Book Club – Michael’s Selection

I truly don’t know where to start with this book. The first half infuriated me like no other. The misogynistic and racial elements of this book (whether intentional of the author or not) were incredibly one-dimensional (much like the characters) and I didn’t find their use throughout the narrative to be of any benefit, nor did it address the deeper systemic issues this has on societies such as the one in the book. It just felt convenient, used to advance a storyline with no real elaboration on how these systemic issues can be addressed or how we can begin to incite change as communities within such societies. (I understand that this probably wasn’t the author’s intention with this piece of fiction, that perhaps he was inspired to write something fun and quirky, but it just seems tone-deaf for the world in which we’re currently living in.)

The second half picked up slightly for me, but I still found it to be quite long and, in a sense, repetitive. All in all, probably not a book for or aimed at me.