For the first time the sparseness in his prose has had a detrimental effect on my experience with the book (though I still disagree with people saying his prose is wholly sparse). I have some thoughts that I'm saving for the video, but I'm excited to watch the movieeee :)...more
What the fxck. I went into it knowing nothing. ... All I'm gonna say is this. I never thought that a human being would be able to write something as vile as this. It's the most disturbing fxcked up thing I've ever read.
I don't think anything I've ever read qualifies as horror next to this book. My brain is fried. I actively stressed. Never –I repeat– NEVER have I had sp intense palpitations and anxiety while reading such that I had to stop. I can't believe this exists....more
Very atmospheric and interesting book. Some things were a bit weirdly convenient and I definitely preferred the present timeline to the 19203.75 stars
Very atmospheric and interesting book. Some things were a bit weirdly convenient and I definitely preferred the present timeline to the 1920s one. But overall I enjoyed this quite a bit....more
I stand by my opinion that these are really addicting. I really enjoy Lily and Kimball as characters and the plots set up by Swanson are wind3.5 stars
I stand by my opinion that these are really addicting. I really enjoy Lily and Kimball as characters and the plots set up by Swanson are winding and unpredictable. The original was more convoluted and more exciting for me personally, but this is still a very good follow up (though I thought the characters of Joan and Richard were not as well realised as the ones in the original making their motivations not exactly immersible all the time). Other than that, I recommend this duology for people in reading slumps because they're very exciting....more
Most fun I've had in a while. Yes the characters were stereotypes however that didn't lesson my enjoyment of the book especially since they'r4.5 stars
Most fun I've had in a while. Yes the characters were stereotypes however that didn't lesson my enjoyment of the book especially since they're kind of built that way to be deconstructed later. The suspense is there. The drama is spicy. This book is like cr@ck.
This book left me very conflicted. Here are my thoughts; I tried to arrange this in a somewhat chronologic2.5 stars **This is a spoiler-filled review**
This book left me very conflicted. Here are my thoughts; I tried to arrange this in a somewhat chronological manner. First however, I'll address a common critique I have seen and disagree with. People who dislike this book often say it is because they think it is too "unrealistic"– that the events that brought about the dystopia would not have resulted with the state of the world described. Where I do somewhat agree with that (why are all animals affected by the virus but humans can't transmit it between themselves? why does no one realise the virus is a hoax?), I don't think that is relevant? From what I understood, this book is supposed to function more as a thought experiment and a critique. All books require a suspension of disbelief and I don't think the origin of the virus was the most relevant aspect of the book other than having an attempt to show how quickly horrible things are justified once it is given credibility by established institutions (like universities or big corporations). That being said, let's move on.
The book comprises vignettes of cannibalism-centered Argentina with a conflict that takes more of a backseat. We start off a tour of the meat processing plant where we learn about how humans are slaughtered and made into consumerable products. One scene that particularly haunted me was the room with the pregnant women. Since they'd bash their infant's heads in (so as to not let them grow up in the slaughterhouse), they have had their limbs amputated and now lay on tables until they give birth. I also found it interesting how language was used to desensitize the public and workers from the human meat. For example, they adopt words like upper and lower extremities for arms and legs or the way they dehumanize the people and call them simply "heads". We are seeing this through the perspective of a Marcos, a man who works at the plant to support his dying father and deals with the death of his infant son. Through him we encounter characters in the factory, like the man who was obsessed with the perfect human leather textures or the man who perfected the art of stunning the heads before they are slaughtered. Each chapter is more disgusting than the last. What I got from this segment was anti-meat industry visuals. The visuals are well written: they're vivid, gory, and memorable. That being said, I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to take form this section. Each character was introduced as being an evil being who exhaults in the use of human meat. I understand that the idea is to say that people like this exist but they use animal meat and that if we are horrified by the use of human meat shouldn't we also be horrified by the current version of the industry. I just don't think there is much nuance to that. Perhaps I missed something?
