! I don‘t think I “got” it either. 4y
Graywacke Huh. Is the ToB leading down the wrong path? 4y
merelybookish @Graywacke They always include some oddball, under-the-radar books. Sometimes they make for great discoveries, sometimes not so much. This is definitely the latter. But I'll be interested to see what the tourney judge makes of it. 4y
Graywacke @merelybookish I won‘t have read it by the tournament, but I‘ll have this review in mind. I‘m curious now, too. 4y
merelybookish @Graywacke @Ruthiella and I seem to be on the same page. She has a good review on Goodreads along with some examples of the pompous writing. 4y
BarbaraBB I have this one lined up next but I‘m thinking of bailing just by your review 4y
merelybookish @BarbaraBB I hate to discourage you but I really didn't get anything about it. The plot, the pacing, the ending, etc. Maybe your experience would be better. 4y
readordierachel I like your choice of image 😆 4y
Suet624 I love this review. 4y
thebluestocking I‘m smack in the middle of this right now. I‘m mildly intrigued as to where it‘s going. 💙 4y
merelybookish @thebluestocking I look forward to your review! 4y
64 likes17 comments
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merelybookish
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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The vocabulary in this book is starting to irritate me. I don't mind looking up the occasional word, but I've been doing it A LOT with this novel. And in some cases (quilb, bequill) they aren't even listed in the dictionary. 🙄 It all just feels a bit showy and unnecessary, especially since much of the writing is far from impressive.
(And FWIW, this means having an usually long skill. 💀)

vivastory That's irritating 4y
vivastory Or I should say... vexatious 4y
Crazeedi I am familiar with a lot of words, but these are nuts! 4y
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merelybookish @vivastory Exactly! And ostentatious! 4y
merelybookish @Crazeedi Thank you! I enjoy learning a new word but come on! I did manage to find a description of quilb which days it has no meaning except for what the context gives it. 😒 4y
GingerAntics I hate when authors throw in big words just because they can. Ugh. If the vocabulary doesn‘t fit the character or situation, just say no!!! 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 😫😫😫 4y
ravenlee I like to say I charge the author with abuse of the thesaurus! 4y
Suet624 I was going to read this for the Tournament of Books, but maybe you‘ve just saved me from it. 4y
merelybookish @Suet624 I'm interested to see how the book will end (the story and its unfolding is strange) but I definitely have issues with it! 4y
Crazeedi @merelybookish really? So it's a gibberish word, lazy author imo 4y
60 likes11 comments
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merelybookish
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Friday night. 📘🛀🍷😴🛌
Mixed feelings about this book so far. Plus side: Intriguing, unfamiliar storyline. Downside: Sloppy and/or pretentious writing. #tob20

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merelybookish
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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🎧Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (classic Amlit from #mounttbr)
📘Kamourska by Anne Hebert (classic Canlit from #mounttbr)
📘 Overthrow by Caleb Crain (#tob)
#weeklyforecast @cinfhen

BkClubCare Angle of Repose! Liked it but loved Crossing to Safety 4y
merelybookish @BkClubCare Good to know! I have a copy on my shelf so hopefully will get to it eventually. 4y
BarbaraBB Ooh nice, you‘re going to read Overthrow. I hope to start that one later this month. (edited) 4y
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Cinfhen Tackling Mt TBR 🙌🏻❣️impressive 4y
merelybookish @BarbaraBB I'm not super excited about it. I think I was turned off by it's comparison to 1984. But maybe it will surprise me. 🤞 4y
merelybookish @Cinfhen Yes, my 2020 reading goal is to reduce my #TBR! 4y
Ruthiella Curious to hear what you think about Overthrow. 😬 4y
merelybookish @Ruthiella It's not sparking joy. 😜 4y
Ruthiella @merelybookish Yes, it is way down on my list. But I also hated the Ocean Vuong book which everyone else loved...But this is what I love about the TOB. I read WAY outside my comfort level!😀 4y
merelybookish @Ruthiella I still haven't read that one. I have a friend and we divvy up the books and then say whether we think the other needs to read it. She thinks I need to read Vuong. She thinks it's a contender to win 4y
Ruthiella @merelybookish I think it could win for sure. I just didn‘t like it. I haven‘t read everything YET but I don‘t think I will have a horse in this race. 4y
merelybookish @Ruthiella I have some faves, some that are okay. Mostly I don't want The Testaments to win. I'm still mad about the Booker. 😂 4y
Ruthiella @merelybookish 😂😂😂I haven‘t read it yet (I own a copy so no rush) but I hear where you are coming from. I am looking forward to Girl, Woman, Other but honestly Ducks, Newburyport probably should have won. 🦆 4y
merelybookish @Ruthiella No plans to read Testaments. (My friend got it. Said it was like fan fiction.) It's part of the reason why I'm stuck with Overthrow. 😜 4y
Suet624 I‘m so glad to hear you and @Ruthiella aren‘t going to read Testaments for the TOB. I‘m not planning on reading it either but was feeling a bit guilty about it. 4y
77 likes1 stack add15 comments
review
teresareads
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Mehso-so

The parts of this book that focused on the interpersonal dynamics within the group when placed under stress were fascinating, but it was way too difficult to get a handle on their work and their motives. #tob20
https://shelflove.wordpress.com/2019/12/30/overthrow/

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teresareads
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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A lot to ponder here.
Although the most interesting stuff in this book is not about the Internet, privacy, and protests but about how (supposedly) tight-knit groups fall apart. #tob20

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teresareads
Overthrow: A Novel | Caleb Crain
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Had a Barnes and Noble gift card to spend, so headed over this morning to grab a #tob20 book that my library doesn't have and another with a very long holds list.

aartichapati I have heard some mixed reviews of Fleishman, looking forward to hearing what you think! 4y
7 likes1 comment