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zombecrustacean's Reviews (189)
⭐🐊
I will preface this review by saying that I had to read this book for a class in high school.
This was a short read and I have based my entire distaste for Steinbeck on this book. While it was a book with a lower page count and overall an easy read, which I can usually appreciate, I hated it. The portrayals of brotherhood and friendship were toxic at best. Even as a teenager that still had a lot to learn about what ableism was and how neurodivergence can be celebrated instead of repressed, I was uncomfortable with how the character of Lennie was written. I also distinctly recall how the only woman who had any lines in the book was the wife of one of the side characters. And while her death was depicted on page, she was never deemed to be valuable enough for a name.
Wouldn't read again. I actively tell people not to read it. I also convinced an entire grade level that the wife had a name and her name was Bertha. Justice for Berth and the puppies and for Lennie. Should have been gayer.
I will preface this review by saying that I had to read this book for a class in high school.
This was a short read and I have based my entire distaste for Steinbeck on this book. While it was a book with a lower page count and overall an easy read, which I can usually appreciate, I hated it. The portrayals of brotherhood and friendship were toxic at best. Even as a teenager that still had a lot to learn about what ableism was and how neurodivergence can be celebrated instead of repressed, I was uncomfortable with how the character of Lennie was written. I also distinctly recall how the only woman who had any lines in the book was the wife of one of the side characters. And while her death was depicted on page, she was never deemed to be valuable enough for a name.
Wouldn't read again. I actively tell people not to read it. I also convinced an entire grade level that the wife had a name and her name was Bertha. Justice for Berth and the puppies and for Lennie. Should have been gayer.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🐊🐊🐊
As a lover of queer horror lit who only recently got back into reading, I would say that this book is a fun time. Plus, I did end up buying it.
I found a lot of enjoyment in the slow-burn aspect of this slasher story. While this has been a point of contention for many other reviews I have read, I found the build-up and emphasis on campy tropes, before the action started being depicted, to be entertaining. I am someone who often guesses the end of movies or predicts an incoming jump scare, so being egged on in any of the obvious slasher trope setups, just to be wrong, was entertaining.
I also appreciate that this book had queer characters, but the story itself was not about them being queer. They were just people living their lives and reacting to the situations they were in. Bonus point for having a good amount of POC representation. I love seeing underrepresented voices taking up space in literature!
Despite the many reasons I marked this as a relatively good read, there's no denying that the end of the book felt rushed and attempted many twists. These felt like messy story aspects rather than defined plot points. I think this book could have benefitted from a few more rounds of edits to really nail the pacing and plot dynamics. This is a shorter book - you could probably read it in one sitting, so spending more time articulating the details of the climax and elaborating on the outcome would have been welcome.
As a lover of queer horror lit who only recently got back into reading, I would say that this book is a fun time. Plus, I did end up buying it.
I found a lot of enjoyment in the slow-burn aspect of this slasher story. While this has been a point of contention for many other reviews I have read, I found the build-up and emphasis on campy tropes, before the action started being depicted, to be entertaining. I am someone who often guesses the end of movies or predicts an incoming jump scare, so being egged on in any of the obvious slasher trope setups, just to be wrong, was entertaining.
I also appreciate that this book had queer characters, but the story itself was not about them being queer. They were just people living their lives and reacting to the situations they were in. Bonus point for having a good amount of POC representation. I love seeing underrepresented voices taking up space in literature!
Despite the many reasons I marked this as a relatively good read, there's no denying that the end of the book felt rushed and attempted many twists. These felt like messy story aspects rather than defined plot points. I think this book could have benefitted from a few more rounds of edits to really nail the pacing and plot dynamics. This is a shorter book - you could probably read it in one sitting, so spending more time articulating the details of the climax and elaborating on the outcome would have been welcome.