The book continues with more vignettes of us meeting different people: we meet a female butcher who put people at ease during the "Transition" because people were more comfortable to buy the "special" meet from a woman, we meet Marcos's sister Marisa who wants to buy a head as a status symbol, a man who creates hunting games where people hunt celebrities who have gone into debt, and a Dr. Mengele-style woman who performs human experiments. All these encounters explore how different aspects of society change when something is accepted by the anonymous wider public. I found them to be grotesque but I once again was wondering what point was being made other than humans what I mentioned before. Again, I understood the difference being portrayed between the haves and have-nots. I understood the connection being made between the government, corporations, and academic institutions. However, those were all points that I have seen many times before and it seemed here they were taken to the surrealistic extreme with an intention to scare the reader... but I struggled to understand the original perspective Bazterrica wanted to bring to the table.
The conflict of the story, which I'd say is secondary to the vignettes, is Marcos's personal journey. A lot of his character is based on how important family is to him. He is pained and disgusted by the superficiality of his sister, especially as demonstrated by his father's rememberance ceremony, when his sister, who didn't interact much with their father while he was alive, hosted the event and photoshopped herself and her children to appear as if they were close with him. It is demonstrated by how much he is plagued by the loss of his son and his attachement to childhood memories with his father in the zoo (where he returns many times for reflection throughout the book). In the beginning, he is given a woman (female head) who is considered First Generation Pure (FGP) aka not pumped full of hormones and grown naturally. Over time he rapes her and she gives him a child. The entire time I was reading this I was wondering how I wasn't sure if this was better or worse than the pregnant women in the factory with their amputated limbs. He attempts to teach her how to be a normal human despite her larynx being removed and thus her not being able to speak or understand him. The scenes when she, Jasmine as he begins to call her, lives in the house reminded me a bit of Orwell's Animal Farm. In that book the pigs begin to live in the house and take on the role of the ex overseers and it gave the message that some animals are more equal than other animals (aka some humans are more equal than other humans) which was also at the forefront of this book. At the the end, Jasmine gives birth with Cecelia's help and Marcos kills Jasmine. Many people have issues with this ending but I don't really. Characer-wise it makes sense for Marcos who always wanted a stable family unit. He says that he killed Jasmine because she had a "domesticated animal look about her". My interpretation of this is him accepting that it is too late for the humans bred in captivity since they see themselves as "other", people treat them as "other", and are monitered as "other", so they might as well be "other" and hence it is futile to fight for them and Jasmine would threaten his new family unit. Unfortunately in this story-line I was once again confused as to what the critique was? Was it something to do with compassion and self-protection being a primary motivation factor for humans (hence why in the end Marcos prioritizes Cecelia and the child)? Was it that change is impossible? I was confused.
Now that I have reflected a bit, here's what I came up with. There is a church mentioned where members occasionally engage in sacrifice believing that it is an honor to give their flesh as sustenance for other humans beings. They say this:
“The human being is the cause of all evil in this world. We are our own virus.”
And I think this is what Bazterrica wants to say with this book. I think that with this book she aims to present this nihilistic view of humanity. Problem for me is that I don't think this is a very nuanced stance to take now without any other takeaway being suggested at least. "Humanity, at its core, is evil" is what I understand from this and I guess I was hoping for a bit more than that from this grotesque book. Where I think this book excels is the gory descriptions of the meat processing plant and the characterization of the people who appear in the vignettes (the butcher, the scientist, the hunter, etc). This book is at its best when it is scaring you, but at its worst it attempts to function as a critique. And though I was petrified by the vignettes and disturbed by the main conflict, I found the book to be thought-provoking yet shallow.
If you're looking for a scare or if you have a friend you'd like to discuss the vignettes with, go ahead. Unfortunately, I don't think that the ideas presented in the novel are up to par with the horror imagery. Because of that I think this is an ok book with flashy writing but not as much substance as it appears it has at first glance....more
This was so disturbing. I have no words. Trigger warnings for everything.
