Reviews

Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas

jbash_lo_fi's review against another edition

4.0

Tsiolkas has a searingly accurate grasp of class in Melbourne and its cultural idiosyncrasies. The first half of the book was certainly the stronger part for me but the end felt unresolved. It's a long book that loses it's steam.

open_far's review against another edition

4.0

So good! such an intimate inside view of a teenage boy from Greek-Irish Australian family, battered by the brutal forces of class and masculinity and faced with youth's weirdly deathly precipices

rdoose's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was an intense and often uncomfortable reading experience; I think the author was really smart for interspersing future Daniel with past Danny, because Danny was such a difficult headspace to be in, and if we didn't see any evidence of growth, I'm not sure how many people would have kept reading. I really appreciated Daniel's journey as a character.

This would have been an easy full 4 stars if not for a major aspect of the ending. It felt far-fetched and convenient in a book that otherwise was so grounded in often unlikable reality. I didn't buy the motivation for it, and the book as a whole just didn't come together in the end for me in that aspect. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia

Moderate: Violence

zordrac's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition

4.0

"Barracuda" is a tough book about a boy who is angry and talented, from a blue collar family, a scholarship kid at a private school which makes him even angrier. Just when you think you can't take any more of Danny Kelley, the novel spring ahead in time and you see Dan helping people, working as a caregiver. How did that kid get there? That question is what builds tension and impels "Barracuda" forward. The ending is awkward and not completely convincing, but, ah, so what? It's a powerful read and worth it.

sonyaf's review against another edition

2.0

I so enjoyed reading "The Slap" and have recommended it to so many people. So when Barracuda came out I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, I knew the style would be as confronting as before and was prepared for that. I also have connections with the competitive swimming community so have some understanding of the character descriptions. Here is the hard part - every summary of this book, including on the back of the book itself, is in fact nothing like what the story is. We are set up to believe that we are arriving in the middle of Danny's desperate fight for swimming supremacy and that we are going to follow that story with all the layers of characters that come with it. The actual story couldn't be further from the truth as it is apparent very early on that he has failed completely. From that point on I felt cheated out of the story I thought I was getting. That is why it gets 2 stars - summarise the story for what it really is please. If I knew I was getting a book about the aftermath of failure my star rating might have been different.

emybooksandcoffee's review against another edition

2.0

Interesting themes but not a fan of the writing style.

philippakmoore's review against another edition

4.0

Such a compelling, unsettling and interesting read - trademark Tsiolkas. As an expat Australian, so much of the social commentary in this novel resonated with me. As always Tsiolkas creates characters you don't particularly like, in fact you want to slap them (forgive the nod to his more well known work there!) a lot of the time, but you understand them because the author shows us their humanity, their vulnerability and, the strongest theme in this novel, their shame. Tsiolkas lays everything bare and pulls few, if any, punches. I am rarely disappointed by his writing.

nellday's review against another edition

2.0

The thing I like about Christos Tsiolkas' writing is that you never have to spend long wondering about what a character's penis might look like. He is all over that! Meanwhile, I found myself wanting this book to end before it did, and I found the shifts in tense and person often didn't seem to add much. Some nice writing about swimming though.

becsti's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0