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pineconek's Reviews (816)
I see what this book was going for but it wasn't for me.
It was going to end up on my dnf shelf after I hit 60 pages in and was frustrated that I was devoting time to it. I picked up from there a few days later out of curiosity and commitment and finished it quickly.
A lot of ideas felt... Unfinished? Overall these are themes I enjoy - early apocalypse survival, immigration, culture clash, seeking identity, etc... but the way it played out didn't really speak to me.
The epidemic was amusingly similar to our current pandemic, if only with the mask wearing (including funky designs), working from home, and companies going under. It turned people into zombies compulsively repeating their roles while neglecting themselves to the point of starvation and rot, and all this was set against a backdrop of the main character working a meaningless repetitive job. I'm not sure how necessary this metaphor was.
It was going to end up on my dnf shelf after I hit 60 pages in and was frustrated that I was devoting time to it. I picked up from there a few days later out of curiosity and commitment and finished it quickly.
A lot of ideas felt... Unfinished? Overall these are themes I enjoy - early apocalypse survival, immigration, culture clash, seeking identity, etc... but the way it played out didn't really speak to me.
The epidemic was amusingly similar to our current pandemic, if only with the mask wearing (including funky designs), working from home, and companies going under. It turned people into zombies compulsively repeating their roles while neglecting themselves to the point of starvation and rot, and all this was set against a backdrop of the main character working a meaningless repetitive job. I'm not sure how necessary this metaphor was.
This is such a fantastic adaptation of sandman and ridiculously faithful to the comics. It really just felt like I was re-reading the graphic novels (in the best way possible). Can't wait for the next installments!!
Rereading childhood favourites as an adult is either great or... Frustrating.
I loved this book in the 7th grade and I struggled to finish it over 15 years later.
Little details kept bugging me - like the syllable name thing. What's Kira's 3 syllable name gonna be? Kirana? Will Thomas become Thomasson? How will a fourth syllable be added? Was Bartholomew once a Barth, then a barthol, then a bartholem? It works well for Christopher and Annabella but good lord this distracted be.
Similarly, the reveals were obvious. Painfully obvious. I don't want to say much more about that other than "of course he's the one who tried to kill you and of course you're alive it's been foreshadowed for the last 50 pages".
I've been thinking about rereading I am messenger because I remember enjoying it and wanted to read Son since it came out after I became an adult. But, given my disappointment here... I might leave well enough alone.
Ps: "Bogota Baltimore Toronto gone too" was the one little clever thing I enjoyed.
I loved this book in the 7th grade and I struggled to finish it over 15 years later.
Little details kept bugging me - like the syllable name thing. What's Kira's 3 syllable name gonna be? Kirana? Will Thomas become Thomasson? How will a fourth syllable be added? Was Bartholomew once a Barth, then a barthol, then a bartholem? It works well for Christopher and Annabella but good lord this distracted be.
Similarly, the reveals were obvious. Painfully obvious. I don't want to say much more about that other than "of course he's the one who tried to kill you and of course you're alive it's been foreshadowed for the last 50 pages".
I've been thinking about rereading I am messenger because I remember enjoying it and wanted to read Son since it came out after I became an adult. But, given my disappointment here... I might leave well enough alone.
Ps: "Bogota Baltimore Toronto gone too" was the one little clever thing I enjoyed.
I wanted to like this book but I found myself skipping sections. I think this kind of stuff works well in podcast format, or at least for me. The book is well researched and has some funny moments but frankly... I found it a bit dull. Others might not.
So yeah - I wanted to like it but mostly caught myself thinking that I wanted to finish it so I could read something better.
So yeah - I wanted to like it but mostly caught myself thinking that I wanted to finish it so I could read something better.
Pros: This is an extremely quick and engaging read. A lot of the broad themes resonate.
Cons: A lot of what's in here has been said before, explored deeper, explored fuller in many many many other works.
Cons: A lot of what's in here has been said before, explored deeper, explored fuller in many many many other works.
This book isn't realistic at all and that's the main criticism it receives - rules around time, money, legality, luck all seem completely arbitrary and follow fairytale logic. I'm personally ok with that when it's used as a device to explore complex human experiences, which I think this book accomplishes really well. An excellent exploration of how abuse leads to self-loathing, of how abuse compounds with each instance, and the struggle of finding joy and purpose after so much interpersonal violence and hardship. Reading this book hurt a lot and I'm not sure if I'd read it again but I absolutely loved it.
I picked up this book primarily because of Kneller's Happy Campers (i.e. the basis for Wristcutters: A Love Story) and was delighted at the multitude of other satyrical, funny, and enchanting stories. Keret is a gem to read and writes with light, playful cynicism.