Thomas > Recent Status Updates

Had to reread it from the beginning yesterday because I lost track and needed a refresher, very happy to dive back into it.

Kind of knew this was litfic when I grabbed it three years ago, did some more on and off research in recent months since I’m getting back into reading more. Really fascinating prose, can’t get over how the characters talk.

Why do I feel like there’s always a catch.

Just realized that there’s a chance Neugebauer might pull the same ambiguity that she did with her first novella and if she does that here I will be sick.

Hit Ch. 15 and this is exactly what I’m talking about. Oppressive in how it makes me want to just scream but also so clear in how it’s playing with people being locked inside their own heads/perceptions that that barrier just becomes the anxious horror in and of itself. Definitely more nerve-wracking to me than The Extra.

More of a painful reading experience than the Extra only because in the latter, you’re internally screaming because the situation is so difficult to parse. In this one, the dramatic irony makes you internally scream because you’re in the know of each perspective and can possibly actively see when there’s a character misstep.

Really fascinating to go into this after watching the movie. The way the stories seem to fall into place while also being effective as entirely separate tales is amazing. Love when you get a lot of moving parts that start to come together as a whole. Heard that Uketsu’s novels have similar aspects so I’m excited for those as well!

The short chapters and flowing prose really help pull you along. I simultaneously feel both distant from the characters while also being in their heads.

I love the language the author uses within the work, it really weaves this image of how the characters interact with each other. The insidious parts sink in really really well and are organically introduced at a great pace. Love the characters and the setting!

I like how the writing takes you on this convoluted journey through peoples’ thoughts and the setting and little tidbits of info in general.

The MC is my age (🤢🤮terrifying) and I just found out the author is the founder of the Mountain Goats. This Subaru Dealership is about to get interesting.

These illustrations are genuinely beautiful.

Something, something…