Psycane > Recent Status Updates

I understand the purpose of her obsession with astrology, but my lord do her digressions about it go on forever so as to become more cyclical and frustrating than psychologically engaging

I might be approaching this book unfairly given Tokarczuk's open embrace of AI and knowing its painfully trite "twist." At times I'm caught up by her prose and the protagonist's plights and philosophy, at others it spins its wheels in concentric circles and I wonder what exactly she's trying to do or say. Conflicting and confounding in equal measure.

I like getting at complicated messy people and relationships, but Hugo never quite feels like more than a composite, more than the biography of her rather than her in her own words. It feels like it doesn't quite have the confidence to give the complicated relationship dynamics the nuance they need, and thus unintentionally is a bit questionable in this latter part in its handling of her sexuality

Mmm yeah don't like emphasizing "those MEN" in reference to those who participated at the Stonewall riots. Rather ignorant for a story about queer people in the 60s, especially focused on a queer WOMAN.

The staggered short "chapters" are a unique way of pacing out the story and character beats, getting you into Jay's shattered mindset while feeling like the purposeful, timed beats of acclimation in diving. Easy for this to not work, Kraus somehow does it in a way that feels so natural.

Like what an unapologetically sexual being she is in spite of how this was treated of female stars at the time. You can see her in Elizabeth Taylor's shoes, forced by the studio to do a film transparently based on her love life, yelling "I WAS THE SLUT OF ALL TIME!" to raucous laughter. I presume she'll get the last laugh, as Taylor did when she won her first Oscar for the very film containing that infamous line.

The way the press will boomerang in how they refer to a celebrity at any given time, yet always need a point of negative/positive comparison, is accurate even today yes, but especially in Hollywood press of the time period if you've spent any time looking at 30s-80s newspapers.

Oh, maybe more Hepburn than I thought lol. Also add Tippi Hedron and, I can't believe I forgot, Olivia De Havilland

Reid certainly did her due diligence in researching the industry, journalism, and, of course, actresses of early-to-mid 20th Century. Hugo is Myrna Loy, Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor, a pinch of Deborah Kerr and Marilyn Monroe, a dash of Katherine Hepburn and Merle Oberon, and a little Clara Bow to garnish. But I'm still waiting for her to be fully-realized. Monique even more so.

You really think someone would do that? Just title their book after a character who dies??

Was not expecting the homoeroticism, funniest part of the book so far

Hmm... still not entirely sure what Cohen is trying to convey. Whether this is simply because I have not finished the novel, a failure to make a cohesive thesis, the purpose in and of itself, or my own intellectual shortcomings, we shall see

Maggie O'Farrell is a rich, vivid storyteller who paints this story as a beautiful capture of lives in time, subjected to nature and all its cruel whims, but also its ethereal, unfathomable wonder that is a special strength to take into oneself.

I've long been curious about this recent Pulitzer-Winner and decided to finally pick it up. Where would it stand in a court of public opinion on the State of Israel and the Netanyahu family that has changed drastically in just 5 years? What would it have to say about the Jewish-American identity and diaspora? Would its satire be pretentious deflection, or cutting observation? As of yet, I'm unsure the answers.

Enjoying this, I really love the style of storytelling Reid is doing, fully letting the characters just tell the story exactly how they would. Pete, Eddie and Warren do feel like they're fading into the background with just the occasional reminder they're still there, and I wish there was some more tension and stark difference in memory and recounting besides small details.

Oh it's a GenAI metaphor, gotcha

Third act seperation feels pretty out of the blue, and the reveal a bit clunky and rushed

Much simpler and more straightforward than Piper's other books with some generic elements and shortcomings, but nonetheless shows her mastery of troubled queer protagonists, empathic style of storytelling, and the slow creeping dread of fear.