Karsten Caparas > Recent Status Updates

Oh it’s actually smut. Not sure why I’m surprised.

Once I’ve picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down.

An interesting read post-Covid.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book.

In some ways, I'm enjoying a lot of the journey of the characters with the game development. In a lot of ways, I feel somewhat critical and annoyed at how the characters are written, and some of the ways they are described. It's currently a constant push and pull of enjoying myself and being annoyed at what I'm reading.

The writing style makes it very easy to follow the story so far. Chapters are quite short and succinct but I’m often surprised by how fast the story progresses.

I don’t have a lot of knowledge regarding Greek mythology and history, but the narrator’s voice and viewpoint echoes the same feelings a reader like me who are unfamiliar to Greek mythology. The narrator’s perspective helps readers like me tether to the emotional undercurrents of the story unfolding.

So far this book has only been frustrating me with its (seemingly intentional?) ambiguity with details juxtaposed with sudden declarations. At times the tone of the books feels like its telling me how I should feel and process the storytelling.

I will keep reading as I'm almost done, but the impression I have of it so far is that it is pretentious. I'm waiting to be proven wrong and my patience is being tested.

I’ve been falling asleep as I read this book and it felt like it took me forever to read these first few pages. Maybe I’m just tired. But I feel like nothing is happening yet.

The book continues to explore questions regarding what consent looks like in various context and situations.

The book also questions the effectiveness of therapy as a treatment, and norms regarding relationships.

Just whenever I think the book can’t become tougher to read, it proves me wrong. Yet, I can’t stop to put it down.

This book should have a trigger warning. It’s not a book for those who may be going through some difficult situations.

My last update mentions a character I hate - now I got another to add to the list.

The last hundred pages I’ve read so far were difficult to read due the emotional weight of the situation, but so difficult to turn away from.

Found my least favourite character. But he’s a great foil to Jude.

The chapter I’ve just read is from Willem’s POV and it’s further exploration of queer platonic relationships.

The parts I’ve read so far captures how pain and hope are often intertwined.

Learning more about Jude at this point of the book.

Yanagihara’s writing can take tropes or plot points that seem predictable or overdone and still make them carry a lot of the emotional weight — the impact still heavy and felt.