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owls_rainbow's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
congressbaby143's review
3.0
A line from Hozier’s tweets that I read just prior to reading this kept coming up while I was going through this book. It was his tweet for Pride and it goes: “... I know too well the young male vanity that imagines itself holding monopoly over isolation.” I think that while we have to take into consideration that Greg was struggling with his mental health; we also still shouldn’t forget the possibility that he might also possess this young male vanity Hozier speaks of. It is, after all, very visible in the way he speaks about “the Vultures” while Ian and Goose get to go by their names even when they treated him in the same terrible way as these girls in his class did.
I think this book was well written enough because of how easy it is to read even with how difficult the subject is. I noticed the diary entries that were pages long but it was actually just made up of this one long sentence. And you wouldn’t notice it until you find yourself in a frenzied state, almost out of breath, also experiencing the frenzied state Greg is in.
Was he named Fly by his Nan for being afraid of spiders?
I actually believed the reality of the cruelties that surrounded Greg. I believed the reality of his isolation. But if he were not schizophrenic, I reckon I wouldn’t hang out with him too because of how prudish he is and how terrible he viewed the women around him. If he weren’t schizophrenic, I’d imagine him to be the fedora-wearing type – yes, those ones. The same ones who would insist that things were better if we were still living in the time of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Let’s face it though, 50’s aesthetic was beautiful but all the sexism and racism? It was only good for young white men. But I do acknowledge how empathetic he was towards his mother sometimes, and even towards Miss Hayes. There are small heartbreaks found in the margins of what he wanted to say that never made it out of his head.
It is tragic. And it’s terrible that we never really know Alice apart from her interactions with Greg, and she dies in the end. She barely gets a word in and she dies in the end. She was only the subject of an obsession that was actually pretty creepy regardless and she dies in the end. This is why I couldn’t rate this more than a three no matter how quick I breezed through this book.
I think this book was well written enough because of how easy it is to read even with how difficult the subject is. I noticed the diary entries that were pages long but it was actually just made up of this one long sentence. And you wouldn’t notice it until you find yourself in a frenzied state, almost out of breath, also experiencing the frenzied state Greg is in.
Was he named Fly by his Nan for being afraid of spiders?
I actually believed the reality of the cruelties that surrounded Greg. I believed the reality of his isolation. But if he were not schizophrenic, I reckon I wouldn’t hang out with him too because of how prudish he is and how terrible he viewed the women around him. If he weren’t schizophrenic, I’d imagine him to be the fedora-wearing type – yes, those ones. The same ones who would insist that things were better if we were still living in the time of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Let’s face it though, 50’s aesthetic was beautiful but all the sexism and racism? It was only good for young white men. But I do acknowledge how empathetic he was towards his mother sometimes, and even towards Miss Hayes. There are small heartbreaks found in the margins of what he wanted to say that never made it out of his head.
It is tragic. And it’s terrible that we never really know Alice apart from her interactions with Greg, and she dies in the end. She barely gets a word in and she dies in the end. She was only the subject of an obsession that was actually pretty creepy regardless and she dies in the end. This is why I couldn’t rate this more than a three no matter how quick I breezed through this book.
drridareads's review
Tried to read for months. Found the concept intriguing. Never read a book on phobias before. But it just wasn't for me.
morganrondo's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me of both The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Flowers for Algernon.
It was an interesting, suspenseful story, though unrealistic at times.
It was an interesting, suspenseful story, though unrealistic at times.
boyeatsgod's review
4.0
4.5 stars // while this book was on the slower side, i couldn't put it down.
the synopsis does not in any way do justice to what this book is actually about. i went into it thinking i was going to read a quirky unrequited love type of coming of age story about a boy who just doesn't fit in and has the odds against him and i am on the other side of this novel completely torn apart. i feel horrible for greg, i feel horrible about the things he's done and god he was such a creepy main character to read through the eyes of but i couldn't help but feel for him and root for him all the same. my heart feels hollow.
the writing style was wonderful, the format was interesting and there were many instances where the diary format allowed for more experimental prose which i adored!
