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hperks18's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
happyocelot's review
3.0
This book does not have a happy ending. It goes backwards... starting with a girl who is 22 and a successful writer... back to when she was 15 years old. Poignant, but lewd. The author is able to capture the moment and description so well... it is uncanny.
zuzana_be's review against another edition
3.0
Hitomi si naozaj žiadne servítky pre ústa nekladie. Autofikce je drsná, surová, obsesívna. sčasti má byť autobiografická (snáď len sčasti, lebo fuh), ale celé je to tak nihilistické, že sa čudujem ako ešte vôbec žije - hrdinka aj Hitomi. len dúfam, že to nie je obraz dnešnej japonskej mládeže, ako sa hovorí, lebo potom im veľa šancí do budúcna nedávam..
effloress's review
2.0
Two generous stars. Noting that the translation is rather clunky, this book was simply lackluster. I thought following Rin and her life in reverse time would have been entertaining, but sadly, the robotic and repetitive inner dialogue was tiresome to take in, and didn't allow me to connect in any meaningful way to the main character. Rin felt incredibly obtuse and inhuman.
I felt the overall narrative of this does nothing but perpetuate negative stigma towards people with mental health conditions, and the way in which the characters would nonchalantly accept/expect r*** was pretty gross.
The concept had potential but the execution was poor.
I felt the overall narrative of this does nothing but perpetuate negative stigma towards people with mental health conditions, and the way in which the characters would nonchalantly accept/expect r*** was pretty gross.
The concept had potential but the execution was poor.
wrenxavier's review
3.0
This was surreal, to say the least. The entire thing is unreliable, especially given that little wink in the 22nd Winter when the editor asks Rin to write an autofiction.
Lines of bad men, confirmed disorders, broken family, the works. Rin is highly dependent on men, obsessed with being in love with her boyfriend, and ultra-paranoid about them leaving her/not loving her enough. Her cycle of thinking is a whirlwind of questioning and contradicting herself.
Not everyone will like this; you have to be able to sympathize with her self-destructive tendencies, recognize the difficulties of not being able to think clearly or normally. Some people are just born that way.
Lines of bad men, confirmed disorders, broken family, the works. Rin is highly dependent on men, obsessed with being in love with her boyfriend, and ultra-paranoid about them leaving her/not loving her enough. Her cycle of thinking is a whirlwind of questioning and contradicting herself.
Not everyone will like this; you have to be able to sympathize with her self-destructive tendencies, recognize the difficulties of not being able to think clearly or normally. Some people are just born that way.
bghillman's review
4.0
I thought it worked well as a novel and that the narrator was a consistent amount of fucked-up but oddly likable and honest. There has been a myriad of negative criticism of the book, most of which I think is unfair. There is a nonchalant treatment of something serious which weakened the novel for me but short of that I thought it was well-constructed and readable. Some of the relationships the protagonist/narrator Rin gets into are extremely unhealthy and uncomfortable; all the more so why it is good if not important to read.
poisoned_icecream's review
5.0
I get why so many readers gave this a low rating. Rin is an insufferable and irritating woman. But I'm a crazy woman in my own way so I couldn't judge her for the way she behaves and for the thoughts that go through her head.