literatureaesthetic's Reviews (540)

my new fav brontë novel, wow :')

through 13 essays, mark fisher deconstructs the weird and the eerie—two modes of speculative fiction—with the intention of explaining how reality, the human condition, and our society can only be entirely examined and understood when acknowledging the liminal concepts (the weird and the eerie) that comprise our basic perception of the world around us.
 
i picked this up as introductory material for the genre; i’ve been wanting to get into weird fiction for a while. although this essay collection does delve into the core of the weird and the eerie, it also heavily relies on analysing media—films, novels, and music—that i haven’t encountered yet to explain aspects of the weird and the eerie. it wasn’t as effective as i hoped it would be, for that reason.
 
perhaps i’ll return to this after watching a few of the films discussed and reading a few of the novels, but for now, it does feel like i've wasted some of my time. i think this is best to pick up if you're looking for an analysis of one of the specific authors or films that fisher focuses on, rather than an analysis of the weird and the eerie.

i was more invested in the dogs than i was the actual relationship, tbh (and i'm not even a dog lover)

shocking, insightful, and empowering, britney spears’ long-awaited memoir delves into motherhood, past relationships, life as a young pop star, and her conservatorship. it’s a focused novel that draws parallels between her dysfunctional family and her rise in money, between patriarchy and exploitation, and between media that loves to profit off a woman in distress.
 
i feel uncomfortable rating this. in all honesty, this memoir wasn’t the best-written; the narrative felt clunky and the writing disjointed. i wish some aspects were delved into a little deeper. but it’s important to remember this memoir isn’t trying to be a literary masterpiece. the woman in me is spears’ reclamation of her voice, her story, and her autonomy. in the most fundamental ways, this memoir is exactly what it needs to be: a testament to strength and endurance from a woman who was repeatedly failed by absolutely everyone in her life but still manages to offer so much love, faith, and compassion to the world.
 
i’m just happy that after thirteen(!) years of living like a prisoner, she’s finally free and able to tell her story

mieko kawakami invented sad girl hours

‘all the lovers in the night’ is a thoughtful “no plot, just vibes” contemporary about a woman who is struggling with repressed trauma that has unconsciously shaped her entire life, her career, her relationships, and the way she moves in the world. it is a simple story with unadorned writing. a novel that shines the most in its quiet moments. small emotions that no one talks about, tender conversations and musings on the mundanity of life, in its awkward silences and the character’s clumsy encounters. in its portrait of humanity and femininity.

it took me a while to get into (which isn’t the best sign considering it’s so short it’s almost a novella), but once this story sank its claws into me, it would not let go. kawakmi always manages to write characters that resonate so deeply (despite how unlike me they are in terms of personality or experiences). which speaks to what mieko kawakami excels at best, in my opinion: connecting women. by disassembling the world in which women occupy and exploring the many ways women mesh, clash, and move around one another, mieko kawakami’s work is always filled with veery subtle and finely-planted seeds of thought regarding feminine ideals and existence.

kawakami’s novel is brutally honest in its appraisal of the harm women inflict on one another, while never losing sight of the larger systems of power that lead them to do so in the first place. overall, ‘all the lovers’ is not my favourite kawakami release, but it is still definitely worth your attention <3

fighting back literal tears, what a journey <3

this wasn't awful, it's just too drawn-out and i don't care enough about it to push through. maybe i'll give it another go when i'm in the mood for something extreeemly slow burn, but it's a dnf for now!!