Welcome to Litsy!

#BookerLonglist delayed review. I was surprised at how quickly this read for such a long book. I was also a bit surprised at the straightforward nature of the story—no gimmicks, nothing to distract from the story of this torn-apart family. Identity…what does it mean to be a person living in another country from which you were born? How does one live with an illness? Are we merely living in relation to who we are to other people?

István isn't unlike George from The Book of George in the way that he relies on women to shape his life for him, although István is much less whiny than George despite experiencing more actual hardships. He's not a bad guy, he just seems to float along, avoiding any real introspection or connection, sublimating his emotions into sexual expression. The novel is kind of depressing. It will be interesting to see if I remember it in 6 months.

After being seduced by an older woman as a teen and their relationship‘s traumatic end, Istvan drifts through life, remaining monosyllabic and unaffected. His emotions don‘t drive him but his physicality seems to. He is passive and largely unknowable and yet I still ended up caring about what happened to him. I kept seeing the wounded kid in his inability to let himself feel. Surprised that this ended up a pick for me. #bookerlonglist

#BookerLonglist #6

A highly original novel about 3 Ukrainian women on a road trip with some men they keep captive while Russia invades their country. Also, they are looking for a special kind of snail. I loved the fist half and the part which is an interlude by the author herself. Then however I lost interest a bit. So many super interesting story lines and yet I felt like nothing much happened. A so-so for me.

#ReadTheWorld2025 #28 #Albania

Thomas‘s life is made up of unending labor with every day almost exactly like the last and no real hope for something more. When a Hollywood producer comes on the scene there is suddenly a chance that maybe life could be different. This is the quietest of the #bookerlonglist titles I have read but the writing is so detailed and evocative that what is at heart a simple story becomes so much more. This would make my shortlist with ease.

#BookerLonglist —perhaps my most ‘looking forward to‘ of the list. Endling didn‘t disappoint and did stretch my brain in ways, blending auto-fiction with several other themes and formats. But you know what? I was anticipating more snails. I just need more snails. But still, a great read. This would be a good one to dissect. But no snail dissection, please.

Woah, what a book. I know this one is going to stay with me. It‘s got a lot to say about masculinity and the negative impacts of this on men, the lack of tenderness. I highly recommend reading it, I‘m going to read it again. I devoured this in 2 sittings. Has anyone else read this? What were your thoughts?

#davidszalay #bookerlonglist

#BookerLonglist #5

Very elegantly written, I became engaged in the book immediately I enjoyed following the narrator‘s struggle to live in NYC while she‘s still strongly rooted in the Albania she left behind. Het empathy for other refugees jeopardizes her mental wellbeing as well as her closest relationships. She moves between this empathy and self-preservation and there seems no closure. An impressive read.

#ReadTheWorld2025 #27 #Albania

Catching up on reviews! #BookerLonglist edition

While this one has some pacing issues, I'm glad I stuck with it to discover its many, murky layers. A story of family disconnection and buried trauma, I appreciated the thematic ideas of a flashlight's focused beam obscuring more than it illuminates, and how difficult it can be to see the full picture of those closest to us.

Cont'd in comments...

Yes! A #bookerlonglist title that I loved! It starts off focusing on three women in the Ukraine, a scientist trying desperately to save rare snails from extinction and two sisters taking part in tours that match foreign men with potential Ukrainian brides. As the three characters become entangled in a scheme Russia invades and everything changes. I don‘t want to spoil anything but this book has so much to say and is so smart and darkly funny.