This is both beautifully written and equally unsettling. Roughly based on a similar case irl this book will stay wih you. Themes of power and abuse - the whole book has you quietly anticipating something you know is coming but hope it doesn't.. Yanagihara immerses you into a vivid new world in large chunks of the book and shows you how important perspective is in any recounting.

This was a slow burner but I really appreciated the analysis of what it is to be a woman. Growing up, periods, sex, assault and procreation. Particularly enjoyed the debate on the right we have to have children at all.. To potentially inflict pain on an unknowing being. Uncomfortable but beautiful.

I liked this book. I wasn't always sure but it depicted
the inner dialogue you have at a certain age (and let's be honest beyond such an age) and how you justify your actions to yourself or an imagined other judging your actions... Does that make sense? The constant comparisons to Sally Rooney make me feel uncomfortable. Would this happen if the author wasn't irish? Another book with an open ending... l will write about this trend soon.

I sometimes worry because I generally enjoy most books I read... Maybe I just love reading for readings sake but I don't think that is it. I am also a part of 2 book clubs to get out of my comfort zone. But this one, I chose, and I'm just not sure. Something was missing and I've read a lot of reviews to try to make sense of it all but I'm sure I'm still missing something? What do you guys think?

Next read!

A breathtaking book. What was even more interesting to me than a country wide emergency with little to no information, and all channels of communication down was the subtle everyday interactions and thoughts of each character. Alam does this so well with close third person story telling so we get an insight of each character's thoughts, the way they see themselves and the way they truly see others and the world in which we live.

10/10

Excited to get stuck into all of these!

I am really enjoying this book. Gobbling it up but keep forcing myself to pause as I know I'll miss it when I've finished reading! A really interesting plot and I have no idea where it's going to go but I love all of the subtle challenges of bias, stereotypes, racism and discrimination. A very thought provoking enjoyable read so far 😍