Bennett Starnes > Recent Status Updates

Not sure I want the book to end.
Captivating. Keeps me a little off-kilter.
I get the conceit of the book and it doesn’t feel contrived or over-done. Reminds me a bit of TC Boyle in places & also of other voices I can’t place just yet. Not to say it is derivative. Have enjoyed it immensely.

Enjoyable from the start. Glad I finally gave this guy a shot.

Bought this in London, early November, 2024.

Have struggled with the way this is written & where events take place in time. To be sure it doesn’t really matter: most events are painful & seem to compound rather than build on each other. I can sort of put in order the deaths of family members & acquaintances but other parts get fuzzy (I don’t want go give away one particular event). Definitely not an uplifting read. Arrestingly painful at times.

So much angst. It is riveting! And well-wrought, too.

Was an entertaining adventure.
Was relieved when one fellow directly rebutted another guy’s biases. Lots of plant & landscape talk.

I’m enjoying it. Brutal but not gruesome; definitely magical.

Flying through this one. Trying to reconcile how the protagonist & I are the same age.

I started this months back but froze just before page 50. Wasn’t sure I’d get past that part, but it has been worth it so far. I wish there was a glossary, but it’s not so tough to find a dictionary these days. Still unsure how I feel about the narrator, but the ‘search’ for Nelly has me fascinated.

Carney feels like a real person. He’s not a hero, not an anti-hero. And I think that makes him all the more compelling. I’m a bit sad to see this one end. Looking forward to more Whitehead novels.

Engrossing. Love the main character. Feels like a real person.

Took a little for me to get interested, but I think I’ll stick with it. Dark - bleak - definitely some gallows humor in here.

Quick read, deep topics. I like her style.

I’ve enjoyed it so far. Not falling into tropes or gimmicks. Relatable.

Big book & took some time to get into it, but I like it so far. Engaging characters & interesting (if not totally clear yet) story.

It’s okay. He’s witty enough. Sometimes the joking nature gets in the way of the serious nature.

I think I’ll be rereading this one.

Been in a rut (started 3 other books I hadn’t even listed yet) & could NOT get motivated to read anything. But this right here is captivating, quickly paced & stays with me - in a thoughtful way. True, it’s a bit gruesome, but he’s not shying away from what so often gets glossed over , or omitted entirely. And the cover alone almost brought me to tears last night

I bought it on a Sunday & my heart stood still
Da doo run run run da doo run run

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Slow moving, but definitely moving.

Sometimes scary & unnerving, it’s well-written & Emezi paints the characters almost as completely as a YA novella could. Enjoying Pet’s mental processes, too. It’s a far different life from mine, but they make it relatable.