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Aug 16, 2011 Kathrina rated it liked it

Shelves: glbt, american-fiction

There are some very powerful scenes here, but I'm not satisfied with how they came together. The last few chapters are rushed and not paced with the rest of the novel. Also, not sure if it's a novel or strung together stories or Torres' memoir, thinly disguised. Not that that's such a problem, I'm just not sure what to do with this angst he's burdened me with...Great potential for a great next novel, if he still has enough passion left in him. ...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Janet rated it really liked it

On the plus side, this book was short. On the minus side, this book was short. I had a couple of free hours today and that's all it took for me to find out what a talent Justin Torres is but unfortunately, the story ended all too soon and in my mind, too abruptly. There was no denouement....just Justin goes *spoiler alert* to the mental hospital...the end.
Now I realize that Justin is a young guy and that his "novel" is more like memoir and young guys don't have a lot to write about. But he is ta ...more

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Jun 14, 2022 Linda rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, spilling-tea, 2022, hardback

Wow! Wow! Wow!
Novella of an incredibly dysfunctional biracial family. Feels as if this was all the bad with very little good.
Thinking about my rating. Want to hear from the others in my reading group.

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Jun 19, 2011 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: _own-ebook, fiction, read-in-2011

There has been so much hype around this book that I have been wanting to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, it didn't make nearly the impact on me as it appears to have made on so many others. Was it impactful? Yes. Was it edgy? Yes. Was it a great book? Ehh. Not so much. I'd say it was good but certainly not great. It had so much potential but it just didn't get there.

I think Justin Torres has a really interesting, edgy kind of way about his writing which I think is fantastic. I think there is There has been so much hype around this book that I have been wanting to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, it didn't make nearly the impact on me as it appears to have made on so many others. Was it impactful? Yes. Was it edgy? Yes. Was it a great book? Ehh. Not so much. I'd say it was good but certainly not great. It had so much potential but it just didn't get there.

I think Justin Torres has a really interesting, edgy kind of way about his writing which I think is fantastic. I think there is a lot of potential for him and his voice. That was the strength of this book - the voice. The first 2/3 of the novel had me mesmerized. I was so there, so interested in this family. And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, the author goes another direction. It was abrupt. It was unsettling. And, frankly, it took a really good novel down a few pegs to a good (almost ehh) book. If only Torres had invested more time and story (50-100 pages perhaps) to set up the last 3rd of the book instead of just dropping it into the readers lap with no set up or context. If only Torres had given the story those extra 50 to 100 pages. It could have been amazing.

The flow of the story arc is ultimately what I disliked about this novel and why, in the end, I struggle with rating it. This is one of those books that really had potential but it just didn't live up to it. I can see why there are folks who loved it - who felt something as a result of the story. The first 2/3 really are wonderful and impactful. Those initial pages get under your skin and make you FEEL something. Which for me, was one of the reasons that I ultimately disliked the novel so much ... to make me feel so much and then end the novel so badly. I just couldn't get past it. It cheapened the entire novel for me.

I'm not sure that I can even recommend it - that is how disappointing the last 3rd of the novel was to me. It is a very short novel so it's not a huge investment of time. So, if you want to see what all the fuss is about, you might want to check it out. But, ultimately, I'd suggest you skip it and seek out something else. ...more

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Jul 31, 2013 Antonia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2013, botns-book

I loved the writing. Was hooked from page 1. Read it straight through, with just enough time out for supper.

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Apr 09, 2012 Sera rated it did not like it

Shelves: library, literary-fiction, hated-it

There is nothing redeeming about this horrible book.

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Oct 07, 2011 Betsy rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, race-issues, bookmarks-magazine, botns-recs, 2012

I'm still working through my head how I feel about this book. I found it in equal parts horrifying and heartbreaking. Justin Torres says in an interview that this is a complete work of fiction and that he is protective of his family, but at the same time the story seems to parallel his own life in almost every way. I got the impression as I read it that writing it had been a cathartic experience for him. ...more

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