Take a photo of a barcode or cover
alexblackreads 's review for:
The Ghost at the Table
by Suzanne Berne
This was an odd book and it left me very confused. I wasn't sure whether to rate it two stars or five stars, so I went with a confused and noncommittal three.
This is such a nothing book about such annoying people and I kind of liked that? Like nothing happened, no one went through character growth or any shocking revelations. It was just kind of this offbeat family drama with tension and awkwardness. I kind of loved that. It's definitely not a book for everyone, but I found it fascinating.
That said, I do think there was opportunity for a little more character growth than happened. There was opportunity for more self awareness, or at least a rejection of self awareness. This book could have been a little bit more and I think been stronger for it, especially considering the dramatic nature of some of the events (a fire, a car crash).
There's a fair amount of racism in this book. Always small things, but they were pretty constant and obvious throughout (like her correcting a black student when he complained about Mark Twain's racism or making joke's about a Chinese student's name). It almost felt like the author was making a point of it. But then it was never address and it left me feeling very mixed. Generally, I don't think you're intended to like the main character. She has a lot of flaws and it felt almost like this was one of them. She doesn't see a lot of things in herself and I thought perhaps this was intentionally done. But to be perfectly honest, I can't tell and even it was intentional, I think it ought to have been addressed at some point, even subtly.
But overall, I did like this. The characters were an odd jumble of dysfunctional people coping with their unhappiness in different ways and how they try (fail) to connect with each other. I did love the ending and the main character's convictions because of how absolutely disconnected she is from everything else. I don't think this is a book that will be enjoyed by many people, though, as evidenced by the many negative reviews. But I found it an interesting read.
This is such a nothing book about such annoying people and I kind of liked that? Like nothing happened, no one went through character growth or any shocking revelations. It was just kind of this offbeat family drama with tension and awkwardness. I kind of loved that. It's definitely not a book for everyone, but I found it fascinating.
That said, I do think there was opportunity for a little more character growth than happened. There was opportunity for more self awareness, or at least a rejection of self awareness. This book could have been a little bit more and I think been stronger for it, especially considering the dramatic nature of some of the events (a fire, a car crash).
There's a fair amount of racism in this book. Always small things, but they were pretty constant and obvious throughout (like her correcting a black student when he complained about Mark Twain's racism or making joke's about a Chinese student's name). It almost felt like the author was making a point of it. But then it was never address and it left me feeling very mixed. Generally, I don't think you're intended to like the main character. She has a lot of flaws and it felt almost like this was one of them. She doesn't see a lot of things in herself and I thought perhaps this was intentionally done. But to be perfectly honest, I can't tell and even it was intentional, I think it ought to have been addressed at some point, even subtly.
But overall, I did like this. The characters were an odd jumble of dysfunctional people coping with their unhappiness in different ways and how they try (fail) to connect with each other. I did love the ending and the main character's convictions because of how absolutely disconnected she is from everything else. I don't think this is a book that will be enjoyed by many people, though, as evidenced by the many negative reviews. But I found it an interesting read.