Angelita Unearthed: 3 stars Creepy dead child follows woman around. Showcased the authors fantastic writing, but left me unsure about what the theme was (something that I kind of was confused about with other short stories.
Our Lady of the Quarry: 3.25 stars Experimental narration in plural first person. Creates an almost hive mind narration. (and focuses on the us vs them mentality of the narrators). The more I think about this the more I like it. It's also interesting how purity and its loss are constantly juxtaposed with the waters of the quarry lake and the way that Silvia and Diego are seen (especially how they describe Silvia in a grotesque manner).
The Cart: 3.5 stars Again very haunting and grotesque. We follow a town as they're presumably cursed by a poor man who they tormented. Here the themes were quite evident: they looked at how far solidarity and compassion go in the face of great misery. Spoiler, the end is quite bleak. It took me a few minutes to understand but oh god once I did...
The Well: 3.75 stars Absolutely depressing story. There is a curse again, this time to do with a girl who, after a visit to her aunt's house, becomes morbidly afraid of everything (involuntarily). How the curse came about (so the twist) is very predictable, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment too much. Again, the imagery is fantastic and it ties with traditional folklore as well as just demonic concoctions of the author's imagination. What stayed with me was the parallelism of the first scene and the last scene with the well itself. Absolutely heartbreaking.
Rambla Triste: 3.5 stars Again disturbing but clever in how the author took a dark historical aspect of Barcelona and turned it into a psychological/metaphysical terror in the short story. Not too sure though what the point was of everything, though I did like the ending. (also really liked the moment where the author contrasts the jargon of Spain vs Argentina).
The Lookout: 2.75 stars Here, the experimental narration returns but this time we take the POV of the phantom. Of course a more natural narration is interweaved with the supernatural one. There is a lot of very disturbing and evocative self harm imagery so please please think before reading it. The ambiguous ending, however, did not work here because it hinted about what happened but never really told what it was so it felt like the author was trying to outsmart readers without substance, in my opinion.
Where Are You, Dear Heart?: 4.25 stars This is the most disturbing thing I have ever read. Go into this without knowing anything. Pay attention to the slow medicalisation of the vocabulary. The ending also works very well.
Meat: 4 stars Second most disturbing thing I have read. Am I the only one drawing the parallels to the Bible? Under that lens I think that the entire cannibalism thing is super interesting. Is the Meat artist the second-coming of Christ in some way?? Or is it supposed to be highlighting religion in an almost cultish manner? Thought provoking, highly recommend.
No Birthdays or Baptisms: 2.5 stars A let down after two fantastic short stories. Very straightforward story about a guy who is hired to film a girl who hallucinates, and believes her hallucinations wholeheartedly, in order to prove that her visions are only that: figments of her imagination. It is very disturbing with the sexual/demonic stuff but like to the point that it feels like shock value... especially since I didn't exactly get what the point of this story was. So it was nice, but didn't leave a lasting impression on me.
Kids Who Come Back: 2.25 stars Longest short story and it was painful for me to get through because I wasn't really interested in disappearing and reappearing creepy children. The main reporter character was cool though.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed: 3.5 stars Titular short story. Again beautiful language. About vice. Love the main characters need for self destruction but like pretty edition you know?
Back When We Talked to the Dead: 2.75 stars Nice ending, just once last creepy kids story. Another case of solid (I liked following the kids and their Ouija journey). The point of conflict with the spirits was also interesting, but then the ending just felt like it was supposed to go somewhere but it didn't.
All in all, wonderful way to finish of 2021. Some really high highs, and not too low lows :). Also I get the feeling that I might a bit too small brain for this one....more
A lot of fun and very addicting. I found the characters to be very interesting and for the narrative structure to not be obvious which helpe3.75 stars
A lot of fun and very addicting. I found the characters to be very interesting and for the narrative structure to not be obvious which helped make this book so enticing. I actually didn't know it had a sequel so I'll be sure to pick it up as well....more
They Never Learn is a thriller about a university English professor who takes it upon herself to give sexual predators "what they deserve". I3.5 stars
They Never Learn is a thriller about a university English professor who takes it upon herself to give sexual predators "what they deserve". In her eyes, that's death. However, as a task force is set up to solve the "suicide" problem in the University, Scarlett Clark just might be found out. Simultaneously, we follow a young girl entering her first year at university as an English major. Carly is very nervous but is also quickly taken under the wing of Allison who quickly becomes her best friend. There is a boy who Carly is weary of, a boy who actually may be a danger to Allison.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I mean, who doesn't like unhinged women characters? I found it very interesting that the book doesn't have just good or just evil characters. Everyone is a bit of a mix. For example, Scarlett is a murderous person who decides to give justice to people she believes deserve it. Yet, she very clearly takes pleasure in committing murder and has an almost addiction for it. Thus, the reader is encouraged to decide for themselves to what extent Scarlett's actions are called for and ponder what types of punishments are sufficient for sexual abusers. Likewise I really enjoyed watching Carly is almost corruption arc, if that's what it can be described as. I also have to add but since this is in first person and both Carly and Scarlett are quite frankly crazy, you need to ask yourself how much of the narrative that we are given is reliable and not skewed. So putting all these pieces together I thought that our narrators were quite interesting.
When it came to the plot, the first half was slightly less interesting for me than the second half when things really picked up. I felt like I needed to keep reading because I was so addicted to finding out what was going to happen. I'm not very well versed in the thriller genre so I don't know if the scare factor is something that people that are interested in thrillers look for. Here I wouldn't say that it's very prominent. I'd say the thing that keeps you going further into the story is your interest to see how things play out because there are so many moving pieces and you're not quite sure which side to root for because, once again, there's no really "good" side.
I must say that the messaging in this novel is quite overt. It's not necessarily bad I just thought there would be a little more nuance to it. Especially since there is literally only one male character that is considered "good" (side character who shows up in maybe 3 scenes) and the rest are just really really terrible people. Then again our narrators are also very unreliable so take this into consideration as well. I also think that because of this very overt narrative that was being pushed across, the ending was a bit fairytale-esque and unrealistic. As in the realism and maybe impact of a different ending was scrapped in favour for those happier ending that pushes the messaging without much nuance to it.
All in all, I thought this was very fun to read. If you're in a reading slump this will probably get you out of it. However, I think there are other books like My Dark Vanessa that cover similar topics but in more depth if you're more interested in the exploration of sexual abuse and its affect on victims. The people that more-so want to be entertained this will be perfect.
(view spoiler)[ For me the most interesting aspect of the novel was the fact that Carly is Scarlett. A lot of people say they've seen it coming, personally I didn't. After finding that out I was much more invested in drying the line between the point where Carly loses her very anxious persona and becomes Scarlett as we know her at the start of the novel. I think maybe the reveal could've worked even a bit later in the book after we start seeing that for shadowing of Carly having this violent urge against men. But as is it also worked and I thought it was a brilliant storytelling device to show us honestly the beginning of a character and the most climactic moment in this character's life. And that's another reason why I think that the character work of the narrator was the most interesting to me, just seeing the world through her eyes and wondering how much of it is as true as it appears to be at first glance. (hide spoiler)]...more
The entire thing just built up the tension and it payed off very very well in how the main conflict was resolved. The cliff hange4.25 stars
Really good.
The entire thing just built up the tension and it payed off very very well in how the main conflict was resolved. The cliff hanger, however, has me reeling.
2.75 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
After last 2.75 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
After last volume, which I believed to be the best one so far, this one is a bit of a let down, with me rating it just below "good". That being said, I think that the pace will increase very soon as the scheming with the Yotsuba Corporation develops.
The first segment of the volume I found to be significantly better than the second half. After the shocking ending of Light relinquishing the Death Note I was anticipating the confinement story line and it did not disappoint. However, this lasted much shorter than I anticipated and when the plot moved on, even though I think the wrapping up of it was done well, I wasn't quite ready for the next segment to take such a turn.
Honestly, I do not really care about the corporation. The one part of the story line that I find to be interesting is the fact that now the readers are with L and we too can try to figure out which one of the board members is the third Kira.
But overall, I am missing Ryuk. He was not at all in this volume and he is my favorite Shinigami. Although I prefer Rem's design, Ryuk has so much more character and is the heart of this series, I think. I really hope he returns. I also wonder if Light will regain the Death Note because I loved the back and forth between him and L, whereas now he is just a bit boring...
All this being said, I did this this volume was fine. Not as great as the previous ones, but not everything can be 100% enjoyable all the time right?
4 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
Again the pace4 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
Again the pace picks up. This review will be a super short one because I do not have a lot to add.
It was a lot of fun. I could not put it down. Of course, it wasn't perfect. Intrigue could have been a bit higher, the twist at the end lost me a bit (so I guess I'll have to read vol. 5 to understand it), but overall, it was a bunch of fun.
I love the dynamic that Misa introduces to the story. I love the way Light tries to out-maneuver L in the end. I love the will they/won't they situation with L's name. I also really liked how the Shinigami mythos is once again expanded.
I have honestly no clue in what direction the next volume will go in... (view spoiler)[ I miss Ryuk already (hide spoiler)].
3 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
The past two r3 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
The past two reviews of this series have been using my usual graphic novel/comic book/manga review format, but now that the writing style is pretty much constant, I won't remark on is as much and so I am going back to a more traditional form of review. That being said, maybe I'll notice a shift later on and go back to focusing on the previous review format if need be.
That being out of the way, Hard Run was not on quite the level of the previous two instalments, but that being said, it was still good. I found it a bit more boring (just the lack of engagement until the very end made it more of a slog). This brought my enjoyment of it down. I also felt like this one was more "padded" if you will when compared to, for example, the first volume where each chapter had a specific thing it was going for.
The one area that was fascinating to read about was the confrontation between L and Light. In fact, their manoeuvring right now, though maybe not 100% realistic, keeps me on the tip of my toes.
A significant plot twist occurs, but I will address it in my spoiler section: (view spoiler)[ Although many people have been saying in their reviews that they were shocked that there is another Kira, personally I thought it was quite obvious, and the reveal just didn't have as much tension build up as I thought it would, which made this volume fall a bit flat for me. I knew it wasn't Light because, a) we never saw him mention this plan or hint that he has something planned, b) the murders that they were performing had to utilise the Shinigami eyes, c) they were killing innocents. Not that I do not like the idea of having another Kira. I am truly anticipating to see where this plot line goes. (hide spoiler)]
All in all, weakest volume so far, but still a good read.
3.75 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
The second 3.75 stars **This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**
The second instalment in the Death Note manga was fantastic! I am in love with the conflict, specifically how the author shows us both L and Light's perspectives and forces us to consider both viewpoints (makes me super engaged). I am enjoying this much more than I thought I would, and that is a very good thing! I have had a reading slump for around 2 months, but this just might pull me out of it because thanks to this series, I actually want to read again!!
Story: ★★★.75 As already mentioned, I love the dual perspective. I am not quite sure if I am Team-L or Team-Light, quite yet. Morally, I side with L, but can you imagine how interesting it would be if Light started going more and more chaotic? Plot-wise, that would be fascinating in terms of possibilities, and character-wise it would be super engaging. I can't quite give this the full 4 star rating for story, though because I find it odd how fast things are moving for the police force: the fact that they are so intense about some aspects and how they come to some conclusions really fast. I just sense a bit of convenience that I can't shake away. The best part by far, however, was the little segment with Raye's (the FBI agent) fiancee Naomi. She was so smart and then the fact that she was manipulated by Light, built up his character, meanwhile making me attached to Naomi!
Writing: ★★★.75 The writing also improved a lot, yet I am not quite sure if to the extent that I would like (but again time and translation is a factor). No longer are the conversations as awkward (and one of the jokes was fantastic: essentially after seeing that Light can sew, Ryuk remarks that he must be popular with the ladies. To this, Light says that he is, but not because of sewing and that it is his looks that count. Then he asks if Ryuk is not popular with the ladies and Ryuk's face is priceless!!). A lot of room for improvement, but I am not complaining at all. This time I got the jokes!
Sidenote - when starting this out, I thought Ryuk would be a totally different character, right now he is one probably my favorite! <3
This is one of the most grotesque books I have ever read. It's a bit like Love Actually if it took place in small town America with the main3.75 stars
This is one of the most grotesque books I have ever read. It's a bit like Love Actually if it took place in small town America with the main characters all being murderers, necrophiles, and pedophiles. If you get triggered by anything, don't read this book. It has everything.
We follow the Russell family through two generations: Willard is an army veteran who has just returned from Vietnam and starts a family. However, not all things go to plan and soon his son, Arvin, finds himself in dire straights. Simultaneously we follow a couple, Sandy and Carl, who drive around in their truck looking for hitchhikers to photograph and murder. Again, very grotesque novel, but I found it interesting in the way it is composed.
First, I'd like to compliment the writing. I think the first half was better written than the latter, but overall it is written very well. Here is a quote from Chapter 10 (the first one in part II), which was my favorite chapter by the way.
“[Sandy] was good at it, flirting and flapping her jaws, putting them at ease.”
In this chapter the manner of the murder (which I won't spoil) is slowly revealed to us as we are introduced to the two culprits. Pollock subtly hints at the deed itself many times and does a fantastic job at characterising the characters by alluding to it. This quote showcases this spectacularly, I think. Although the literal meaning of the sentence is that Sandy is good at flirting and making people feel comfortable, the use of "flapping ... jaws" makes her seem more animalistic and like a predator. With that context, "putting them at ease" sounds a lot more sinister as if she was able to calm them before the 'pounce' if you will. It was those little details that I thought were magnificent.
The other thing that I want to briefly mention was the thematic expression of the novel because wow. It was multifaceted on almost every account. The main two themes that I enjoyed were desire and the loss of innocence. Innocence is definitely more prominent, but nevertheless it is heartbreaking and captivating. The most obvious examples are how Arvin grows up trying to be good but inevitably learning violence from his father and how Lenora's life falls apart despite her dutifulness to God, which she thinks will save her. However, I'd like to make the case that Roy, the eccentric preacher, also goes on one such arc. (view spoiler)[Through his overzealous belief in his ability to revive the dead leads to him murdering his wife, but this was also because of how Theodore manipulates him. He then naively follows his best friend and tries to keep them afloat. After he dies, he goes on the doomed mission to reunite with his already dead daughter because he has that innocent faith that if he sees her all will be well. He dies int he process. Roy isn't a "good" character by any means but he does have an innocence about him that ultimately leads to his downfall. (hide spoiler)] The other theme that I loved, desire, was not as overtly in your face, but I found it interesting maybe even more so. In The Devil All the Time, desire is what truly rules the characters: whether sexual, monetary, or religious (etc). The way it is manifested is so different but because we get this specific framing, each character becomes understandable to the reader, though most are monstrous. Willard and Sandy exemplify this, I think. No matter how repulsed we are by the prayer log, we root for Willard to forget Vietnam and for his wife to get better. No matter how disgusting Sandy's deeds are, we understand what drove her to joining Carl through the initial framing of her life as being driven by the desire to be seen, cared for, and excited. I loved that.
A motif that I enjoyed was the photograph and how it is used to preserve moments in a lifetime. All characters have their defining moments that they keep coming back to: Arvin with his dog, Willard with the strung up soldier, Lenora with her dad leaving, Carl and his first trip with Sandy. There's this idea that these little moments pinpoint who we are and will become that I found interesting.
Obviously, this wasn't a perfect book in my opinion. Mostly this is due to my enjoyment factor not being as high as I wanted it to be and some scenes just went a bit far (especially with the slurs) for my taste. Overall, though, solid book....more
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