so-soUgh. If you want to read what annoyed me about this one, I've ranted about the insufferable characters, surface level themes, and lack of action over on Goodreads.
TLDR: read Flesh instead
⭐️⭐️
pickJuly 2025 Book #9
This was a surprised. I was reluctant to read this book but I will say I enjoyed it. I liked the first part where first impressions are not always accurate. It was so well described. I liked the author‘s writing style. But then the second part was totally different. It shows the dynamic of a dysfunctional co-dependent family which was also well described. So what was then the problem? ⬇️
pickShakespeare‘s “All the world‘s a stage” monologue kept coming to mind...
Weird and destabilizing, the novel is split into halves with its very premise inverting itself for part 2. But while what‘s true and who the characters are to one another shifts dramatically, the persistent matter of performance (on and off stage) makes for a fast, fascinating read about identity, authenticity, and the limitations to knowing/being known by those we love.
pickA contemplative look at the nature of memory and how the experiences of our youth can stick with us in unexpected ways. It's also about the challenges of family and navigating both their expectations of us and how these are colored by their own experiences/biases/traumas, which reminds me of so many other books of the recent past. I like it quite a bit, but I'm not sure I love it. #BookerPrize2025 Longlist
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️
This simultaneously tried too hard and not enough.
pick"Love - what has that done for her?"
I am so glad I ignored the mixed reviews and read this. I love Aw's writing, and thought the style which was often changing in POV, topics and history reflected the heat and drought of a last summer.
Jay was a well flushed out MC who was pleasant to spend time with and I found the family as a whole interesting and complex.
#malaysia #bookerlonglist
I always read the Booker winner, but I had a hard time finding this one. Hubby found it in a bookstore in Ireland. It arrived yesterday all the way from Galway. I hope it was worth the hunt. It‘s on my TBR for those lazy holiday pajama days. #BookMail
so-soI am still working on the Booker longlist and was excited that this one was a shorter read. Little did I know it would take me the longest amount of time to read and honestly in the end the effort didn‘t seem worth it to me. It is not a bad book, it just didn‘t click with me.
Current audiobook…Another story I am giving a second chance and the audiobook is really helping.
bailed