go into this book with an open mind and follow greg's tale, you won't regret it.
the synopsis does not in any way do justice to what this book is actually about. i went into it thinking i was going to read a quirky unrequited love type of coming of age story about a boy who just doesn't fit in and has the odds against him and i am on the other side of this novel completely torn apart. i feel horrible for greg, i feel horrible about the things he's done and god he was such a creepy main character to read through the eyes of but i couldn't help but feel for him and root for him all the same. my heart feels hollow.
the writing style was wonderful, the format was interesting and there were many instances where the diary format allowed for more experimental prose which i adored!
go into this book with an open mind and follow greg's tale, you won't regret it.
nyniamhsedai's review
4.0
Heavy going at times, but if you are a fan of reading Perfume, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and We Need to Talk About Kevin, while watching Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene, and Girl Interrupted, all the while listening to Stan, then this is the book for you. The narrative was interestingly done, the pace was perfect and the transcripts help build up the tension as the story arced. Very good.
booksandladders's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoyed this one. I liked that we got to see schizophrenia in this manner because it felt so real. I also really liked the inclusion of the police transcripts in between. I thought they added clarity to the narrative. I liked that we got it from Greg's point of view rather than from the outside. I think it would have been difficult to connect with Greg if we hadn't been so deep inside his head. The hardest part for me to get through were the "Date Unknown" sections because of the way they were written. I mean, it was necessary for the book and to understand Greg's mind, but those bits took me double the amount of time to read.
I have read some of the other reviews that say the ending is left open but I didn't think so? I'm going to put my thoughts on the ending under spoiler, but reading will spoil the entire book for you so don't do it.
My only real complaint is that I felt like some of the storylines were headed in one direction and then tapered off. Like the Lucy one and the Mrs. Hayes one. It seemed like they were going to be more important to the story than what they actually were. I was anticipating there to be a bit more about them in the future, but really it was just something to throw us off the scent or to show that life was still happening in the background even when Greg was living in his own mind.
I highly recommend this one. It was one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. And I think once you get used to the writing style, you will be enthralled by this novel. As well, it is just really good. Like REALLY GOOD.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
"It's amazing how much damage we did just by leaving, just by not being there."
I really enjoyed this one. I liked that we got to see schizophrenia in this manner because it felt so real. I also really liked the inclusion of the police transcripts in between. I thought they added clarity to the narrative. I liked that we got it from Greg's point of view rather than from the outside. I think it would have been difficult to connect with Greg if we hadn't been so deep inside his head. The hardest part for me to get through were the "Date Unknown" sections because of the way they were written. I mean, it was necessary for the book and to understand Greg's mind, but those bits took me double the amount of time to read.
I have read some of the other reviews that say the ending is left open but I didn't think so? I'm going to put my thoughts on the ending under spoiler, but reading will spoil the entire book for you so don't do it.
Spoiler
To me, Greg accidentally drowned Alice. He was having one of his episodes and didn't realize that he was hurting her and scratched her so badly and then left. He was the one holding her head up so as soon as that happened, she went underwater. Combine that with the fact she probably had a bit of alcohol poisoning from the whiskey, and that is how people drown. Especially since that almost happened to Sarah back on Finners Island, I assumed these two stories tied together. However, not knowing FOR SURE didn't impact my liking of the book.My only real complaint is that I felt like some of the storylines were headed in one direction and then tapered off. Like the Lucy one and the Mrs. Hayes one. It seemed like they were going to be more important to the story than what they actually were. I was anticipating there to be a bit more about them in the future, but really it was just something to throw us off the scent or to show that life was still happening in the background even when Greg was living in his own mind.
I highly recommend this one. It was one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. And I think once you get used to the writing style, you will be enthralled by this novel. As well, it is just really good. Like REALLY GOOD.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
2.0
WHAT THE CRAP. I don’t understand what just happened. I’ll have more fully formed thoughts on this when it’s not 2 am... but for now suffice to say it was kind of Perks of Being a Wallflower ripoff-y But not as good? In a creepy way? I thought this book was going to be fantastic when I started it but it was TOO over the top and just... no thanks?