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hrstarzec's review
5.0
"She said, now that we are grown so close, I have begun to include you in my hopes."
5/5
Shattering.
A Cure for Suicide, the third novel I've read from Jesse Ball, is similar to his later book Census in that it takes place in a vague, allegorical world that exists somewhere between surrealism/absurdism and dystopia. The largely unspecified organization looming over this novel is not so much explicitly evil as they are somewhat implied to be philosophically misguided, holding the belief that those who ideate suicide would benefit from the chance to end their current "life" and be given a new one with more guidance in hopes of preventing whatever spawned those ideations to begin with. This first section of the novel, which has whiffs of existing dystopian literature like 1984 (primarily in the secret affair that occurs in that book), is compelling in its own right, starting off gentle before implanting tiny seeds of doubt, but it reaches a different level of humanism when taken in tandem with the second section of the book, which is a long, rambling conversation in which a man recounts the events of his life that led him to seek suicide, or this "cure" for suicide. Portions of this section, as well as the short final chapter of the novel, became so vividly affecting to me that the images invaded my dreams.
5/5
Shattering.
A Cure for Suicide, the third novel I've read from Jesse Ball, is similar to his later book Census in that it takes place in a vague, allegorical world that exists somewhere between surrealism/absurdism and dystopia. The largely unspecified organization looming over this novel is not so much explicitly evil as they are somewhat implied to be philosophically misguided, holding the belief that those who ideate suicide would benefit from the chance to end their current "life" and be given a new one with more guidance in hopes of preventing whatever spawned those ideations to begin with. This first section of the novel, which has whiffs of existing dystopian literature like 1984 (primarily in the secret affair that occurs in that book), is compelling in its own right, starting off gentle before implanting tiny seeds of doubt, but it reaches a different level of humanism when taken in tandem with the second section of the book, which is a long, rambling conversation in which a man recounts the events of his life that led him to seek suicide, or this "cure" for suicide. Portions of this section, as well as the short final chapter of the novel, became so vividly affecting to me that the images invaded my dreams.
vanessazenz's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
mg_in_md_'s review
3.0
In the summer of 2017, I won a mystery box of books from a local NYT best-selling author. Included in that box was an ARC of this book. Unlike most of the other books in the box, this wasn't a traditional mystery per se. I discovered that it was one of the books long-listed for the National Book Award the year that the author who sent me the box of books was a judge for the fiction category. It turns out that another book in the box was also long-listed that year, so I thought that was pretty cool!
While the book wasn't difficult to read, I had a hard time connecting to it. The beginning of the second section of the book seemed to repeat what happened in the first part, even though some details were different. The author gives enough details for the reader to understand the basics of the story, but leaves out others that causes the reader to fill in the blanks and make their own determination. The book seemed to be geared towards an intellectual discussion and with playing with the form. While I like it when books make you think and appreciate innovative structuring, I was not engaged enough with the story or connected to the characters enough to ponder the big themes it raised. I appreciate the art behind the book, which is why I settled on a three-star rating, and wish I'd been in more of an intellectual mood when I read since I think I might have responded to it differently.
While the book wasn't difficult to read, I had a hard time connecting to it. The beginning of the second section of the book seemed to repeat what happened in the first part, even though some details were different. The author gives enough details for the reader to understand the basics of the story, but leaves out others that causes the reader to fill in the blanks and make their own determination. The book seemed to be geared towards an intellectual discussion and with playing with the form. While I like it when books make you think and appreciate innovative structuring, I was not engaged enough with the story or connected to the characters enough to ponder the big themes it raised. I appreciate the art behind the book, which is why I settled on a three-star rating, and wish I'd been in more of an intellectual mood when I read since I think I might have responded to it differently.
brianna2048's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
newlybookish24's review against another edition
4.0
“A Cure for Suicide" is like a mind-bending puzzle. The writing and format is kind of like poetry, making you feel like you're in this dreamy world where reality isn't quite what it seems. But, fair warning, it's not a fast-paced story – it takes its sweet time. If you're the patient type who enjoys getting lost in characters and loves digging through life's big questions, this book is a gem. On the flip side, if you're more into quick and snappy reads, the pace might test your patience. This earned its 4 stars — if I could, I would give it 4.5.
oldaccount22's review against another edition
4.0
“A Cure for Suicide" is like a mind-bending puzzle. The writing and format is kind of like poetry, making you feel like you're in this dreamy world where reality isn't quite what it seems. But, fair warning, it's not a fast-paced story – it takes its sweet time. If you're the patient type who enjoys getting lost in characters and loves digging through life's big questions, this book is a gem. On the flip side, if you're more into quick and snappy reads, the pace might test your patience. This earned its 4 stars — if I could, I would give it 4.5.
allsmile's review
5.0
His books are weird for sure, but Jesse Ball is one of my new favorite authors.
I was hooked from the beginning. I had no idea what was going on or why, but I was compelled to keep reading to figure it out. I thought the middle might drag when the style changed to no paragraph or line breaks, but I loved hearing the back story. And the ending was perfection, even for someone who generally likes a neat bow on a story.
I was hooked from the beginning. I had no idea what was going on or why, but I was compelled to keep reading to figure it out. I thought the middle might drag when the style changed to no paragraph or line breaks, but I loved hearing the back story. And the ending was perfection, even for someone who generally likes a neat bow on a story.
pearloz's review
2.0
Meh. What a letdown after his last book. It was interesting, I suppose, the writing is fine but the plot was...I don't know...dull? Half-assed? Really couldn't wait to be finished.
hanntastic's review
3.0
The first two thirds of this book were interesting and new and engaging. I found the last third to be just boring plot exposition to tie up the last third.