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dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, so I can get behind a good metaphor. But when the metaphor takes all of the fun out of a bad ass idea for a novel, I get a little irritated. Amy Bonnaffons had an amazing premise for her novel, and then she shit the bed with it. Seriously. Like, how can you present an afterlife filled with bureaucracy and The Good Place style fun and then just forget about it in favor of making a rather clumsy point about dating? So, so disappointing.
The book starts out strong with Thomas, the recently deceased love interest of our protagonist Rachel. But then they meet and begin to date, and things go wonky. Without spoiling anything that actually happens in the novel, it essentially becomes a giant metaphor for losing yourself to a relationship, for toxicity and the way past relationships affect us even after they're over. I mean, it probably could have been great, except that it was soooooooo disappointing compared to what I was expecting.
The book starts out strong with Thomas, the recently deceased love interest of our protagonist Rachel. But then they meet and begin to date, and things go wonky. Without spoiling anything that actually happens in the novel, it essentially becomes a giant metaphor for losing yourself to a relationship, for toxicity and the way past relationships affect us even after they're over. I mean, it probably could have been great, except that it was soooooooo disappointing compared to what I was expecting.
Alternative title: Generic white people are young, directionless, and oh so tragically jaded.
After a series of passionless sexual escapades with quirky characters (the homeless freegan, the Buddhist who just broke a vow of silence and now can’t shut up), Rachel (who became a librarian because she likes to touch books) meets Thomas. Thomas is dead, but his afterlife isn’t ready for him yet. So instead of moving on, he’s given a new, temporary body and an additional month on earth. He’s left with a warning: he can’t use this month to talk to people from his old life OR to pursue new romantic or sexual relationships. If he does either of these things, he’ll incur Regrets.
Thomas meets Rachel and they promptly start having sex. About 50% of this book is scene after scene of Rachel and Thomas having sex. Even as Thomas’ temporary body starts to disappear bit by bit. Which makes for some...strange sexual encounters. This continues on until Thomas is completely invisible (but, worry not, still able to have sex with Rachel) and is basically haunting her every move like a possessive, jealous cloud of static electricity.
Then Rachel runs into Mark. She dated Mark in college but was bored with their sex life, so cheated with their neighbor. All these years later, a run in with this particular ex convinces Rachel that maybe she’s in an unhealthy place what with the controlling, angry, dead boyfriend.
The Regrets is a book that tries really hard but is actually about nothing. But there is a lot of ghost sex.
2.5 stars
After a series of passionless sexual escapades with quirky characters (the homeless freegan, the Buddhist who just broke a vow of silence and now can’t shut up), Rachel (who became a librarian because she likes to touch books) meets Thomas. Thomas is dead, but his afterlife isn’t ready for him yet. So instead of moving on, he’s given a new, temporary body and an additional month on earth. He’s left with a warning: he can’t use this month to talk to people from his old life OR to pursue new romantic or sexual relationships. If he does either of these things, he’ll incur Regrets.
Thomas meets Rachel and they promptly start having sex. About 50% of this book is scene after scene of Rachel and Thomas having sex. Even as Thomas’ temporary body starts to disappear bit by bit. Which makes for some...strange sexual encounters. This continues on until Thomas is completely invisible (but, worry not, still able to have sex with Rachel) and is basically haunting her every move like a possessive, jealous cloud of static electricity.
Then Rachel runs into Mark. She dated Mark in college but was bored with their sex life, so cheated with their neighbor. All these years later, a run in with this particular ex convinces Rachel that maybe she’s in an unhealthy place what with the controlling, angry, dead boyfriend.
The Regrets is a book that tries really hard but is actually about nothing. But there is a lot of ghost sex.
2.5 stars
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What nonsense was this??? Like it got better at the end, but I wouldn't've gotten there if this hadn't been short. My smallest grievance is that Rachel is a librarian who's favorite part is the alphabetizing, but that's also the only point I have the energy to bring up. Just, no thank you.
A literary love story that tackles mortality with plenty of ghost sex. You're either into that sort of thing or you're not.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why why why couldn't it be less romance and more death bureaucracy?
This book has some great style moments though. Definitely came for the premise and stayed for the eerie, discomforting sensory descriptions. It would have made it to four stars had the ending been a little less unsatisfactory.
This book has some great style moments though. Definitely came for the premise and stayed for the eerie, discomforting sensory descriptions. It would have made it to four stars had the ending been a little less unsatisfactory.
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes