i loved it but also kind of hated it too but also thought it was genius?  i don’t really know how to feel but moshfegh’s writing is so electric and i would read anything she writes because she is one of the most original writers of our time. this was so confusing but that was kind of the whole point and i genuinely felt that i was going fucking crazy along with vesta. unreliable narrator supremacy!

i loved this book so much, from start to finish. this was so easy to get into and so difficult to put down.

eleanor is one of the most vibrant, well-developed characters i have ever encountered in fiction. i fell in love with her instantly, and rooted for her the whole time. this novel was actually a lot darker than i initially thought, but i really loved the conversations around grief, loneliness and meaningful connections.

as a scottish person myself, i thought honeyman did a great job at portraying the cultural experiences here in a subtle and accurate way.

the only thing i wish this book did was to acknowledge that eleanor is neurodivergent, which is something i find extremely obvious and heavily explored. labelling this identity of her’s would’ve been helpful in de-stigmatising and understanding disability better, so i feel it was a lost opportunity. nonetheless, this book was fantastic and, despite the heavy topics discussed, thus left me feeling hopeful and speaks greatly about the power of kindness.

after finishing this book i just felt so intuitively that i should give it five stars. i am somehow struggling to articulate why.

all of these stories left me feeling so empty, and for some people that might be a serious turn off, but i personally love reading books like this despite what that might say about me as a person.

cline’s writing is so accessible and subtle yet so rich at the same time. los angeles and a/s/l were my favourite short stories.

i only usually write a review for my five stars books, but i wanted to detail my thoughts on this one.

this was classic sally rooney, but even more mature. i found it quite a step from her previous two novels. again, this was a deep dive into relationships and sex and the human psyche, and what it all means at the end of the world. i absolutely adore the concept, it scratches an itch in my brain and resonates with my principles and everything. rooney never fails to pose interesting and substantial questions.

the only flaw i can really pick in this is that i just couldn’t fully connect to any of the characters. i love a character-driven novel, especially when the protagonists are unlikeable or morally ambiguous at best, but in this I just didn’t love it as much as usual. the characters were a little boring at times and i didn’t enjoy the pace as much as in conversations with friends and normal people. i think some of these may be down to personal preference more than anything.

overall, such a wonderful book that i would still recommended. rooney’s writing is incredibly atmospheric and powerful and her observations about the little things and nuances of relationships are truly exquisite. her work deserves all the praise and popularity. 

i really couldn’t put this book down, and i feel that any attempt to articulate why kind of falls short.

this book will go down well with readers who love dark and unlikeable protagonist that is similar to those in ottessa moshfegh’s work, and i found it easy to draw comparisons to the writing style of queenie by candice carty-williams. 

i found this so funny despite how dark it was, it made me uncomfortable in a way that i like books to and made me want to read on. i usually hate pop-culture references but most worked very well and didn’t make me cringe like usual.

for me, this book was less about enjoyment (though i did very much enjoy it), and more about just sheer awe of machado’s talent.

this is undoubtedly one of the most creative things i’ve ever read. i had a little lightbulb moment at many points, like oh my god, how did she write this? this breaks literary boundaries in a way i have never seen before, and has really challenged my perspective on the craft of writing as a whole. 

the sheer attention to detail was phenomenal, and the versatility of this book goes to show for machado’s magnificent ability to write anything whilst conforming to nothing at all. the integration of queer history and theory at parts worked so well.

whilst reading the choose your own adventure chapter, i chose one route to follow then went back to the beginning to chose another, then eventually realised i was missing pages, and got confused and overwhelmed at the complexity of it all, and then it clicked: that’s the whole point. machado’s way of evoking emotion and frustration is incredible, she manages to do it in a discreet way that still feels like a punch in the face.

i would recommend this book to anyone; it’s a masterclass in writing and originality. i feel that this is one i will think about and go back to for a very long time.