Hikikomori

Bear Parade #9

by Ellen Kennedy, Tao Lin

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Short Stories

100 pages, html

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Tao]

http://www.bearparade.com/hikikomori

[Jackdaw ☄ Bronteroc]

Η δημιουργικότητα καταστρεφεται οταν είσαι κλασμένος.

[W.B.]

This is an amazing book. It was free on his site. I went back to it a few times. I am a fan of epistolary fiction from A to Z, and this is a really fun book. The characters are severely depressed, but you won't be. (Note cheerful spin.)

[Caitlin]

The first half had some moments that were so surreal it was funny, but the rest of the "novella/blog" was a bore that revolved around overly long, pointless, confusing short stories that couldn't even maintain a setting or characters. It was also fairly irritating because the letters between Ellen and Tao simply feel like a contest of who can come up with the weirdest, most illogical tales possible. Oh, and everyone is constantly convulsing, sad, depressed, scared or nervous. Even when something beneficial happens to the characters, they are "very chronically depressed". Only recommended if you are very bored at work, and if so, just read up to page 49 to avoid the plethora of terrible short stories.

[Bin]

A FUCKING MAZING

[Carah Naseem]

Up until the point with the plethora of ugly fish stories, I actually sorta liked it.
Then I didn't. I made it to page 62.

[Lachlan]

TAO LIN SUCKS

[Marie Ant]

I am half way through this e-book. I like it...

[V.]

:: i feel lonely too.

[Lucas]

Ellen & Tao are my favorite 'real' celebrity couple.

[Phoebe A]

dear tao and ellen

today i looked at the window and counted the rain drops for 8 hours. i lied on my bed in a fetal position. i fell asleep for 240 hours. after i woke up, i looked at the clock and it said it was 2 p.m. i spent my time on the web for 3 hours. i read hikikomori. i stared at my gadget too long that it split into 6 small richard yates heads. we played basketball and then they said goodbye. i feel lonely.

phoebe

[Iris]

i have mixed feelings abt this some parts were beyond absurd which kept u reading and some parts just dragged. the hopeful bits were nice i wish it ended on a hopeful bit. this review sounds a bit like how the book sounds. save me

[danielle; ▵]

i think i liked this

[Parth Jawale]

The Adventures of Ellen, Tao, Richard Yates, John Updike and a gross representation of Salmon (ugly fish) Rushdie.

[Benjamin Rowe]

Kind of loses steam. I like Ellen's writing here more than Tao's.

[t]

2.5

[Will]

Richard Yates, violent suicide, fantasies of mass murder and soybeans. Annoying and repetitive, but also fun.

- Kurt Vonnegut

[Elías Casella]

Está bien.

[Eliana Morte]

Demasiado delirante para mi gusto

[ExeDavid]

3 stars

[Deni]

bueno, no sé bien qué decir. me ha hecho reír este libro y hasta me pareció simpático pero la verdad es que es bastante pelotudo. valoro la pelotudez pero me gustaría algo más además de este jugueteo.

[Bill Shaner]

v interesting use of the 'net

[Jackson]

Tao writes like someone half his age. Puerile stuff. But I laughed.

[Kirsten]

Silly. Creative.

[Brandon]

I like Lin, but I have to assume he just didn't find his "voice" until his first novel

[njs]

i rate this book 5 out of 5 choking victim hamsters.

[roxanne]

no