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emjayknocks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It’s hard to summarise this book. Eerie, mysterious… sticky, in some way? I wanted to keep reading even though nothing really happened for the most part. It certainly wasn’t funny as all the quotes on the book jacket claim. I’d be at a loss as to whether I’d recommend this book to others as it’s hard to figure out how I actually feel about it myself! Although Ingrid’s persistent boot licking and self-sabotage meant I couldn’t sympathise with her, I did enjoy the ending where she ultimately triumphed - even if triumphed means “held power over Keith briefly before they all drowned on the sinking ship”
lit_fic_nic_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
blossom91's review against another edition
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
littlespookysmut's review against another edition
2.0
Uhhh I’m not entirely sure what I just read but the writing was good?
yollipope's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
buer's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don’t consider the following to have any spoilers because it’s very vague, but if that makes you nervous, maybe don’t read this.
I love magical realism, but The Odyssey did not do it for me. Lara Williams starts us off on a cruise ship with an odd protagonist who then takes a sharp left turn into being an extreme alcoholic and then takes another sharp left turn into possibly also being delusional or crazy.
The reader is left wondering how much of the narrative was true and - at least for me - any joy that might be found in the cartoonish setting of the decaying cruise ship at the end of the story is lost in the general confusion of what happened and what’s happening.
Williams does a good job of superficially closing the loop of the story, but it felt a bit like a cop out to me, like laughing at a joke because it’s familiar or agreeing with an argument because you’ve heard it before.
I wouldn’t recommend this book - it’s consistently yucky and I had second hand embarrassment for a lot of it, but if you like weird stuff and don’t mind unreliable narrators and ambiguous characters endings, you might like this.
I love magical realism, but The Odyssey did not do it for me. Lara Williams starts us off on a cruise ship with an odd protagonist who then takes a sharp left turn into being an extreme alcoholic and then takes another sharp left turn into possibly also being delusional or crazy.
The reader is left wondering how much of the narrative was true and - at least for me - any joy that might be found in the cartoonish setting of the decaying cruise ship at the end of the story is lost in the general confusion of what happened and what’s happening.
Williams does a good job of superficially closing the loop of the story, but it felt a bit like a cop out to me, like laughing at a joke because it’s familiar or agreeing with an argument because you’ve heard it before.
I wouldn’t recommend this book - it’s consistently yucky and I had second hand embarrassment for a lot of it, but if you like weird stuff and don’t mind unreliable narrators and ambiguous characters endings, you might like this.
kittoji's review against another edition
3.75
the concept of this was super interesting: you follow the employee of a cruise that is just a little bit too eerie for comfort, a bit cult-like, on what seems an endless sea voyage. it was weird and chaotic in a very good way, but the drop to the buildup was anticlimactic and unsatisfying. still a great read though!
nanners102's review against another edition
2.0
Enjoyed it at first and disliked it as it went on. Character development made me feel weird and having infertility be the driving factor behind the main character’s motivation to join the cruise ship was honestly lame.
charstevens's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely wouldn't want the main character of this to be my Homie.