Scan barcode
elegyandprose's review
4.0
You know those T.V. shows that you have to pay attention to order to understand the story and whats happening? This is one of those. It jumps back and fourth alot between times - which I liked, the back and forth kept my attention focused.
helpfulsnowman's review
4.0
Totally gorgeous book where the story starts maybe just a tad too late. What I mean is, I plowed through about 25 pages before it got to the core and completely broke my heart. After that I was hooked, and it delivered. But the first little bit seemed almost like it was a little too gritty somehow. In retrospect, the grit helps heighten the vulnerable parts later, but I think it took me a little too long to figure out where the book was going. But once I did, totally worth it, and this is one of the rare titles that I recommend reading a little further than you might want to at first. It's not the speediest start, but the meat is worth it.
It has some dreamlike, hallucinatory stuff in it, but it totally works, which is a rarity. Why does it work?
Let's go back to why these things don't work.
I knew that one of my writing teachers was one of my favorites because he thinks dreams in writing are kinda bullshitty. Because a dream can be anything. And nobody wants to hear about your dreams. We all know that, right? By the way, if you had an amazing dream and you have to tell someone about it, and if you know they're not interested, tell them they were in the dream. Then just arbitrarily insert them in somewhere. We don't CARE about other peoples' dreams, but we are still sort of flattered to make an appearance.
The visions in this book work differently for a couple reasons.
First, they're rendered in a very concrete way. We know what the character is perceiving, exactly, no question. It's very unambiguous, and that makes them work because while what's happening is not normal, the way events are broken down make me certain of where we are in space, whose body we're occupying, and so on.
Second, it's very clear that these are hallucinations. No bullshit about maybe they're real, maybe they're not. They are unequivocally not real. No Field of Dreams bullshit.
Third, They don't provide the character information he doesn't already have. We use hallucinatory events as a way of connecting to identity and past events, but the character doesn't learn anything he doesn't already know. He doesn't see events that he was not a part of before. This works, it's logical. I don't want to read a hallucination where a kid sees his parents fighting when, in reality, he wasn't even there. That's a cheat.
That's a very quick summary because I don't want to ruin the book. But it's the rare book that gets a thumbs up from me and features some heavy unreal elements.
It has some dreamlike, hallucinatory stuff in it, but it totally works, which is a rarity. Why does it work?
Let's go back to why these things don't work.
I knew that one of my writing teachers was one of my favorites because he thinks dreams in writing are kinda bullshitty. Because a dream can be anything. And nobody wants to hear about your dreams. We all know that, right? By the way, if you had an amazing dream and you have to tell someone about it, and if you know they're not interested, tell them they were in the dream. Then just arbitrarily insert them in somewhere. We don't CARE about other peoples' dreams, but we are still sort of flattered to make an appearance.
The visions in this book work differently for a couple reasons.
First, they're rendered in a very concrete way. We know what the character is perceiving, exactly, no question. It's very unambiguous, and that makes them work because while what's happening is not normal, the way events are broken down make me certain of where we are in space, whose body we're occupying, and so on.
Second, it's very clear that these are hallucinations. No bullshit about maybe they're real, maybe they're not. They are unequivocally not real. No Field of Dreams bullshit.
Third, They don't provide the character information he doesn't already have. We use hallucinatory events as a way of connecting to identity and past events, but the character doesn't learn anything he doesn't already know. He doesn't see events that he was not a part of before. This works, it's logical. I don't want to read a hallucination where a kid sees his parents fighting when, in reality, he wasn't even there. That's a cheat.
That's a very quick summary because I don't want to ruin the book. But it's the rare book that gets a thumbs up from me and features some heavy unreal elements.
ari__s's review
3.0
I never got my footing while reading this book I think because Rhonda had lost his. In that respect, this book was brilliant. I did feel like some sort of way had been found toward the end, but with the very clear reality that there was still a way to go. I liked the way his story was told: the present, the flashbacks, and especially the "Tell me [you] more" chapters. It's staggered story telling - it keeps you moving forward while never letting you get comfortable.
Random note: I'm never one for needing movie casting to tell me what characters look like; however in the case of Rhonda, I'd like to see what his broken arm looks like because in my head it is literally shaped like a boomerang and that might be a little extreme. A movie still might help iron that mental image (and arm) out.
I think because of the depersonalization (which, for some reason, I kept trying to read as depressionalization - which, yes, I know is not a word) and how it amplifies the staggered story telling, reading this book is unsettling enough that I wouldn't read it again. The lack of footing, while being something I praised, is too disconcerting and can almost be depressionalizing for the reader in and of itself (yes, that was a joke - but the point is serious). What would get me to come back to this book is Mohr's prose. It flows in a beautifully weird way that resonates like an inkblot on a white surface.
Above all, this is a crushing story of a boy trying to find love, find a way to cope, and find a way to cope with how he copes. At the end of the day, you're left feeling kind of miserable and broken, but Mohr grants you enough hope at the Damascus bar that this story ends on the upswing.
Random note: I'm never one for needing movie casting to tell me what characters look like; however in the case of Rhonda, I'd like to see what his broken arm looks like because in my head it is literally shaped like a boomerang and that might be a little extreme. A movie still might help iron that mental image (and arm) out.
I think because of the depersonalization (which, for some reason, I kept trying to read as depressionalization - which, yes, I know is not a word) and how it amplifies the staggered story telling, reading this book is unsettling enough that I wouldn't read it again. The lack of footing, while being something I praised, is too disconcerting and can almost be depressionalizing for the reader in and of itself (yes, that was a joke - but the point is serious). What would get me to come back to this book is Mohr's prose. It flows in a beautifully weird way that resonates like an inkblot on a white surface.
Above all, this is a crushing story of a boy trying to find love, find a way to cope, and find a way to cope with how he copes. At the end of the day, you're left feeling kind of miserable and broken, but Mohr grants you enough hope at the Damascus bar that this story ends on the upswing.
kpdoessomereading's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible! Emotional and funny.
abstract_amber77's review against another edition
3.0
What can I say about this book other than bizarre acid trip in to the life of a very messed up man trying to make amends with his past. It's an interesting story that's moderately entertaining - it just went a little too far over the crazy fence for me to thoroughly enjoy it. It was worth reading, nonetheless, just not worth 4 or 5 stars, imho.
caseykc's review against another edition
4.0
This book is powerful because it causes the reader to consider those people on the fringes of our society - people we think too weird or dirty to really want to remember. The events and the characters in this book are things we don't want to think about and keep swept away in the dark corners of our cities. Even with sparse writing, Mohr brings these characters to life, makes them human, and forces us to recognize those dark places and people in our world.
"Safety" and "home" are not assumed in this world, but the longing for both shows up in sometimes surprising and twisted ways. However, they are only surprising and twisted for those of us who have grown up with a family or life situation that has allowed us to assume both safety and home. For that reason alone Some Things That Meant the World to Me needs to be read by many, many people. You wouldn't find any of these characters on TV, even on an exploitative reality show. Nothing superficial can fix the messes these people have, but the beauty is that they know it... and they tramp on, living their lives, doing the work they need to do to make it right. (Unlike the too-many wannabe celebrities filling our reality-tvs thinking that money and plastic will make it all better.)
I would have liked to give 3.5 stars on this novel simply because it's hard to say I "really like" a book like this or think it's super amazing or something. I don't think books like this are meant to be enjoyed or loved at all, which makes our world based on grades and ratings an unfriendly place for all forms of art.
What makes writing like this special isn't how we rate it but how we respond to it.
"Safety" and "home" are not assumed in this world, but the longing for both shows up in sometimes surprising and twisted ways. However, they are only surprising and twisted for those of us who have grown up with a family or life situation that has allowed us to assume both safety and home. For that reason alone Some Things That Meant the World to Me needs to be read by many, many people. You wouldn't find any of these characters on TV, even on an exploitative reality show. Nothing superficial can fix the messes these people have, but the beauty is that they know it... and they tramp on, living their lives, doing the work they need to do to make it right. (Unlike the too-many wannabe celebrities filling our reality-tvs thinking that money and plastic will make it all better.)
I would have liked to give 3.5 stars on this novel simply because it's hard to say I "really like" a book like this or think it's super amazing or something. I don't think books like this are meant to be enjoyed or loved at all, which makes our world based on grades and ratings an unfriendly place for all forms of art.
What makes writing like this special isn't how we rate it but how we respond to it.
loveallthis's review against another edition
2.0
What an incredibly weird book.
Joshua Mohr's Some Things that Meant the World to Me is a drug trip of an adventure that follows Rhonda, a grown man suffering from depersonalization, as he drifts around San Francisco following a young imaginary-friend version of himself, in an attempt to come to grips with the abuse he suffered as a child. I didn't discern a plot or particularly interesting narrative arc. The prose and imagery are certainly evocative, and Rhonda's relationship with his neighbor is touching.
Two stars for the cojones it took Mohr to write and get published such a disturbing and off-putting first novel. I wish him lots of success.
Joshua Mohr's Some Things that Meant the World to Me is a drug trip of an adventure that follows Rhonda, a grown man suffering from depersonalization, as he drifts around San Francisco following a young imaginary-friend version of himself, in an attempt to come to grips with the abuse he suffered as a child. I didn't discern a plot or particularly interesting narrative arc. The prose and imagery are certainly evocative, and Rhonda's relationship with his neighbor is touching.
Two stars for the cojones it took Mohr to write and get published such a disturbing and off-putting first novel. I wish him lots of success.
wubledoo's review against another edition
1.0
Ick. Disliked this so much that i stopped reading after 30 pages. Too weird for me.