theelliad's Reviews (291)

This is what Stephen Fry wanted to do, but slightly missed the mark on. Natalie Haynes brain is so completely iconic and this book in particular reflects that entirely in its disjointed and rambled structure. While the information revealed was far from revolutionary, I particularly enjoyed the pop culture references and nuanced, heavily researched approaches made palletable! 

This book is genuinely one of the most vibey, interesting and absorbing texts that has ever been created. From the very form and it’s intertwined perspectives and timelines to the overarching textbook gothic of it! Immaculate vibes

I feel like this gets better from seeing it so I’m going to pop it on here, though the original script is wacky as fuck! 

Gonna clearly distinguish what I respect vs liked about this book as they are very different: 

Things I respected: 
- The level of research and detail in EVERY SCENE 
- The clear level of planning and forethought 
- The revolutionary nature of it in historical fiction 

Things I liked: 
- Finishing it 
- Being able to say that i finished it 

This was a very different approach to the typical AIDs memoir and I loved it! Hoffmanns recounting of Mikes life and death through scattered moments is raw and beautiful; building a potent image of Mike in all his flaws and successes. She is also introspective to her own faults which gives the narrative voice a witty, sarcastic and nuanced feel which goes beyond the typical memorialisation of the dead without sacrificing any of the emotion. 

I love M.L Rio so much. As much as I love the slightly creepy, dark campus vibes of the story, the plot is far from what makes this book brilliant. The essay at the end is beautifully written and provides excellent commentary on academia, isomnia, madness and transformation! 

Suitably unsettling and well written for Stephen King. STOP SEXUALISING WOMEN THOUGH GEEZ

My favourite from this series and for GOOD REASON, not only does this book reach an engaging and shocking climax with twists that had me stunned even on a reread, but it reaches a conclusion which is equally satisfying without sacrificing any of Riggs poetic fiction and narrative space. Is the ending a bit of a cop out- maybe but honestly I loved it then and I love it now, I’m happy the love story got to have an end even if it is a little bit of a ‘sure’ moment. It’s also nice to read fiction that isn’t completely littered (as far as I noticed and know) with evidence of the authors problematic views, escapism at its finest and ‘I thought a clean break was better than losing in slow motion’ will NEVER not kill me 

This book is such an odd mix of beautiful and poetic dives into life, grief, addiction and AIDs; sickeningly detailed depictions of triggering topics which felt unnecessarily gruesome; and strangely wattpad esk narratives focusing on genitalia? While some of the shorter essays were excellently written and explored the politics and discrimination of the epidemic in a powerful way, some of the longer ones were a little too politically driven, confusing or ultimately boring. My favourite section of the book was the postscript exploring parts of the authors past through the metaphor of a gruesome bulls fight. There were sections of this book that made me giggle and sections that made me gag and i think that says just about everything…

This is such an illuminating story of racism in publishing, implicit and not, as well as the attachment of artist and art, friendship and envy, theft and ownership. I adore Kuang’s writing and this was no exception, beautifully composed and captivating the whole way through. My only complaint is that parts of the plot felt a little predictable and cliche- maybe that’s part of the point but there was a few moments where I felt it fell a little short. The most interesting element however is Kuang’s inversion of the unreliable narrator into the context of race and villainisation- it was so strangely twisted and sickening to see the protagonist?’s flaws and their reflection in wider society!